Community Action Council outlines services, funding and local impact in Mason County

Abby McLean, deputy director at the Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason, Thurston Counties, told Mason County commissioners on March 24 that the nonprofit focuses on four primary service areas — health, housing, energy and weatherization — and uses an information-and-referral model to link people to multiple programs.

“The promise of community action is that community action changes people's lives. It embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live,” McLean said during a presentation to the commission that focused on Mason County-specific service levels and outcomes.

McLean said the council runs a nationally accredited child advocacy program, Monarch Children’s Justice and Advocacy, with a local satellite clinic called Safe and Sound that provides forensic interviews, multidisciplinary team coordination and access to medical and mental-health care for child victims and non-offending caregivers. She emphasized that mental-health counseling at the center is available…