Thursday, November 21, 2024
11/21/2024
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership, a 501(c)(3) community action agency located in Fremont, Ohio, proposes to utilize HHS/OCS Rural Community Development Funds for the continued operation and management of a technical assistance service. GLCAP is one of six regional RCAP service providers focusing primarily on the documented water and wastewater needs of low income, rural American communities. The GLCAP service area includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, and services are available to low-income communities statewide. The population to be served by this program is rural communities in the above seven states that have a population of 2,500 or less and a median family income that is less than 80% of the statewide median family income, or a poverty rate of 20% or higher. The needs of these communities are well documented. Small communities tend to be economically disadvantaged, underserved, and resource-poor, and therefore face significant barriers to building and maintaining effective water and wastewater treatment systems. Common challenges to achieving and maintaining sustainable utility systems faced by small communities include economic/financial limitations, inability to sustain community-wide systems, inability to attract and maintain system operators, lack of managerial training and consistency, and geographic isolation/remoteness, to name a few. Proposed services include the provision of onsite technical assistance to address technical, managerial and financial capacity issues, as well as facilities development needs for small water and sewer systems. Virtual and in person training will also be provided to these systems. Primary goals of the Great Lakes RCAP program include protecting the health and improving the economic well-being of low-income individuals by ensuring that they have access to safe drinking water and sanitary, environmentally sound wastewater disposal facilities that provide the foundation necessary to achieving these goals. Our proposed activities, together with the commitment of small communities and the support of OCS, lead to improved health, safety, and quality of life for thousands of low-income persons throughout the rural Great Lakes region, as well as greater development potential in the communities assisted.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
