News
SEICAA opened the phone lines November 2nd for Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) appointments! SEICAA staff throughout the seven southeast Idaho counties are scheduling appointments for energy assistance that will last through March 2012. In addition to in-office appointments, staff will travel to homes of the elderly and other households unable to make in-office visits for specific causes.
LIHEAP, in conjunction with other winter heating assistance programs such as Lend-A-Hand, Project Share and Project Warmth, provide vital assistance to households so they may heat their homes. According to the National Energy Assistance Director’s Association (NEADA), “nearly 90% of LIHEAP recipient households have at least one vulnerable member- defined as someone age 60 or older, age 18 or younger, or disabled.” NEADA conducted a survey and found that for vulnerable households “a loss of heat or electricity in the winter could have serious health and safety implications” (National Energy Assistance Director’s Association, 2011 National Energy Assistance Survey Summary Report, November 2011). LIHEAP is made possible by funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
To see if you may qualify for LIHEAP, jump to SEICAA’s “energy programs” page, contact SEICAA at 232-1114, or call any of the numbers listed under the “energy assistance” page.
SEICAA is officially launching the SERC energy conservation community based campaign to promote simple ideas that save energy. SEICAA worked with a local advertiser to put together eight short commercials featuring children to demonstrate how simple energy conservation can be! Watch local stations for the spots, or jump to SEICAA's Facebook page ("Southeastern Idaho Community Action Agency") to see the commercials!
The Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) is a one-year pilot program by the U.S. Department of Energy. SEICAA is in charge of community marketing for the program in Idaho.
SEICAA now offers Fair Housing Workshops! Click below to see the schedule of upcoming dates.
When many hear about Southeastern Idaho Community Action Agency, also known as SEICAA, they may think of an agency that provides energy assistance or food boxes. Although these services are provided by SEICAA, the agency is much more than a safety-net for a select group of people. SEICAA has maintained a presence in southeast Idaho for over 40 years. SEICAA has grown from a single-program organization providing noon meals to seniors to the multifaceted organization it is today. SEICAA, through flexible Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, has the ability to administer programs most needed by local communities.
SEICAA’s CSBG funds provide operations dollars to support programs in Community Services, as well as limited support for new and developing programs. SEICAA currently utilizes CSBG funding to support the Veteran Services Program for veterans in the transitional housing program, Family Development Case Management, Individual Development Account Program, Financial Literacy Program, GED Program, and outreach offices in six counties. Through 2010 CSBG funds, SEICAA was able to leverage the funds to raise an additional $1,395,318 for client services.
If you’re still unsure about the impact SEICAA has in the local community, think about the following
- 87,048 units of service were provided by SEICAA in 2010
- 175 individuals received financial literacy services
- 133 individuals received their GED
- 6076 households received assistance with energy costs
- 460 families received case management services with 209 achieving self-sufficiency
- 359 households, and many more children, received assistance with school supplies, fees, and limited extracurricular activities
- 20 U.S. Veterans received case management and housing
Twenty-seven thousand individuals, 17% of the southeast Idaho population, received assistance from SEICAA in 2010. Some services provided may have been for emergency crisis services, while many more were provided to help low- to moderate-income individuals achieve permanent asset development and self-reliance. SEICAA is just one of 1100 public and private Community Action Agencies receiving CSBG funds that are on the chopping block. Think about 27,000 individuals…without SEICAA, where would these individuals go for assistance?
Southeastern Idaho Community Action Agency's Weatherization Program helped over 430 households in 2010. Services provided include weather stripping, replacement of furnaces and windows, installation of insulation, and numerous other services to make homes more energy efficient. The difference weatherization has on a home is significant and helps residents save money on energy costs. Below is a small sample of the thank-you cards SEICAA's Weatherization Department received in 2010.
Dear SEICAA,
I am so grateful for the weatherization done to my house. The difference in warmth has been so much better, and the professional procedure was so nice. I wish I had applied several winters ago. Thank you so much.
Thank you, again! Weatherization Recipient
Dear SEICAA,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the work you did to our home! You can’t imagine the peace of mind that the new furnace and stove have brought to us knowing that we are not breathing in deadly carbon monoxide. The new windows are keeping the heat in much better. I’ve already seen a substantial drop in the amount of propane delivered. I wish there was some way I could repay you for the help, and there’s no way to describe how grateful we are to you for what you’ve done, but I hope this will do for now.
Sincerely, Weatherization Recipient
I just wanted to send SEICAA and the crew who worked so hard on my trailer a big Thank You. It was a great early Christmas present. Hope you all have an awesome Christmas and enjoy the adventures the New Year will bring us all.
Again, Thank You!! Weatherization Recipient
Dear SEICAA Weatherization,
Thinking of you always and want to thank you with all our hearts for the blessing of our new windows; it has made such a difference already. We love them without your help we would never be able to have them. Thank you so very much for blessing us with windows.
Always, Weatherization Recipient
To whom it may concern:
It is early Sunday morning - any given Sunday prior to June 20th, 2010. This is the time I pay my credit cards. It is very stressful for me. Reluctantly, I sit down and go online. My emotions are often filled with fear and guilt for spending and a cloudy unhopeful outlook on my financial future.
This pattern has been going on for years - denial of my finances. The moment things started to change for me was the day that I took SEICAA’s Money Smart Class. By taking the class I was finally showing up and taking personal responsibility for myself. I was no longer a victim without hope. I owned the past, the past I built with mindless spending. In the class I learned how to get a free credit report and how to help myself. I had so much anxiety before the class, always thinking the worst. Feelings of powerlessness were prevalent. My score was not as bad as I thought and my finances did not deserve such negativity or apathy. In fact, there was a way out and a silver lining that I felt I could reach. I wasn’t alone, I now had someone who supported me and more importantly, understood. After the class I knew I owned my future and it was one with doors leading somewhere peaceful.
The process to pay off my credit card debt was entailed. My credit card debt was just over six thousand dollars. I also was very fortunate to have my living expenses cut back. At a time when my living expenses were cut back I made a plan to put every available dollar amount to debt. After looking for some time I gained employment. Instead of spending the money that I earned from the job, I put all of the paycheck, excluding a very small spending amount ($200.00 per month) to the debt. It went down fast, faster than I thought. I kept my head down, seeing proof that my determination was paying off. I thought about it and kept it current and in front of me. I was going to pay off this huge debt! Then an amazing thing happened. The debt did go down, almost without pain. Nearing the final months of payoff I felt invigorated, strong, and self assured. I was having success each month that I kept faithful.
On Sunday, June 20, 2010 @ 7:13 AM I am at the computer again. This time I am paying the last payment on my Citi Card. It is $137.58 and I feel ecstatic! I am free and in control - happy and relieved, but mostly, proud and GRATEFUL. Grateful for the knowledge and hope given to me. The encouragement and support of SEICAA made the difference for me. I was empowered with knowledge which over time led to strength. Being free from the cycle of credit is an incredible feeling.
Sincerely,
Anonymously Happy
You could be eligible to get more money back from the IRS – as much as $5,666. If you earned less than $48,362 from wages, self-employment, or farming last year, you may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit[1] – or EITC.
EITC is a financial boost for working people hit by hard economic times. You may qualify for the first time if your financial, marital or parental status changed in 2010.
Eligibility is based on several factors[2], including the source and amount of your income, or combined income if married, whether you have qualifying children and how many. Workers without children also may qualify.
Four of five eligible people claim and get their EITC. Use IRS’s online EITC Assistant[3] to see if you qualify. If so, you must file to get it.
Free help is available at volunteer income tax assistance sites and IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers[4]. Locate a volunteer site by calling your community’s 211 or 311 number for local services or call the IRS at 1-800-906-9887.
Get back even more if your state[5] also has an EITC.
EITC. You earned it. Now file, claim it and get it.
For more information on EITC please call Anita Valladolid at 232-1114 ext. 125.
SEICAA’s Bingham County Office hosted the 8th Annual Stone Soup Fundraiser October 5th at Mountain View Middle School. Fourteen restaurants prepared and served soups. The winner of 1st Place, as selected by attendees, was Rupes Burgers. Over 425 people attended the event that was run by dozens of volunteers. All funds raised will help Bingham County residents seeking their GED.
SEICAA’s Bannock County Office held the 22nd Annual Stone Soup Fundraiser October 18th at the ISU Student Union Ballroom. Nine restaurants and organizations participated, volunteers from Jobs Daughters and the Highland High School Junior Civitan Club helped the night of the event. SEICAA selected the SHOP with a COP Program as the 2010 Friend of SEICAA and presented the 2010 Business of the Year Award to The Rock 94.9. The “Souper Supper” 1st Place Winner went to ISU Culinary Arts. 
On August 4, 2010 Feed the Children returned to Pocatello bringing over 400 food boxes for households in need. SEICAA was selected by Feed the Children, through the Americans Feeding Americans Program, to distribute 400 vouchers throughout souteastern Idaho. Feed the Children International selected Pocatello as one of 65 recipient cities across the nation based on the unemployment rate.
The event ran from 10am to 1pm and 315 households received a 25 pound box of food and hygiene items. Cars started lining up at 8:30 for the 10:00 start. SEICAA distributed boxes to individuals living from Montpelier to Blackfoot and everywhere in between. Thank you, Feed the Children for providing food for southeastern Idaho households in these tough times!
The new homeowner of an Acquisition Infill Housing home on W. Young in Pocatello will breathe a little easier when the power bill arrives each month. Idaho Power and SEICAA’s Affordable Housing Division formed a partnership to teach new homeowners how to conserve energy and reduce consumption. Idaho Power provided 90 CFL bulbs to SEICAA for lighting in the W. Young home, as well as printed materials and coupons to encourage the homeowner to use energy responsibly.
Idaho Power’s donation to SEICAA’s Affordable Housing Program comes on the heels of the two cash awards given to SEICAA for energy efficient measures made to the St. Anthony Place complex. SEICAA’s maintenance staff replaced fixtures and bulbs with energy efficient models and used reflective roofing materials to reflect the heat from the sun; thus, reducing energy needed to cool the building in the summer heat.
The partnership between Idaho Power and SEICAA reflects a commitment to reduce energy consumption and use limited resources more conservatively. SEICAA endeavors to build new homes to exceed basic energy standards and Idaho Power is helping with this effort. SEICAA strives to educate homebuyers and homeowners on methods of increasing energy efficiency within the home. Research suggests that lighting accounts for 20% of an average home’s electrical needs; CFLs use 75% less energy and have a longer life than traditional incandescent bulbs. According to March Losser with Idaho Power, “if every home in the U.S. replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars.”
SEICAA is pleased to partner with Idaho Power on creating more energy conscious homeowners!
As part of the Federal Stimulus, SEICAA’s Weatherization Program received a boost as part of the Administration’s goal of weatherizing one million U.S. homes. SEICAA’s Weatherization Department added three additional crews to increase energy conservation production throughout southeast Idaho. In fiscal year 2008, SEICAA’s Weatherization Program completed 168 homes; in fiscal year 2009, 316 homes were completed- an 88% increase. Energy conservation is a vital step in reducing the demand for power, and is one of the best ways to reduce reliance on unsustainable energy. SEICAA’s Weatherization Program also provides energy efficiency education and tips for reducing consumption in the home.
SEICAA’s Weatherization Program has worked tirelessly this past year to assist as many households are possible. Due in part to the crew’s incredible efforts, Idaho was ranked 4th in the nation for production. Under SEICAA’s Weatherization Director the division has excelled. Congratulations, Rick, for being named Weatherization Program Director of the Year at the Energy Outwest Conference in May 2010!
SEICAA is seeking input from southeastern Idaho residents. Please complete the 2010 Education Survey for SEICAA and return to your local SEICAA office, or email info@seicaa.org for a fillable form that can be submitted electronically. Thank you for your participation!
SEICAA received a grant donation from Washington Federal Savings in support of financial literacy and asset development programs! Representatives will bring the check next week.
SEICAA's GED Program would like to say thank-you to H.J. Heinz for their donation on 4/16/2010.
"I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream -- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
SEICAA is currently seeking 2 Board Members for the Board of Directors. The current vacancies are in the Public Sector and Low-Income Representative.
SEICAA's Weatherization Program received a thank-you letter from a thankful recipient.