Kennebec Valley Community Action Program (KVCAP) has been working with United Way of Kennebec Valley (UWKV) on the Impact2032 project since its inception. As a partner agency, KVCAP is committed to working in tandem with the many partners that UWKV has convened to move the needle on several domains in a positive direction.
KVCAP’s wide array of services support each of the three goal areas in numerous ways, such as providing transportation services to get people to medical appointments and providing quality early education to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, which lays a strong foundation for lifelong learning, to name just a couple.
As a result of Impact2032, KVCAP created four specific action steps that will help improve and expand efforts across the community:
- Increase opportunities for staff to learn about harm reduction strategies in response to the opioid epidemic in order to positively impact health indicators in Kennebec County, such as NARCAN training for staff.
- Create a Laundry Fund in partnership with Bridging the Gap and LINC in order to assist people in our community who struggle to come up with enough money to cover laundry expenses in the greater Augusta area (already exists in greater Waterville area).
- Redesign the public transit program to become more effective and efficient in the face of limited funding, such as piloting demand response style services in a couple of locations as opposed to regular routes, which will be a more cost-effective solution while simultaneously improving services for consumers serving people better.
- Infuse a Whole Family Approach in order to improve connections to services and opportunities regardless of which “door” or program a consumer enters during their initial outreach. KVCAP continues to train staff in this approach, especially staff who serve as coaches or navigators, to increase effectiveness in helping individuals and families increase their stability in a number of domains.
