Semcac

Child education services: head start is a family focused, high-quality program serving six counties in southeast Minnesota: dodge, fillmore, houston, mower, steele, and winona. Parents and teachers work together to plan activities that support growth and well-being. Most head start families have incomes at or below the federal poverty level. Children participate in a variety of educational activities that encourage a love of learning and lifelong healthy habits. The children work on their listening and speaking skills, as a result, they learn to get along with others, solve problems, and gain confidence. Children also receive medical and dental care, have healthy meals and snacks, and enjoy creative play in safe settings indoors and outdoors. Children leave head start more prepared for kindergarten, excited about learning, and ready to succeed as shown in our annual report on our website.

Weatherization: the weatherization assistance program provides energy conservation home improvements to reduce energy consumption costs. Each home is inspected before and after work is done to ensure that homes are more energy efficient upon project completion. Homeowners are made aware of all areas of the home on which work will be completed. Improvements may include exterior wall and attic insulation, air infiltration and bypass sealing, and testing, repair, or replacement of mechanical systems to ensure efficiency and safety. The weatherization assistance program also provides (1) education to consumers regarding home energy efficiency and safety, (2) energy audits to evaluate home energy usage, and (3) conservation improvement programs in collaboration with local utilities and fuel suppliers. Homeowners and renters who apply and are eligible for the energy assistance program are automatically screened for participation in weatherization. Priority is given to households with at least one senior citizen, an individual with a disability, or a child, and to households with the highest heating costs. Weatherization improves the energy efficiency of homes and reduces energy consumption as shown in our annual report on our website.

Older americans: senior nutrition serves mid-day meals monday through friday to persons 60 years of age or older and their spouses, regardless of age, through senior dining and meals on wheels. The programs target low-income, nutritionally at-risk seniors. Senior dining promotes healthy living by (1) providing a meal that meets 1/3 of recommended daily allowance standards, (2) offering nutrition and health-related presentations at our sites, and (3) providing opportunities to socialize and provide meaningful volunteer duties. Meals on wheels provides the homebound senior with a similar meal delivered to their home. Some of the participants are recuperating from surgery or illness, some are physically disabled, and many are unable to shop and cook due to limitations brought on by advanced age. Local community volunteers deliver the meals to participants' homes. This daily visit doubles as a safety check for the recipient. There have been times when this safety check has resulted in saving the life of a senior. For most participants, senior nutrition provides the main meal of the day. Our meals are low cost and affordable, which allows participants to stay within their budgets. Senior nutrition helps seniors remain in their own housing and maintain their health as shown in our annual report on our website.

Transportation: the volunteer driver program provides transportation for persons aged 60 and over for medical assistance, blue plus, and ucare clients to medical and dental appointments. Those aged 60 and over may also receive rides for personal appointments and senior dining. Rolling hills transit buses provide fare-based transportation for the public. Rides are provided for medical appointments, work, daycare, preschool, local business needs, senior dining sites, and other special requests. Transportation for special events may be arranged. All buses are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Community services: community services include the outreach & emergency services department, where staff in field offices throughout the service area offer a personal connection for households struggling with financial hardships to access the agency's programs and other community resources. Outreach staff provide referrals, advocate on behalf of clients, and administer emergency assistance programs and other locally funded assistance programs based on resources available in that county.housing/ housing assistance: housing services staff helps identify housing needs and determine resources to create housing development or rehab opportunities. The agency has a strong record of both developing and rehabilitating housing and can coordinate multiple funding source streams to best fit a community's needs. Outreach & emergency services staff also administer programs for rent, deposit, and mortgage assistance to prevent or address homelessness. When providing motel vouchers for homeless households in transition the goal is always permanent housing.energy assistance: the energy assistance program, federally funded and administered by the mn department of commerce, provides financial assistance for both homeowners and renters to help with household utility bills. A household must complete the application process to determine eligibility and the amount of financial assistance, which is paid directly to the household's utility provider. Assistance ranges from $200 to $1,400 depending on household size, income, and fuel costs. Income guidelines are 50 percent of the state median income. The program operates from october 1 to may 31.food assistance: the federal child and adult care food program allows head start to provide healthy meals for children in the program and to meet performance standards covering the health and well-being of children. Food assistance also includes four food shelves in the service area, which are supported by local monetary donations and donations of food or personal care items, as well as some grants. The food shelves are able to purchase emergency food with funds from the fema emergency food and shelter program. The food shelves provide low-income families with a variety of nutritious food options and the ability to stretch limited household budgets. Health: Semcac has two health services programs: (1) the senior & caregiver advocacy program supports and empowers seniors and caregivers by addressing their individual needs and preferences, so that they may remain living independently in their own homes and communities; (2) Semcac clinic provides high quality family planning and reproductive and sexual health services and education to the public, regardless of income level, insurance status, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or state of residency.