Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation

The head start/early head start programs program is funded to provide education services to approximately 487 income eligible expectant families, infants, toddlers and preschool children and their families. The program provides services in 28 classrooms at 14 locations and offers in home education services throughout jefferson and franklin counties. The program employs approximately 107 staff who hold a bachelor's or associate degree, family development credential, and/or child development associate (cda) credential. The program contracts with 24 school districts and 6 community childcare/school district partners to ensure positive child outcomes for school and life-long learning.

Energy assistance (ea) provides low-income utility clients with a once-a-year energy assistance grant paid to the primary utility company in order to offset the high energy burden experienced by many low-income families. Ea provides winter and summer crisis funds for clients who find themselves in a state of or threat of disconnect. Ea also works in partnership with local utilities, churches, and other organizations to enhance ea effectiveness and help solve payment of larger utility bills. Ea helped approximately 3847 families.

Weatherization is a decades old program that focuses federal, state, and local resources on upgrading low-income client homes with energy efficiency measures, at no cost to the client. A comprehensive energy audit is performed to create a computer model showing the most cost-effective items to install on the home. The energy savings for client overtime will at a minimum pay for the cost of the measures implemented on the home. Health, safety, and comfort are also increased for the occupant with the added benefit of lower medical costs over the long term. Weatherization allows participants to save money on their utility bills by placing more useable income in their pockets. Jfcac weatherized 42 homes during the year ended 9-30-2024.healthy homes and home repair opportunity (hero) are two of our hud funded programs which allow the agency to provide major home upgrades such as new roofs and substantial health, and safety upgrades as identified. Hero installs roofs, repairs structural issues, and replaces windows along with a litany of other items. In the 2023-2024 program year we upgraded 6 homes. Healthy homes provides for home safety upgrades at no cost or obligation to the client. Healthy homes installs radon mitigation systems; controls lead-based paint hazards and elevates indoor air quality with new furnaces and air conditioning for example. Our healthy homes program improved 25 client homes in 2023-2024.

The community services department includes programs delivering valuable services coupled with case management activities for supporting individuals seeking assistance in stabilizing households and moving towards self-sufficiency. All community service's projects work strategically, driven by the assessed needs of the community and individuals living in jefferson and franklin counties. Programs include the community service block grant, insurance, education and coordination assistance, empowerment coaching & case management, crisis intervention programs, skill-up, ezmo transportation and poverty simulations.

The jfcac behavioral health program delivers accessible and affordable mental health therapy services to low-income residents of franklin and jefferson counties in missouri. Services include individual and group therapy, comprehensive intake assessments, and referrals to additional community resources. The wic program is designed to safeguard the health and nutritional well-being of low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutritional risk. Jfcac wic has two locations in jefferson county and 19,715 participants were served in fy24.

Other programs to help the economically disadvantaged.