Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council Inc

EQUIPPING LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WITH RESOURCES.

ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM:LIHEAP: THE MONTHLY COST REPORT FOR FY24 SHOWS TOTAL LIHEAP PAYMENTS OF $3,201,470 IN PAYMENTS VS. $4,396,231 FOR FY23. WHICH IS A DECREASE IN PAYMENTS OF $1,194,761. THE LIHEAP PROGRAM WAS TO GO THROUGH AUGUST 15, 2024; HOWEVER, THE AGENCY RAN OUT OF FUNDING THE EARLY PART OF MAY 2024. OUR APPLICATION COUNT TOTAL ENDED WITH 4392 APPLICATIONS FOR FY24 VS. 5366 FY23, WHICH IS A DECREASE OF 974 APPLICATIONS. THE DECREASE IN APPLICATIONS WAS DUE TO NO AVAILABLE FUNDING BEFORE THE PROGRAM YEAR ENDED. ALSO, IN FY23, THE LIHEAP PROGRAM STARTED ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2022, AND FY2024 LIHEAP PROGRAM STARTED A MONTH LATER ON OCTOBER 1, 2023. THE STATE OF ILLINOIS WILL HAVE NO SUMMER COOLING PROGRAM THIS YEAR. OUR OUTREACH OFFICES WERE ABLE TO CONDUCT LIHEAP APPLICATIONS VIA IN-PERSON BY APPOINTMENT, TAKE AN APPLICATION BY PHONE OR CLIENTS COULD PICK UP AN APPLICATION PACKET AT THEIR LOCAL OUTREACH OFFICE VIA THE OUTSIDE LITERATURE BOX. WE ALSO HAD THE APPLICATION AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S WEBSITE. WE HAVE WEDNESDAY'S AS "WALK-IN" DAY FOR CLIENTS NEEDING AN APPLICATION WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT. FURNACE: THE FY23 FURNACE VOUCHER PROGRAM WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. THE AGECY TOOK A TOTAL OF 32 FURNACE APPLICATIONS. OF THE 32 FURNACE APPLICATIONS, 29 RECEIVED A NEW FURNACE AND 12 WERE DENIED DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS OR MISSING OWNERSHIP DOCUMENTATION. THE TOTAL CLIENT BENEFITS FROM THE FURNACE VOUCHER PROGRAM WERE $99,905.55. PIPP: THE YEAR ENDED WITH 491 ACTIVE PIPP CLIENTS. NO NEW PIPP APPLICATIONS WERE TAKEN IN FY24, PER THE STATE. PIPP CLIENTS BEGAN RECEIVING RECERTIFICATION LETTERS FROM THE STATE AS OF JULY 1, AND LIHEAP STAFF ARE CURRENTLY TAKING APPOINTMENTS TO START THE RECERTIFICATIONS.

SENIOR PROGRAMS: PROVIDED NUTRITION, TRANSPORTATION, REFERRAL AND HEALTH SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS OVER 60 YEARS OLD, WHICH APPROXIMATELY 928 SENIORS WERE SERVED. PROGRAMS OPERATED THROUGH THE NUTRITION SITES HAVE BEEN STEADILY INCREASED SINCE THE PANDEMIC HAS ENDED.

HEAD START PROGRAM:"HEAD START PROGRAM: PROVIDES LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT ASSIST CHILDREN TO DEVELOP SOCIALLY, EMOTIONALLY, INTELLECTUALLY AND PHYSICALLY IN A MANNOR APPROPRIATE IN AGE AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT. PROVIDES AN INDIVIDUAL APPROACH BY ASSESSING EACH CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT LEVEL AND ALIGNING A CIRRICULUM PLAN AND PROGRESS MONITORING SYSTEM THAT WILL MAXIMIZE SCHOOL READINESS SUCCESS. ENGAGES IN MUTUALLY RESPECTUFL GOAL-ORIENTED PARTNERSHIPS WITH FAMILIES TO PROMOTE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS AND WELL-BEING. PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH PROGRAM THAT PROMOTES PREVENTION, EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND INTERVENTION AND REFERRAL SERVICES. FACILITATES NETWORKS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS THAT SUPPORT FAMILIES' STRENTHGS, INTERESTS AND NEEDS. COLLECTS AND ANALYZES OUTCOME DATA TO IMPLEMENT PLANS THAT REFLECT THE DESIRE FOR CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRAM PLANNING AND EVALUATION. RESULTS AND KEY BENEFITS FROM 2023-24: WESTERN EGYPTIAN EOC HEAD START PROGRAM PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES TO PRESCHOOL CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITH LOW-INCOME. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO SERVICE THE TRI-COUNTY AREAS OF MONROE, RANDOLPH AND PERRY COUNTIES IN ILLINOIS WITH FUNDING FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. THE HEAD START PROGRAM PARTICIPATES IN THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM. CHILDRENT IN FULL-TIME PRESCHOOL ARE SERVED BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND AFTERNOON SNACK. THERE ARE 4 CLASSROMMS THAT ARE FULL-DAY, PART-YEAR. THESE CLASSROOMS ARE OPERATED 148 DAYS IN THE SERVICE YEAR. THE 3 PART-YEAR, PART-DAY CLASSROOMS PROVIDE TRADITIONAL EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTING WITH CLASSROOMS IN 2 HEAD START LOCATIONS FUNDED TO SERVE 54 CHILDREN. THE PART-YEAR CENTERS ARE OPERATED 128 DAYS IN THE SERVICE YEAR. DOOR-TO-DOOR BUS TRANSPORTATION IS PROVIDED FOR ALL CHILDREN IN THE PART-YEAR PROGRAM OPTION.

WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM: DURING PROGRAM YEAR 2024, WEEOC'S WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM HAS FINALIZED 31 HOMES WITH FIVE MORE HOMES COMPLETED BUT NOT YET FINALIZED. THE PROGRAM HAS UNTIL JULY 15TH TO FINALIZE THOSE HOMES. THE FOLLOWING STATISTICS INCLUE THESE FIVE HOMES AND MAY CHANGE SLIGHTLY AS THE HOMES ARE FINALIZED. WHEN COMBINING DOE, DOE/READY AND DOE/BIL FUNDING, WE HAVE SPEND $258,285 (MATERIAL & LABOR) EXHAUSTING 92.1% OF THE FEDERAL DOE FUNDING RECEIVED. THE PROGRAM HAS SPENT $191,298 OF HHS FUNDING (94.7%) AND $85,037 (81.4%) OF STATE FUNDING. THERE WILL BE $10,709 HHS FUNDING LEFTOVER FOR CARRYOVER AND $19,438 STATE FUNDING LEFTOVER FOR CARRYOVER. WE NOW HAVE CONTRACTORS IN PLACE FOR ALL FACETS OF THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM AND ARE OPTIMISTIC THAT THOSE GRANTS WILL BE EXHAUSTED AS WELL. THE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM STAFF IS DILIGENTLY WORKING TOWARD DATA INPUT IN THE STATE'S NEW SOFTWARE, IWX. ALL DATA MUST BE KEYED AS THERE WAS NO DATA TRANSFER FROM THE FORMER SOFTWARE, WEATHERWORKS. ONCE THIS IS COMPLETED, WE CAN BEGIN OUR NORMAL PROCESSING OF HOMES FOR THE NEW PROGRAM YEAR.