Human Services (Center for Community Action)
For emergency needs or for additional information contact Center for Community Action at 643-4202. A complete listing of Huntingdon County human services may be found in the "Huntingdon County Human Service Directory."
Keystone CAP Privatizes
July 1st, 2005 marked a new era for the staff and clients of the Keystone CAP, as they severed ties with county government. The Keystone CAP, and former Huntingdon County Human Service Office, are now part of the Center for Community Action. The Center for Community Action has served the Bedford and Fulton County area for many years. Former Keystone CAP Executive Director, Ann Foor became the Executive Director for Center for Community Action September 1, 2007. She stated that the agency would continue to have a presence in Huntingdon County. They are currently renting their former offices in Huntingdon County Annex I on a temporary basis.
According to Foor, private entities tend to have more flexibility in funding sources and are generally more able to form partnerships with private individuals and businesses. These partnerships can address property issues, transportation problems, economic development, homelessness, and other community concerns that public entities tend to shy away from. With all of these factors in mind, Keystone CAP began the process of looking at privatization. It has been a long, tedious path, but one that will be of great benefit to the low-income individuals of the area. Following is a brief history of this transition.
Huntingdon County wrote the frst proposal for Community Services Block Grant funds in 1981 and was awarded the initial grant of $18,959 in 1982 to be used as a planning grant, not a Community Action Grant. Huntingdon County was awarded $100,000 to provide services in 1982-1983 and 1983-1984. In 1984 the Huntingdon County Commissioners were informed that in order to be eligible for funds beyond 1984 they would need to comply with the Department of Community Affair's requirements to have a 100,000 population base. Thus Bedford, Fulton, and Mifflin Counties joined with Huntingdon County to form a four-county consortium. Huntingdon County acted as the lead agency and received a pass-through allocation from 1984-1989. In July 1989, Governor Casey officially named Huntingdon County the eligible entity to receive Community Services Block Grant funds and provide services to Huntingdon, Bedford, Fulton, and Mifflin Counties, allowing the counties to receive funds directly from DCA. In July 1993 Juniata County was added to make this five-county service area.
In the state of PA, there are 43 Community Action Agencies (CAA's) that represent all 67 counties; 7 of the CAA's are public entities, headed by local government. The Keystone CAP was a public community action agency, governed by fifteen Commissioners, three from each of the participating counties. In addition, an Administrative Board of Directors, three members from each county, provided oversight and input into the current programs and plans for future activities.
The Administrative Board began to look at the privatization of Keystone CAP in October 2001. They believed that funding was changing and that boards of directors should be changing the way poverty is viewed in communities, and that the impact of dollars should be geared to projects and partnerships that build on community assets.
The Keystone CAP Administrative Board continued pursuing the advantages of privatization through the next several years. On March 01, 2004, the Administrative Board of Directors voted to request that the Commissioners from all five counties begin the process of looking at the privatization of Keystone CAP. The Huntingdon County Commissioners were approached about the vote. The Commissioners sent a letter of invitation to the Administrative Board, the other four counties' Commissioners, Dennis Darling, Department of Community and Economic Development, and John Wilson, Community Action Association of PA, to attend a meeting on June 10, 2004 to begin addressing the concerns of the area. The meeting was well attended and many issues were discussed. It was decided to continue looking at privatization of Keystone CAP.
At the October 25, 2004 Keystone Community Action Program Administrative Board meeting, Mifflin and Juniata Counties asked to withdraw from the five-county Community Services Block Grant service area. After discussion, a motion was made and seconded to allow that process to continue. The motion received unanimous approval. At that same meeting, a motion was made that the Keystone CAP should proceed with privatization of Bedford, Fulton, and Huntingdon Counties with the understanding that Mifflin and Juniata Counties not be a part of the process. The motion received a second and unanimous approval. It was felt that Mifflin and Juniata Counties would join another public community action agency effective July 01, 2005.
On January 06, 2005, the Administrative Board and Commissioners from Bedford, Fulton, and Huntingdon County met with Dennis Darling and John Wilson to continue discussion of the method of privatization. The final consensus was to move under the umbrella of a currently-existing non-profit agency. The group looked favorably at Center for Community Services in Bedford County. Jeannee Mallow, Executive Director of Center for Community Services, had been a long-standing member of the Keystone CAP Administrative Board. Center for Community Services was a well-run organization. Ms. Mallow was a respected member of her community as well as various organizations througout the state of PA. The Center for Community Servies and Ms. Mallow are progressive thinking in their care and concern for low-income families. The group asked Ms. Mallow to take the information back to her board of directors to see if they would be willing to accept the community action designation. She indicated she would do so and report her board's decision at the March 07 Keystone CAP meeting.
On March 07, 2005, Ms. Mallow indicated that the Center for Community Services Board of Directors unanimously accepted the mission and responsibilities of a community action agency. She indicated that the merger of the two entities (Center for Community Services and Keystone CAP) could begin if it was still the wish of the Keystone CAP Administrative Board. The motion to privatize Keystone CAP (Bedford, Fulton and Huntingdon Counties) under Center for Community Services passed.
Center for Community Services became the Center for Community Action on December 14, 2006 with the approval of the Internal Revenue Service of the 501 (c) (3) status of the organization.
Grants that previously ran through the Human Services Department will continue to be administered by Center for Community Action. Huntingdon County grants will remain Huntingdon County grants (Medical Assistance Transporation Program, Homeless Assistance Program, State Food Purchase Program, and the Human Services Development Fund, to name a few). Center for Community Action will work to provide even more funding to the tri-county area.
A needs assessment for Bedford, Fulton, and Huntingdon Counties will be started by the new entity as soon as possible. It will be a comprehensive study, processing the health and human service strengths, challenges, issues, and assets of the resources which address the needs of adults, families, and children. Once the results of the needs assessment have been determined, a report will be issued for use by the three counties' delivery systems. The needs assessment will be used by Center for Community Action to define the grants and partnerships appropriate for the area.
The three advisory/administrative boards of directors that oversee the various Huntingdon County grants have been combined into one advisory committee. This committee monitors all current and future grants that pertain to Huntingdon County.
The Huntingdon Office of Center for Community Action is located in Annex I. The mailing address and phone number are:
Huntingdon Office, Center for Community Action
207 5th Street
Huntingdon, PA 16652
(814) 643-4202
(814) 643-8183 fax