BVCA Recognizes Needs During National Community Action Month

In order to highlight problems of poverty, growing economic inequality, and the need to bring millions of struggling families and individuals into the middle class, Blue Valley Community Action Partnership (BVCA) will release its 2012 Needs Survey as part of National Community Action Month. National Community Action Month, held annually in May, highlights Community Action Agencies’ work helping millions of families and individuals escape poverty and achieve economic stability each year.
The needs are annually identified by the Community Action of Nebraska, the association of all nine Nebraska Community Action agencies. Each scientifically held survey not only encompasses the needs across the state, but also targets the Blue Valley Community Action nine-county service area. Copies of the survey results are available to the public on BVCA’s website: www.bvca.net.
Blue Valley Community Action Partnership will join Community Action Agencies across the country in hosting events and activities throughout May aimed at highlighting poverty problems and solutions. Due to the uncertain economic climate—still reeling from the Great Recession and high unemployment rates—Community Action Agencies feel it is critical to focus local, state, and national attention and efforts on helping impoverished people move into the middle class, creating jobs, and growing the economy.
“We want to call attention to increasing poverty problems and financial difficulties many in our community are facing,” said Richard Nation, BVCA’s C.E.O. “For the past few years, we’ve been dealing with the weak economy that is creating unemployment for millions of people, many of them low-income. This is what creates economic inequality — if you don’t give vulnerable Americans resources and opportunities to succeed economically, they will continue to live in poverty. “The opposite of Poverty is Justice,” Mr. Nation quotes from a recent TV interviewer.
The national office of the Community Action Partnership designates May as National Community Action Month to recognize Community Action Agencies’ work fighting poverty on the local level. Each year, Community Action Agencies help 20 million Americans achieve financial stability through programs such as Head Start, Weatherization, volunteerism, financial education, housing, energy assistance, transportation, job skills, nutritional assistance and home ownership.
“Blue Valley Community Action Partnership creates opportunities for people to thrive and prosper personally and economically through a variety of programs and services that encourage financial literacy, help people complete their education, pay for childcare, receive job training and purchase a home,” said Nation. “Our program participants were already finding it difficult to make ends meet, but the Great Recession and the challenging economy have exacerbated the situation. Blue Valley Community Action Partnership’s services are needed now more than ever in order to help people escape poverty and have a chance to enter the middle class.”
“BVCA serves the entire community” Nation added, “including helping to offer services to bring jobs to the nine county area. Over the years, we have helped build homes, childcare centers, senior centers, library additions, community buildings, housing and cleared dilapidated areas for business expansion. As a result we have seen local factories and businesses expand.”
BVCA serves Butler, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Polk, Saline, Seward, Thayer and York counties in Nebraska, and is part of a national network. The network is called the Community Action Partnership and is based in Washington, DC. It provides training and other services to more than 1,000 Community Action Agencies across America that help 20 million low-income people and families achieve economic stability and improve their lives.
For more information, visit www.communityactionpartnership.com or follow the organization on Twitter, http://twitter.com/CAPartnership.