VOC's Community Needs Assessment and Strategic Plan
January 16, 2019
VOC’s leadership team began planning for our 2018-2020 Community Assessment Report and Strategic Plan in June of 2016. Since then, we have distributed, collected, and analyzed hundreds of surveys from community members, participants, board members, and employees. We have held multiple focus groups, interviewed various key stakeholders, and researched the causes and conditions of poverty in our community. All of this data was studied and compiled into our 2018-2020 Community Assessment Report and Strategic Plan (CARSP).
As a result of this process, VOC is planning to focus on creating and enhancing the following programming:
- Increasing the number of safe and affordable housing units available in Chicopee and Holyoke
- Increasing the access and availability of affordable child care
- Increasing job training programs
- Providing individuals and families with referrals and resources for drug and alcohol addiction services
- Decreasing the amount of low-income families with food insecurity
1) Only those households experiencing a heating-related emergency will be served by the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) while the shutdown is in place. Emergencies Include: No heat, A termination notice from a utility, less than 1/8 of a tank of oil, less than three days’ supply of other deliverable fuels Limited Funding Available starting November 1 Only for Heating Emergencies 2) Standard fuel assistance supports through Valley Opportunity Council are not currently available until the Federal Government shutdown ends and Fuel Assistance funds are restored to the budget If you believe you are experiencing a heating emergency, please call 413-552-1548 and a member of our fuel assistance team will assist.
[Western Mass News] SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - As we go deeper into fall, heating costs are expected to increase once again. And right now, there is a way for some to get assistance, while the commonwealth looks to do something about this issue.
Melissa White, Director of Programs at Valley Opportunity Council, is interviewed by Western Mass News about the coming heating season.
