Two area agencies are dealing with increasing poverty in the region - and will use federal stimulus package money to help poorer area residents.

Chautauqua Opportunities and Cattaraugus Community Action officials say there is greater demand than ever for their services.

About 75 foreclosures have been seen by Chautauqua Opportunities in the last six months, said Roberta Keller, COI executive director. "There's a real potential right now for increases in homelessness," she said, adding that people are unable to maintain homes.

Although tax foreclosures had been seen, she said mortgage foreclosures are recently more prevalent also. "Chautauqua County has an extremely high old housing rate," Keller said.

She said that leads to a variety of issues including older heating units, plumbing and infrastructure problems including lead or asbestos, which are expensive to fix. "You start to see you can have a moderate income and be a victim of the age of your home," she said.

Some of the economic stimulus money the agency will get will go to help people fix older houses, which will increase neighborhood home values and also reduce heating bills, leading eventually to less money paid out each year in government subsidies.

Chautauqua Opportunities' stimulus funding includes: $1.4 million in weatherization; $600,000 for small business development, $361,000 for transitional independent living for youth; about $800,000 for Head Start and Early Head Start. More will also be applied for to be used for credit counseling, foreclosure prevention and work with Jamestown and Dunkirk to address homeless prevention due to eviction or foreclosure.

"Some older neighborhoods will be a better place," said Keller about the benefits of the stimulus money.

In Cattaraugus County, $3 million in economic stimulus funds have been received, and there is a possibility of more coming if the agency uses the funding on increasing unemployment. Tina Zerbian, Cattaraugus Community Action executive director, said auditors will be sent to help renters and homeowners look at how to make single or multi-family dwellings more energy efficient and safe. Heating and air conditioning, insulation, windows, furnaces, hot water tank installation and more may be available, depending on what auditors find is needed to make homes more energy efficient.

About eight to 10 people will be employed, and some subcontractors will be hired to do work.

In addition to the weatherization project, about 15 to 20 youth will be hired to help with housing maintenance, learning about green jobs and construction and will even help with other community action functions such as food service, nutrition and more after about 43 percent more clients sought services in the last year. "We're seeing more and more people coming in to get services," said Zerbian.

She said that includes middle class people seeking help for the first time. She said they are unfamiliar with getting those services and are "learning to navigate the system of doing so."

"They are poor for the first time," she said, adding people who have lost jobs are struggling to make mortgage payments or pay utility costs.

DEALING WITH POVERTY

The two agencies also partnered during May, National Community Action Month, to bring in national poverty expert Donna Beegle, who grew up homelessness and in poverty, connected with community action agencies, earned her Ph.D. and now helps educators and communities to understand the realities of poverty and help families move from its grip.

"We need to be reminded what barriers (those in poverty) face," Mrs. Zerbian said.

She said there are also myths associated with poverty.

"You're not poor because you choose to be," Zerbian said. "It's really not for lack of trying."

Zerbian said many people living in poverty today work hard, but, she said, they have low incomes, work part-time or multiple jobs without health insurance.

"It's still not always possible to raise oneself out of poverty," she said, adding working hard does not always move people from poverty. Instead, she said, it takes connections such as those community action agencies can provide.

Keller said the forum was a good chance to hear what works or what needs to be improved, all from a customer's perspective.

For more information, call 661-9430 in Jamestown or 366-8176 in Dunkirk for Chautauqua Opportunities services that include homecare, health services, child health insurance, woman infant children assistance with food costs, Head Start and Early Head Start, housing renovation and rehabilitation, small business development and expansion, appliance purchases and help with home ownership.

In Cattaraugus County, call 945-1041 for food pantry, weatherization, victims services, emergency shelter and more.