Legislature(2003 - 2004)
04/20/2004 09:06 AM House CRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
CHAIR MORGAN announced that the order of business would be to
have Jo Grove provide opening comments and a description of the
Community Services Block Grants and the Community Food and
Nutrition Grants Programs. David Hardenbergh, Executive
Director, RurAL CAP, Inc., will then provide a brief overview of
the plan and be available to answer questions. A public comment
period will follow.
JO GROVE, Grant Manager, Fairbanks Office, Division of Community
Advocacy, Department of Commerce and Economic Development,
explained that funding comes from the federal Department of
Health and Human Services to the Department of Community and
Economic Development (DCED). The funds can be used to fund
community action agencies. In Alaska, the only community action
agency is RurAL CAP. The exact amount that the state will
receive this year is unknown, but is anticipated to be between
$2.3 and $2.4 million. The purpose of these funds is to impact
the causes and conditions of poverty. The plan before the
committee identifies RurAL CAP's actions and measurement
standards and has been approved by DCED. Mr. Grove further
explained that RurAL CAP deals with administration, child
development, community development, housing, tribal, and
subsistence.
DAVID HARDENBERGH, Executive Director, RurAL CAP Inc., thanked
the committee for holding this meeting and explained that he has
only been director since March 2004. The focus of RurAL CAP is
to reduce poverty, which leads to self-sufficiency. The
Division of Community Advocacy within DCED receives the money
from the federal government. Mr. Hardenbergh complimented the
work of Mr. Grove and Ms. Jill Davis. Mr. Hardenbergh further
explained that RurAL CAP is the only community action agency in
the state; that it acts statewide and is a certified non-profit.
RurAL CAP is governed by a 24-member board of directors who meet
quarterly and set the agency's policy, which the executive
director implements. RurAL CAP is able to leverage an
additional $15 to $20 million annually and employs 300 people.
He highlighted that RurAL CAP applies the majority of its
resources to rural Alaska where there is more poverty, although
it provides Head Start in Ketchikan, home weatherization
programs in Juneau, affordable housing programs in Anchorage,
and AmeriCorps partnerships in Fairbanks. In Anchorage, there
is a program to integrate homeless alcoholics back into society.
RurAL CAP and its partners support a 25-bed facility.
MR. HARDENBERGH related that the RurAL CAP program has detailed
outcomes measures, which focus on implementing the program and
producing measurable results. The program knows the number of
kids that are better prepared to go to school, the number of
home owners who have benefited from the weatherization programs,
and the number of parents who have jobs because their kids have
day care. The goal is to be responsible stewards of the public
funds the organization receives.
CHAIR MORGAN inquired as to the subsistence and tribal issues on
which RurAL CAP has been working.
MR. HARDENBERGH explained that RurAL CAP has cut back in recent
years at the direction of the board. Currently, there is no
staff assigned to these issues. However, RurAL CAP does support
a statewide newspaper "The Village Voice." Additionally, the
board identifies priorities. Currently, work is occurring with
a Native subsistence halibut group in regard to better
management of subsistence halibut fishing. In further response
to Chair Morgan, Mr. Hardenbergh listed the communities where
RurAL CAP supports Head Start programs, and explained that other
organizations such as Tanana Chiefs Conference and the
Association of Village Councils Presidents provide Head Start
programs as well. Mr. Hardenbergh said that RurAL CAP does not
fund Head Start programs in urban Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA praised the outcome measures in the
report, and asked what the earliest contact is with parents or
parents to be as there are studies demonstrating that the
earlier the intervention the better.
MR. HARDENBERGH explained that Head Start began with a focus on
3 and 4 year olds, but has now become involved in focusing on
prenatal to 3 year olds. This is not a center-based program,
but uses home visits to educate and provide counseling. He
offered to provide Representative Cissna with a list of
communities where such services are provided.
MR. HARDENBERGH, in response to Chair Morgan's inquiry regarding
the location and number of employees, explained that there are
about 100 folks in Anchorage, 70 of whom are in the central
office. The other 30 are split between Mountain View and its
childcare facility.
MR. GROVE thanked the committee and then introduced Dewey Skan a
member of the board of directors.
DEWEY SKAN, Member, RurAL CAP Board of Directors, explained that
he has been on the board for 15 years advocating for rural
Alaska. Currently, he is working with Kake to obtain resources
to redo its nearly 100-year-old building with a bad roof. He
related that the plan is to name the new building after Shirely
Jackson. He then thanked the committee for the opportunity to
campaign for the money for this new building.
REPRESENTATIVE KOOKESH added that the state engineers just
completed their report and found that the roof had serious
problems.
There was a discussion between Mr. Skan and Representative
Cissna as to whether the building in Kake would qualify for
historical status.
MR. SKAN, in response to Representative Morgan, replied that
this large board functions fairly well.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no announcements.
COMMITTEE ACTION
The committee took no action.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 9:41 a.m.
NOTE: The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes were
taken. A copy of the tape(s) and log notes may be obtained by
contacting the House Records Office at State Capitol, Room 3,
Juneau, Alaska 99801 (mailing address), (907) 465-2214, and
after adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-Third
Alaska State Legislature this information may be obtained by
contacting the Legislative Reference Library at (907) 465-3808.
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