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Northeast Iowa Community Action presents programs, asks Winneshiek County to hold funding level
Summary
Tricia Wilkins of Northeast Iowa Community Action reviewed services in Winneshiek County—LIHEAP, crisis assistance, weatherization, transit and housing—and asked the board to keep the county allocation unchanged from last year (request recorded in the packet as '59 100,417' in the transcript). She described program scale and funding sources.
Tricia Wilkins, chief executive of Northeast Iowa Community Action, summarized the agency’s programs and a county funding request during the Winneshiek County Board meeting, asking the board to maintain the agency’s allocation at last year’s level.
Wilkins told supervisors the agency is largely federally funded (about 74% of revenue) and detailed services in Winneshiek County: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) served 385 households here with approximately $216,080 in assistance; crisis assistance accounted for 135 payments totaling $60,477; weatherization work served six county homes (about $52,503 in project assistance); Early Head Start and Head Start classes and local low‑income housing assets were also reviewed. Wilkins said the agency’s transit program provides many in‑town and medical trips and reported high ridership in Decorah; transit funding is a mix of federal, state and fares.
Wilkins said the agency is requesting the same county allocation as last year; the amount in the meeting packet was read aloud in transcript text as "59 100,417." She emphasized that local funding supports outreach staff, staffing, space and client services that leverage federal and private funds.
Supervisors asked about transit rates, driver shortages and housing waiting lists. Wilkins acknowledged persistent staffing challenges for transit drivers (pre‑COVID driver numbers have not returned) and described difficulties in expanding low‑income housing and the reliance on grant cycles and loans for capital repairs. She said some renovation needs will require loans and that the agency must often use one‑time or loan funding for major capital projects.
Wilkins invited county partnership and local contributions and noted the agency’s role in regional coordination of services across seven counties.
