PRINCE EDWARD — County supervisors will look to STEPS to provide Community Action Agency services.

Supervisors, in a split vote at their June meeting, agreed to support STEPS’ request in seeking to become the Community Action Agency for the region.

“Basically, with the de-designation of HOPE Community Services as the region’s community action agency, this county and, in fact, the region have not been served by a community action agency for quite some time,” detailed County Administrator Wade Bartlett. “The mission of community action agencies are to fight poverty and build self-sufficiency for strong families and communities.”

They are not cookie-cutters, he further explained, and are all slightly different in the services they approach and provide for the communities. They work collaboratively with businesses and other agencies to provide a network of support.

Boards of Supervisors in Cumberland, Buckingham and Nottoway have voted to support STEPS’ request and State Senator Frank Ruff has also written a letter of support to the Commissioner of the state’s Department of Social Services.

The Virginia Department of Social Services is expected to issue a request for applications to begin the process of designating a new organization to serve the region as the community action agency.

While other entities could join the foray for the state’s blessing, Bartlett reported that he knew of no other agencies in the six county region that have made any advances to any of the other counties.

It isn’t something someone can do overnight. He explained that it’s going to take awhile, having to build capacity, an accounting system, and that there’s a myriad of other issues that have to be met before even meeting the criteria.

“…I know of no other one in our region that could actually perform this function and be awarded the contract,” Bartlett said. “Now the option could be that…someone from Roanoke or Lynchburg or Petersburg could apply and DSS could give those funds to those agencies, much like the weatherization (project)…I don’t believe any other county in this region is going… to support that.”

STEPS President and CEO Sharon Harrup, on hand for the meeting, detailed, “We have roots in the community. You know us.”

While the board would approve the proposal as the sole preference on a 5-2-1 vote with supervisors Robert “Bobby” Jones, Jerry Townsend, Howard Simpson, Charles McKay and Howard “Pete” Campbell supporting STEPS, Pattie Cooper-Jones and Timmons opposing, and Jim Wilck not voting.

“…I want to know—STEPS has got a good reputation, but you also have some failures also—I want to know that if this County supports STEPS that five years from now you’re gonna be there for these people in this county, or our people in this county,” Timmons said. “And I…Sharon, I don’t have that warm and fuzzy feeling right now, me personally…”

He would note that half of their building is unoccupyable. He offered that he is not comfortable until he sees some plan that she has or develop one “of how you’re gonna manage and administer this, how you’re gonna be there for the people, how you’re gonna put the money where it needs to be. And it goes on and on and on and not three years from now, it’s aw well, something happened and now people suffer again,” Timmons said.

Neighbors, he said, have “suffered plenty” and don’t deserve that.

“I think this is a new day for us,” Harrup would tell the board, “And if we have weathered the severe financial hardships that we have over the past three years, I am confident with the community action we can sail. And one thing that you can always rely on is that sometimes I’m honest to a fault and I will stand here and tell you there is no doubt in my mind that we can run the community action program.”

Supervisor Wilck said he wanted an assurance that the books will be kept separate, that he wants a separate operation.

Harrup detailed that they will be launching a new software and accounting system and are in the process of setting up segments, which will give them independent reporting, not just for the community action dollars through the community services block grant, but down to the homeless program versus the energy share program.

“…VHDA is the agency that really stepped forward and said, ‘There is a hole in the state of Virginia in your region. Would you be willing to help address some of the housing needs,’ and we said ‘Yes.’ But to do that, we needed some infrastructure improvements and they funded the software purchase,” Harrup said.

Funds would be reported completely separate, she said, adding that there would not be a separate checking account for STEPS business lines versus community action programs. There would be one operational account, but separate accounting for community action dollars—which she noted is a mandate.