Region 3 State Community Action Associations and the Regional Performance and Innovation Consortium (RPIC) in collaboration with the Association of Nationally Certified ROMA Trainers and Implementers (ANCRT) is presenting a ROMA Update Training to be held in person for the first time since 2019!!

This session is an In-service Continuing Education Program alternative. The Registration Fee for this event is being paid for NCRPs by the state Community Action Associations in our Region (CAAP, WVCAP, MCAP, VACAP) so your only costs for participating in this event will be your travel expenses. 



Register for the Update Training at https://www.roma-nptp.org/r3pic_registration.html

The Virginia CSBG office will be hosting a virtual wellness workshop for Virginia Community Action Agency’s (CAAs) on Tuesday, June 13^th, from 10 am to 11:30 am. Thriving and Finding Joy in the Workplace, is an interactive workshop emphasizing “pillars of happiness” at work such as balance, integrity, meaning and compassion that can be strengthened through a more intentional focus on personal values. When our values are evident in our workplace, professional joy is enhanced.

Our presenters will be Drs. Tammy Gilligan and Michele Kielty, professors at James Madison University and owner of Barrenridge Consulting LLC. 

We are excited to be partnering with the Region 3 Regional Innovation and Performance Consortia (RPIC) to offer a variety of trainings over the next several months. These trainings are open to any staff or board member who may be interested, please forward as needed. There will be two webinars each month between February and August, topics vary each month, so make sure to sign up for any session relevant to your position!

June Sessions:

• Cost Allocation
• June 8, 2023, 2-3pm
• Register
• Cost allocation is the organization’s method of allocating costs to its programs and supporting services to the extent each program or service bears its fair share in accordance with the relative benefits received. The organization’s defined method of allocation should be simple, straightforward, and comply with its approved policies and procedures. Using the Uniform Guidance regulations, we will review allowable methods of cost allocation including direct costing and indirect cost rates and discuss suggestions on how your organization may use cost allocation to run more efficiently and effectively.



• Authentic Communication, Part III: Collaborative Communication
• June 22, 2023,10-11am
• Register
• The CSBG Organizational Standards represent important minimum thresholds to ensure Community Action Agencies have the needed capacity to serve America’s communities. The full implementation of the principles and practices articulated in the Organizational Standards assures a consistent and strong CSBG network. This session will provide an overview of the Organizational Standards, their requirements, available resources, and how-to tips and tricks for meeting standards (and documenting them!)

Finding Food Justice with Four Initiatives in Virginia

By Linda Russano, AmeriCorps VISTA

In the past week I met local and visiting volunteers erecting a fence around the New Roots 5^th Street Community Garden in Charlottesville; I bought affordable vegetables from Shalom Farms’ Mobile Markets sent around Richmond to provide equitable access to fresh produce; and, I became enlightened and amazed by past and upcoming projects of faith-based organizations Healthy Harvest FB - soon an aquaponics producer in the Northern Neck, and Mercy Chefs of Hampton Roads now expanding disaster response into community kitchens with plans for Richmond. Follow the VACAP blog for more on these four and let’s hear from you! Linda.Russano@dss.virginia.gov.

The OEO AmeriCorps VISTA Wyatt Spage has been conducting interviews with leading figures from Community Action Agencies (CAAs) all around Virginia. Additionally, Wyatt developed a survey for CAAs that was sent out last month. As of last week, Wyatt has finished the interviews, and the results from the survey have all come in. Wyatt has developed initial findings from his work which will assist in developing the Financial Empowerment Toolkit.

To begin, although each CAA has its own set of priorities it is working on, some are more pervasive than others. First among these is housing. Generational wealth is the biggest determiner of a person’s economic outcome and the most important form of generational wealth is housing. Because of this, bridging the divide between the housed and the homeless is key to economic empowerment. Wyatt has been looking into HUD’s housing counseling. In one CAA’s responses to the survey, they stated that they wanted to turn a run-down college dorm in their area into affordable housing. That said, much research into effective housing practices must be done.

Another takeaway was that CAAs want to connect with other CAAs more. Right now, most CAAs do referrals to other CAAs for services they can’t provide. However, they are limited by geography; a CAA isolated in a rural area can’t refer clients because the next nearest resource is miles away. That said, with the availability of online counseling, these gaps are becoming smaller. Still, much work must be done to improve these connections.

Finally, almost all CAAs are moving towards the whole family approach. The census view among CAAs is that individual case management can only go so far. People are interconnected within their communities, the most important of which is their families. Moreover, organizations, like the Aspen Institute, have popularized the whole family approach. CAA leaders stated that they have been seeing more success by integrating it into their practices. However, some smaller CAAs lack the resources to try the whole-family approach.

In conclusion, Wyatt's interviews with CAAs have shed light on important findings regarding their challenges and aspirations. Housing emerges as a pervasive problem, with generational wealth, particularly in the form of housing, playing a crucial role in economic empowerment. Exploring effective housing practices, such as HUD's housing counseling, is essential. Additionally, the need for improved connections between CAAs is evident, as geographical limitations hinder referrals. Online counseling presents opportunities to bridge these gaps, but further efforts are required. Also, the whole family approach is gaining traction among CAAs, recognizing the interconnectedness of individuals within their communities. Despite resource constraints faced by smaller CAAs, integrating the whole family approach has yielded promising results. As we move forward, addressing these challenges and building on these successes will be vital for creating lasting positive change in the communities served by CAAs in Virginia and beyond.