Friday, May 14, 2010

Transportation Survey

Horizons, and other community partners are in the midst of completing a community transportation Needs Survey to determine it the current transportation services are meeting the needs of the regions special needs population. Special needs populations are defined as Senior Citizens, low-income individuals, youth, and disabled persons.

RUFEES – Tax Assistance Preparation

March 2010

Horizons in partnership with OIC Prosperity Center, AARP and the Othello Housing Authority sponsored a Tax assistance day. Free Tax preparation services were provided to low-income individuals and senior citizens was provided at the housing authority in Othello. Services were provided in Spanish (via volunteer certified translators).

Adams County Homeless Count

February 2010

ACCN partnered with WSU Horizons, DSHS, WSMC, Adams County Health District, and other local agencies to complete the annual homeless count. Individuals were sent to various locations throughout Othello and its surrounding area to do personal interviews and observations of the homeless problems, as well as hand out Carbon-Dioxide Detectors.

Homeless Needs Assessment

November 2009:
Horizons, in partnership with the Adams County Community Network went out to assess the needs of individuals living in various labor camps in the Othello West area. The majority of the individuals living in the area are Hispanic seasonal farmworkers (and their families); very low income and are considered homeless due to their living conditions. The evening before going out the temperature in the region fell below 0 degrees. During the assessment the outside temperature was around 10 degrees. What we found were people in need of heaters, in need of blankets, in need of beds, many huddled in one room to utilize heaters; we also found many of the trailers’s had wood furnaces added to them, without carbon-dioxide detectors. In response Horizons and ACCN brought resources to bear and was able to acquire 25 heaters, over 40 blankets, 3 beds, and a van load of donated winter cloths, within 2 days to give to needy families.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

WSU Sociology Students at Work for You!

Sociology 433, an undergraduate class at Washington State University, has been researching options and resources for topics that are important to your rural communities as you work to reduce poverty. Topics include: affordable housing, neighborhood safety, youth activities and much, much more.

Your community may be in contact with one of these teams, but all of their research may be relevant to the issues you are addressing. Click to the Horizons website http://www.horizons.wsu.edu/project/horizons3/community.html to read about their work.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Alternative Finances to Higher Education


On April 23 was the 3rd Annual Regional Job Fair, hosted by the Washington State Dept of Social and Health Services, WA State Worksouce, Skillsource of Washington and Big Bend Community College. In this current economic climate, more adult students are seeking ways to better educate themselves to better jobs. To meet a growing need in the region Tony Garcia, the regional Horizons Coach, was asked to prepare and present a discussion on titled "Alternative Finances to Higher Education". This was a presentation to adult community members (over 40 were in attendance) to showcase how they might return to college, and where they could find resources to assist them. Topics included GED (and other possible HS equivalency programs), Americorp, Peacecorp, Military options, Apprenticeship programs, local financial support, state financial support, federal programs, grants, fellowships and scholarships. To enhance the presentation a 250 page book was developed and produced to hand to presentation attendees that gave necessary background information and contact numbers for easy access.

Imagine U at WSU

Washington State University, Horizons and the Othello School District hosted an Imagine U At WSU for Othello High School student on April 20, 2009. Two days after the gang shooting at Taggeres Park, and the day of the funeral of the slain young man. OHS had a strong police presence during the day, but all went well for all involved. This help in showing students, and the community, in the wake of great tragedy - youth still must believe and hold hope for a better future - and education is an important part of meeting that future.


The day began with an assembly, to introduce the WSU staff and students who were there to work with HS students throughout the day, as well as to "pass" some WSU T-Shirts to HS Students.






WSU Students and staff were in attendance all day to work with students allowing to experience what some of the classes would be like at WSU and what to offer them advise and speak of their experience at WSU






















In response to the need of Hispanic students WSU had a presentation made that directly spoke of the upcoming "DreamAct" that will be presented to the US Congress, and to give hope to those students who are not documented in the need to stay in school, graduate and attend higher education as a way out of poverty.