Capstone Community Action Inc.

Filing Period

Oct 1, 2012 to Sep 30, 2013

Signed

Jan 17, 2014

Return Version

2012v2.1

Gross Receipts

$16,747,033

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

Family and commmunity support services (fcss) provide immediate assistance to people in need of food, housing, utilities, and home heating fuel. Offices are located in barre, berlin, bradford, morrisville, and randolph. Staff members are trained to help people articulate and prioritize their needs, identify opportunities for resources and services, and make referrals to state agencies and other community-based programs (including other programs within the agency). In addition to food shelves, low-income housing counseling, and fuel and utility assistance, fcss also houses the agency's tax resolution program, supervised visitation and exchange services for noncustodial parents, re-entry assistance for post-incarcerated women, service coordination for vermonters with multiple needs referred by the vermont department of children and families. In 2013 fcss continued to provide disaster case management services. This year 5,019 households with 11,542 individuals were provided with emergency services, including food from our food shelves, fuel & utility assistance, as well as referrals to other communinty resources to address critical needs. 1,591 households used our fuel and utility programs to keep heating their homes and maintaining electricity. 23 households used our low income taxpayer clinic to resolve irs controversies and learn more about their rights and responsibilities as taxpayers. The great recession's lingering impact on central vermont has been felt most accutely in areas of food and housing with staff reporting more complex housing issues among participants and increased food shelf visits. In response to this trend, cvcac's family community support services expanded its housing assistance programs to meet this growing demand by securing additional state and federal funding through grants and contracts. Under sub contract with the university of vermont, the agency hired a (vets) family development housing counselor to focus specifically on the housing needs of service men and women. The agency was fortunate to find an experienced counselor with a military background. With additional funding from the vermont departmnet for children and families and the vermont department of corrections, the agency was able to add three more housing-related positions. 1,756 families accessed help to find and keep safe secure housing through our housing counseling programs. Two service coordinator positions were developed to focus on the needs of formerly incarcerated vermonters. The washington county position primarily serves women, and the lamoille couty position primarily serves men. With state emergency shelter and community service funds the agency was able to add an additional housing counselor generalist position. 34 families used our children's hour supervised visitation and exchange services to allow noncustodial parents opportunities to visit their children. In response to tropical storm irene, cvcac secured a $2.4 million grant, in the prior year, from the federal emergency management agency (us department of homeland security) on behalf of the state of vermont to provide case management statewide for flood impacted vermonters. More than two years after tropical storm irene, staff continues to uncover cases where people have exhausted all of their resources. These vermonters are in most need of an advocate, someone in their corner to help them navigate red tape, someone to give them hope. Cvcac staff and partners made a difference for 41 additional families.

Activity 3

The agency's weatherization team conducts home energy audits for income eligible central vermont households. The team and partnering contractors follow up with cost savings measures such as added insulation, draft reduction, heating system efficiency improvements, installation of energy efficient lighting, hot water heater replacement or insulation, and more. In addition, this program offers emergency heating system replacements or repairs to ensure the proper safety and functioning of their home heating systems. 241 housing units were weatherized benefitting 381 individuals.

Filer

EIN

03-0216254