Northeast Kingdom Community Action

Northeast Kingdom Community Action
Abbreviation NEKCA
Founded 1964 (1964)
Type Nonprofit organization
03-0276709[1]
Legal status 501(c)(3)
Location
Area served
Caledonia County, Orleans County, and Essex County, Vermont
Services Child and family development programs, including Head Start program; provides food, heating, shelter, job training, coaching, child care, and transportation.[1]
Joe Patrissi[2]
Ellen Stanley[3]
Revenue (2015)
$7,366,058[1]
Expenses (2015) $7,332,757[1]
Employees (2014)
201[1]
Volunteers (2014)
90[1]
Website www.nekcavt.org
Formerly called
 Orleans County Council of Social Agencies

Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NEKCA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community agency, founded in 1964 to address the needs of disadvantaged residents in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom and primarily funded by government grants.[4][5]

Locations and leadership

Northeast Kingdom Community Action's headquarters is located in the historic United States Customs House Building at 70 Main Street in Newport, Vermont. It has administrative offices in St. Johnsbury and Newport with satellite facilities in Island Pond and Canaan.[6] The organization is led by Executive Director Joe Patrissi[2] and Chair Ellen Stanley.[3]

Program services

Northeast Kingdom Community Action administers a Head Start program.[7] and a number of programs aimed at Vermonters with low incomes.

Northeast Kingdom Community Action maintains several services for youths: transition services from foster care and for the homeless;[8] program for runaways; court diversion for non-violent crimes; Vermont Youth Development Corps/Americorps; Juvenile restorative program ensuring youths responsible make restitution as required; street checkers on probabationers; street (peer) outreach; and Teen Center.[9] They serve about 6,000 families annually.[10]

The agency advises micro-businesses in the process of starting up.[11]

An outreach department assists residents with low incomes to receive needed help through referrals, advocacy, and case management.[12]

Northeast Kingdom Community Action provides 24-hour support to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence and abuse.[13]

Northeast Kingdom Community Action provides workforce training and development to people with significant barriers to employment.[14]

Northeast Kingdom Community Action formerly facilitated visits between non-custodial parents and their children.[15]

A Community Coordinating Council helps coordinate efforts to aid the poor with Northeast Kingdom Community Action, the Northeast Kingdom Mental Health, Northeast Kingdom Mental Health, Parent Child Centers, Youth Services, The Youth Wellness Center, Northern Counties Health Care, Umbrella, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital, Adult Basic Education, Area Agency on Aging and other social agencies.[16]

Northeast Kingdom Community Action increases public awareness of the concerns of the homeless.[17]

Two radio stations, WMOO and WIKE, hold a three-day, 24-hour, on-air fundraiser to benefit Northeast Kingdom Community Action.[18]

In 2008, Northeast Kingdom Community Action tried to convert a building to a transitional shelter for parolees in Newport.[19]

In the winter of 2003–2014, Northeast Kingdom Community Action provided fuel assistance to 461 applicants, and denied 206 because they did not meet income criteria.[20]

History

The organization was originally named Orleans County Council of Social Agencies (OCCSA), founded as a Community Action Program in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty. It was headquartered at the Old Customs building on Main Street in Newport.[21]

OCCSA founded a spectrum of agencies which still exist: Rural Community Transportation, Northern Communities Investment Corporation, and Gillman Housing, among others.[21]

The original executive director of OCCSA had political difficulties with the then-governor of Vermont, Richard Snelling, who had been born out-of-state, in Pennsylvania. When talking to a newspaper reporter, OCCSA's executive director called the governor a "porky flatlander". OCCSA was subsequently dismantled and the director moved to a western state.[21]

Northeast Kingdom Community Action was established in 1980 as a successor to OCCSA.[21]

When NEKCA attempted to rezone a St. Johnsbury building for transitional housing for parolees, neighbors objected, as did the local newspaper.[22] Attempting to reverse the rezoning, 13 litigants took Northeast Kingdom Community Action to Environmental Court in 2007. The litigants' petition was denied in 2009.[23]

When they discovered that Newport police were recording conversations between Northeast Kingdom Community Action's victim advocates and victims, four advocates resigned, two dismissed, for going public with the information.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Federal Income Tax". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Guidestar. September 30, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Leadership Team". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Board of Directors". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Northeast Kingdom Community Action, Inc. NEKCA St. Johnsbury". Wiser earth. 2010-01-01.
  5. ↑ "About Vermont:Government:Agencies". sanders.senate.gov. 2009-11-05.
  6. ↑ "About Us Home Page". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  7. ↑ "National Directory of Head Start Programs, Vermont". U.S. Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2006-05-02. Retrieved 2006-04-19.
  8. ↑ Robin Smith (2007-12-27). "Nearly Half Served This Year Were Children". Caledonian-Record. sanders.senate.gov.
  9. ↑ "CAYS Home Page". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Archived from the original on December 30, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  10. ↑ "NEKCA ONLINE Welcome to our website". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. 2006-09-28. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  11. ↑ "Micro Business Development Program". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Archived from the original on December 28, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  12. ↑ "Outreach Home Page". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  13. ↑ "Step ONE Home Page". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Archived from the original on December 31, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  14. ↑ "Careers Home Page". Northeast Kingdom Community Action. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  15. ↑ "Vermont digest - Visitation program funding is cut". Rutland Herald. Rutland, Vermont. March 30, 2000. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Community Coordinating Council". Caledonia Record News. 2010-01-01. Archived from the original on January 24, 2010.
  17. ↑ Christopher Roy (2009-12-22). "NEKHS And NEKCA Emphasize Homelessness Awareness Week". Newport Daily Express. Newport Daily Express.
  18. ↑ "WMOO 92.1 and 1490 WIKE HUNGERFEST 2009". Nassau Press Center. 2009-11-11. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011.
  19. ↑ Robin Smith (2008-12-26). "Homeless Shelters Needed In Northeast Kingdom". Caledonia-Record. Caledonian-Record. Archived from the original on 2013-01-18.
  20. ↑ Gary E. Lindsley; Paul Hayes (2005-09-06). "Jump In Fuel Prices Has Impact On Many Aspects Of Living School Budgets Could Increase". Caledonia-Record. Public Utility Law Project.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Braithwaite, Chris (5 May 2010). "More than nostalgia in the air". Barton, Vermont: the Chronicle. pp. 1B.
  22. ↑ "Editorial:Look this gift horse in the mouth". Caledonian-Record. Caledonia-Record. 2009-12-18.
  23. ↑ Thomas S. Durkin, Judge (2008-10-06). "Entry regarding motion" (PDF). Vermont Judiciary. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2010.
  24. ↑ "NEKCA Step O.N.E ponders suggestions for improving service to domestic violence victims". Newport Daily Express. Newport Daily Express. 2008-01-08.

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