ETSU Outreach program helps families become self-sufficient

By Kathy Helms-Hughes
STAR STAFF
khughes@starhq.com

   East Tennessee State University's Center for Community Outreach serves hundreds of people in the Tri-Cities region as part of the university's mission toward public service.
   Judith Hammonds, director, said, "There's just a real need for these kinds of services. We're fortunate that the university's mission includes outreach to the community. We've been able to bring some very interesting programs and resources into the communities of East Tennessee."
   The center has experienced significant growth since around 1995, Hammonds said, "probably because we got so involved with welfare reform."
   There are now satellite offices at Pine Hills Estates in Elizabethton and another location in Johnson County.
   "Our major emphasis has been on programs to help families become self-sufficient," Hammonds said. "We've been very actively involved in the Families First program, Tennessee's statewide welfare reform initiative. Working with primarily single mothers is only half of the welfare reform issue. We also work with the fathers, the non-custodial parents."
   A Work Force Investment Board grant has allowed the center to extend staff into the Carter County School System to work with low-income youths. "That's actually helping kids to find employment, helping with remediation in school," she said.
   A dental clinic housed at Keystone in Johnson City is offered for those in the region who can't afford dental care. "We don't limit it just to Johnson City," Hammonds said.
   "Families First is our biggest program. In Families First they have a program called Smart Choice which is specifically helping people to be successful in health careers.
   "We have a homeowners training program which is affiliated with the Eastern Eight to help develop more affordable housing options. We have a large initiative in Johnson County doing economic development activities, helping people start small businesses.
   "The Mother Read program is a family literacy program where we train mothers how to read to their children, not just for reading's sake but as a way to develop your relationship with your child," she said.
   "We're waiting to try to see what kinds of initiatives are coming through with the TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) authorization that is being considered right now by the federal government. The new initiative will be in the area of programs designed to support marriages and to get fathers more actively involved in parenting. The other side of welfare reform is working with the dad, not just to get them to pay child support but to get them involved as fathers."
   The outreach program keeps the center's staff hopping, but, Hammonds said, "We've been very fortunate hiring directors and drawing in the resources to actually feel like we're making a difference.
   "We have developed some skills in grant writing that have been well received in the community. You've got to ask. If you don't ask, you won't get the federal money."
   The center draws the majority of its funding from federal dollars that are block granted to the state. Programs offered by the center include:
   * Families First: Provides cash grants, education, job training, child care, employment assistance, and transitional benefits to poor or low-income Tennesseans working toward a lifestyle without welfare.
   * Smart Choice: Offers Families First participants an opportunity to explore and succeed in health careers that pay almost twice as much as minimum wage. Career choices include licensed practical nurse, surgical technologist, cardiovascular technologist and emergency medical technician.
   * Appalachian Non-Custodial Parent Project: The goal is to enhance the ability of the non-custodial parent to pay child support by utilizing employment-based services. The ANPP serves residents of Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties.
   * Home Ownership and Credit Training Program: The Eastern Eight Community Development Corp. Inc., is a regional not-for-profit partnership interested in promoting affordable housing. EECDC provides housing services and technical assistance related to housing for low-income households within eight counties of Northeast Tennessee: Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington and Unicoi. Services provided include housing counseling, homeownership training, and housing development.
   * Family Services Counseling: Counselors help clients handle problems at home, work, or school. The program assists with problems such as: being stressed out, upset, or mad much of the time; having trouble getting along with others; you or your children are being hurt by someone you love; you're having a hard time learning or keeping up in your classes; you're drinking too much or using drugs; you're having problems with your children; your children are sick so much that you can't work or go to school. Counselors assist in finding the help you need.
   * Keystone Dental Care, Inc.: The clinic is provided for persons in need of dental care who cannot afford it. Clinic hours are based on volunteers; therefore, there is never a dentist in the clinic on a full-time basis. When a dentist is available, an appointment may be reserved by calling before the clinic begins that day. You must be 21 years of age to receive services.
   * Central Appalachian Microenterprise Project: The project can help area residents gain financial independence, make their own decisions, and improve self-confidence through self-employment. The training program helps individuals set goals and determine whether their business can achieve them while providing all the skills needed to get a business up and running.
   * Building Families: This program is a comprehensive approach to parent education that incorporates simplicity and flexibility in its emphasis on learning the basics or fundamentals of parent-child relationships. The emphasis is on encouraging parents to listen to their intuition, develop hunches, and be playful in trying out different types of solutions.
   * Youth Programs: The program serves disadvantaged school-age children and youth at the Keystone Community Center in Johnson City. A gymnasium, youth technology programs, classrooms, and resource library are housed at the center, and ETSU student and community volunteers are actively involved as tutors and mentors. Post secondary educational and career opportunities and workplace preparedness are emphasized in all programs.