Advisor Enhancement Module

1. Advisor Enhancement Module Becoming an Effective Liaison Between Students and Community Resources

2. Overview The purpose of this module is to enhance the effectiveness of those in advisory positions by providing a basic “working” knowledge of beneficial community programs and resources that may be available to their advisees. This module provides fundamental information concerning the relationship between poverty, academic success, and the utilization of community based programs as well as basic information regarding various types of agencies and offices that provide resources. Also, issues concerning communication and dissemination of information will be addressed as well as factors involved in determining eligibility for participation in these programs

3. What is Poverty?How is Poverty Related to Academic Success and Where Does the Community Fit In?

4. There Are Two Models of Poverty • Absolute or ExtremePoverty is characterized by lack of access to even the most basic of human needs such as food, shelter, sanitation, and potable drinking water • Relative Poverty describes a state of deprivation in which basic needs have been met but, relative to others in society, resources are less than standard

5. There Are Also Two Types of Poverty • Generational Poverty is a term used to describe people who have been in poverty for two or more generations • Situational Poverty describes people who live in poverty for a short amount of time as the result of unemployment, disability, divorce, death, or other “unforeseeable” circumstance

6. Poverty Is A Lack of Resources Defining poverty as such is very important and key to the amelioration of hardships endured by those caught in its cycle. It is key because a basis for treatment is implied. If poverty is a lack of resources then the first rung on the ladder leading out of poverty is securing access to resources.

7. Finances Are Obviously Important But…… …finances aren’t the only resource needed. According to Maslow, in addition to satisfying physiological and safety needs, humans also experience personal and social needs.

8. This Necessitates an Expansion of Resources to Include: • Social Capital: friends, family, community knowledge, social networks • Mental: ability to evaluate situations, process information, and make informed decisions • Emotional: determination, perseverance, and control of feelings • Financial: cash, credit, property

9. Making the Transition Out of Poverty Requires Access to and Development of These Resources

10. If an Overwhelming Majority of Enrolled Students Qualify for Federal Education Aide… …then one can safely infer that a majority of students may be experiencing some type of poverty. Because surviving in conditions of poverty often shift one’s focus to the present, long-term goals such as earning a college degree tend to lose priority in turn discounting academic participation and, ultimately, compromising academic success. Thus, access to programs that enhance one’s resources and assuage conditions of poverty is a vital component of nurturing academic success.

11. Although Access Alone Does Not Guarantee Academic Success… … the Possibilities Are Greatly Enhanced.

12. The Mission of Many Community Programs is to Eliminate Social Disparity Through Nurturing Individual Sustainability This is accomplished by providing access to programs that develop and enhance an individual’s resources. For example, given the positive correlation between income level and level of education, many programs focused on poverty reduction will build the provision of benefits around a developmental plan that culminates in an increased education. This may include providing benefits that range from tuition assistance to assistance with living expenses as a participant strives to acquire a GED, vocational certificate, or even a four-year undergraduate degree. Agencies that follow this example help provide stability for the participant as he or she strives to increase their education in turn enhancing their financial, social, mental, and emotional resources.

13. There Are Different Types of Entities Providing Community Resources and Programs There are many agencies that provide different services but, usually, we can group them within one of these three types: • Government or Government Affiliated Agencies • Non-Profit Agencies • Faith-Based Organizations

14. Government and Government Affiliated Agencies These are usually backed by both state and federal funding and include: • Universities/Colleges • State Cabinets for Family Services • Offices of Vocational Rehabilitation • Offices created by the federal Workforce Investment Act

15. Universities/Colleges In addition to the traditional roles these institutions play in the community, they are increasingly addressing expanded issues of economic development and providing services to make not only their students but also those in the community at large more employable.

16. Cabinet For Families and Children In Kentucky, the Cabinet for Health & Family Services which houses the Department for Community Based Services provides communities with the majority of their social aid programs. These programs include Food Stamps, Medicaid, Monetary Assistance (K-TAP), Subsidized Childcare (CCAP), Professional Development Services, and much more. Participation in most programs is based on developing individual resources and promoting self-sustainability.

17. Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Using the guidance of a professional rehabilitation counselor, The Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation provides assistance to each eligible individual in the development of a highly personalized plan to secure employment. This assistance is extended to individuals with documented physical or mental impairment including but not limited to physical injury, handicap, depression, or anxiety disorder. The KOVR also provides services to employers to help develop and retain valuable employees. Financial assistance from KOVR includes but does not extend past a four-year undergraduate degree.

18. Workforce Investment Act(WIA) WIA services in Eastern Kentucky are provided through the “JobSight” network of workforce centers and their affiliates. Services are extended to adults and dislocated workers. Like the KOVR, WIA services are highly personalized and follow a development plan based on strengths derived from a career fit assessment. If it is determined that training is required to obtain or improve employment, WIA provides program assistance with tuition, required texts, fees, meals, childcare, cost of commute, and other approved expenses.

19. Non-Profit Organizations These type agencies, as the name implies, are organizations that provide resources and services without expectation of producing monetary profit. NPOs are “self-funded” usually through grants or philanthropic sources or both and include: • Community Action Councils • Health Clinics • Community Organizations

20. LKLP Community Action Council This is an example of a NPO that serves Leslie, Knott, Letcher, and Perry counties in Southeast Kentucky by providing resources such as transportation, childcare, and services for employers and job seekers. It also houses local WIA and KOVR offices as well as administering services funded by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family such as LIHEAP (energy crisis assistance) and home weatherization.

21. Healthcare Clinics Many healthcare facilities, whether classified as NPOs or not, accept reduced payment for certain services on a sliding scale basis. Qualification for these reductions depends on the patient’s amount of income relative to the federal poverty scale. For example, a family of three with an income of up to $25,000 can qualify for a 50% discount on all services included on the scale thus greatly reducing the cost of a needed but potentially unaffordable healthcare service. Although not all clinics offer a 100% discount in their sliding fee scale nor include ancillary services such as labs and diagnostic services among fees covered by the sliding scale, there are some, often called “free clinics”, that will provide healthcare complete with ancillary services at no cost to the individual.

22. Community Organizations Community organizations can take many forms and include groups that offer a variety of services and resources. Some examples of these are: • Homeless Shelters • Soup Kitchens • Scout Troops • Sports Groups • Reading Groups Basically any organization that develops or enhances one’s resources. Many of these network with other community organizations providing clients with links to a wide array of potential services. For example, an organization providing crisis help for homeless people may also provide services such as assistance in completing financial aid forms to help clients who want to enroll in college classes.

23. Faith Based Organizations Faith-based organizations operate much like other NPOs providing community services. They are funded by both government and non-governmental grants as well as philanthropic sources and internal funding. Though many rely on the information base of other community organizations to assess needs of individuals some have their own means of evaluation and even participate in offering federal programs such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Community Service Block Grants (CSBG). The major difference between a FBO and other community organizations is that FBOs operate under a mission statement that may include a spiritual component. There are regulations that FBOs participating in federal programs must follow to comply with the constitutional issues of separation of church and state.

24. Eligible or Ineligible?Determining program participation

25. Who is Eligible? In many programs,eligibility is determined by one’s level of income. Though considered outdated by many, the majority of agencies adhere to the federal poverty threshold derived from the Orshansky formula: $Food plan x 3 x 365= Poverty Threshold The food plan is based on the $ amount required to feed a family of four per dayand is the cheapest allowed that still meets USDA standards.

26. However, Federally Calculated Income Amounts… are not the sole means for determining eligibility in all programs. For example, participation in the Dislocated Workers education assistance program offered through WIA is not based on income guidelines but on the individual’s current or recent status as an employee. The Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation also offers assistance with educational expenses through programs that do not base eligibility on income amounts. Programs such as these can be effective for students in need of assistance but whose incomes exceed federal guidelines.

27. So What Do You Do With All This Information?

28. That’s Easy, Just Give it Away! Although dissemination of information can be easy enough when you have it just lying around, some circumstances obviously require discretion and the extension of professional courtesies to personnel working within community agencies. Recklessly referring folks to every resource in the community is not productive and can damage relationships between community organizations resulting in harm rather than help. For example, some churches that operate food pantries are on extremely limited budgets and may not have the ability to extend services to everyone that you refer resulting in an awkward situation for all involved. Also, inundating an advisee with all the information you may have available can be overwhelming and confusing. Remember that community organizations network with one another so simply referring an advisee to one program can create a domino effect of referrals once their need has been verified. Remind your advisee of that and help them develop their networking skills by having them ask agency personnel, in a professional manner of course, for possible referrals to other programs.