Crosswalk Community Action Agency outlines aid programs, reports LIHEAP activity in Williamson County

Shelley Powell, executive director of Crosswalk Community Action Agency, told the Williamson County board the agency runs a wide set of anti-poverty and energy programs across Southern Illinois, and provided county-specific figures for the low-income heating and energy assistance program (LIHEAP) and weatherization work.

Powell said Crosswalk serves 11 counties and that Williamson County is included for LIHEAP, weatherization and the agency’s Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) programming. “Currently, in Williamson County, we have entered 1,786 applications. We’ve approved 1,656, and right now we have obligated $9,822,467,” Powell said, adding Crosswalk has a total funding obligation of $2,595,457 for all counties the agency serves. She said the LIHEAP funds “will run through” the summer and that the agency may exhaust local funds before August unless more funding arrives.

Powell described Crosswalk’s weatherization work — caulking, insulation, duct and crawl-space work, and replacement of inefficient appliances — and said the agency’s weatherization team was voted the state’s top program for two consecutive years. She said Crosswalk weatherizes homes in Saline, Gallatin, White, Hamilton, Wabash, Edwards, Wayne, Jefferson, Franklin and Williamson counties and that Williamson County is included for both LIHEAP and CSBG services.

Powell summarized other services: rental assistance and housing rehabilitation, small repairs and ramps, an infant diaper program called Covered Bottoms, $500 scholarships for students, car repair support and a senior program called Vintage Vines for people aged 60 and older. She reported program output from the agency’s most recent impact report: 117 homes weatherized, 11,096 households assisted with electric-related aid, 285 homes assisted with rent or mortgage, 157 diaper distributions (boxes), 20 scholarships awarded, 300 shoe cards distributed, 25 houses rehabilitated and 30,770 food recipients through the Franklin County food pantry (figures presented by Powell in the meeting).

Board members and attendees asked how to connect residents to services. Powell said many partner agencies and senior-service organizations help enroll clients and that Crosswalk’s website and staff can be contacted for referrals. She also noted that the CSBG includes discretionary disaster-related funding that the agency can request from the state for communities affected by storms, and that eligibility for that disaster funding may be broader than standard income limits in declared events.

Powell left laminated county maps and the FY2024 impact report for board members and encouraged them to refer residents who need services. She also said Crosswalk recently reduced its scholarship award to $500 because of changing funding priorities.