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Strategic PlanSouth Plains Community Action Association, Inc.September 20174533081149411Table of ContentsExecutive Summary1Introduction2The Strategic Planning Process2Summary of Agency-wide Community Needs Assessment4Poverty in the South Plains Community Action Service Area5Purpose, Process, and Participation9Mission, Vision, and Value Statements9Summary of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Challenges11Goals, Objectives, and Performance Indicators13Next Steps17AppendicesList of ParticipantsComplete List from SWOT Analysis CGoals MatrixDCustomer Survey SummariesExecutive SummaryThe 2017 Strategic Plan, developed by South Plains Community Action Association, Inc. (SPCAA)serves as the guide to fulfilling the agency’s mission and holding staff accountable for reaching the long-term goals that were developed at the strategic planning retreat and subsequently approved by the Board of Directors. The Strategic Plan followed, and was developed from, SPCAA’s Community Needs Assessment, which was approved by the Board of Directors in June 2017. This needs assessment included county statistics, client and stakeholder input, and an extensive data analysis, and identified these five areas of greatest need:Utility Assistance (individual need)Employment opportunities in the community (community need)Home repair programs (individual need)Safe and affordable housing (individual need)Housing emergency assistance (individual need) These items will be included in the annual Community Action Plan.In July 2017, SPCAA’s senior and front-line staff and the board and board committee, met to develop the strategic plan. SPCAA employee Christina Cristan, NCRT, was the facilitator for the session. The plan was informed by the national anti-poverty goals in the Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) guidance, and helps to ensure that needs from the family, agency, and community levels are identified and addressed.A SWOT analysis was performed, and from that, long-term goals and objectives were developed; the results of the community needs assessment, which listed the unmet needs in our service area, were also taken into account. Based on this work the following goals were developed:Achieve operational excellenceDevelop a culture of innovationExpand services and/or service areaCollaborate with community partnersStrengthen communities by addressing the roots of poverty in our regionSPCAA’s executive director and senior staff have made a commitment to make regular reports to the board and the planning and priorities committee on the progress that has been made toward meeting the goals in the strategic plan. This vital step will keep the board and committee informed and help them understand the needs in the communities we serve.The Strategic Plan is an important tool in SPCAA’s mission of HELPING PEOPLE. CHANGING LIVES.: it gives us the roadmap to follow to impact positive change. Introduction For over 50 years, SPCAA has provided opportunities to individuals and families living on the Texas South Plains. While its core services are provided in 14 counties, other contract-specific projects encompass almost 100 counties in Texas. This vast service area includes some of the most sparsely-population areas in the continental United States. SPCAA currently provides its services in seven program divisions:Child Care ServicesCommunity ServicesHead Start/Early Head StartHealth ServicesHousingSPARTAN TransportationWorkforceWhile the annual budget fluctuates due to changes in funding levels, the typical annual operating budget is generally around $30 million. In a typical year, some 1.8 million units of service will be provided across the entire agency. The Strategic Planning ProcessThe organizational standards, as presented by the Office of Community Services, ensures that all eligible CSBG entities have the appropriate organizational capacity to be effective administrators of the programs to provide services to low-income individuals and families. The information gathered via the required reporting will enable OCS to gauge accountability and performance management in individual agencies. Strategic Planning is one of the nine organizational standards categories; five of the 58 standards deal directly with strategic planning:Standard 6.1. The organization has an agency-wide strategic plan in place that has been approved by the governing board within the last five years.Standard 6.2. The approved strategic plan addresses reduction of poverty, revitalization of low-income communities, and/or empowerment of people with low incomes to become more self-sufficient.Standard 6.3. The approved strategic plan contains family, agency, and/or community goals.Standard 6.4. Customer satisfaction data and customer input collected as part of the community assessment is included in the strategic planning process.Standard 6.5. The governing board has received an update on progress meeting the goals of the strategic plan within the past twelve months.The SPCAA strategic plan illustrates the continuous use of the full Results Oriented Management and Accountable (ROMA) cycle, comparable system assessment, planning implementation, achievement or results, and evaluation. As a recommend Best Practice, the development, implementation, and maintenance of an agency’s strategic plan should be overseen by a National Certified ROMA Trainer (NCRT). It is important to note that three NCRTsChristian Cristan, Luis Perez, and Henry Tarango – participated in the development of SPCAA’s strategic plan, with Ms. Cristan serving as the facilitator.1The following illustration shows the ROMA cycle, where each phase leads logically into the next one, until the cycle is complete and starts again.1641021103100The ROMA Cycle is a graphic representation of IM 49 created for “Planning for Results” ?2006, B. Mooney and J. Hakopic, National ROMA Training Project, Association of Nationally Certified ROAM Trainers, with funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Community Services. See tdhca.state.tx.us/community-affairs/csbg/ROMA-index/htm1 Organizational Standard 4.3Thematic GroupsCategoriesStandardsCustomer Input and Involvement`MaximumFeasible ParticipationCommunityEngagementCommunity AssessmentOrganizational LeadershipVision andDirectionBoardGovernance58 Standards forprivate, non-profitStrategic PlanningHuman Resources ManagementOperations and AccountabilityFinancial Operations and OversightData and AnalysisThe complete organizational standards framework is shown below:eligible entities914400216091 Summary of Agency-wide Community Needs AssessmentIn late 2016, SPCAA retained the services of Heartland Grant Solutions to prepare an agency-wide community needs assessment. Heartland collected approximately 2,000 surveys, which were used in conjunction with a vast array of demographic information, interviews, analysis, and other means to determine the greatest needs. The final report, which was approved by the SPCAA Board of Directors in June 2017, listed the top five needs in each of the 15 counties in the core service area, and aggregated the top five needs across all counties. These top five aggregated needs are:Utility assistance (individual need)Employment opportunities in the community (community need)Home repair programs (community need)Safe and affordable housing (community need)Housing emergency assistance (individual need)Poverty in the South Plains Community Action Service Area(from Community Needs Assessment, 2017)2A major force shaping low income neighborhoods has been the transformation of the urbaneconomy, which for the past fifty years and more rapidly, in the past two decades has become more decentralized, global, and heavily reliant on finance, services, and technology rather than on its once larger and more powerful manufacturing base (Abramson, Tobin, and VanderGoot, 1995; Massey & Eggers, 1993). As a result, these macroeconomic changes have fueled a concentration of poverty and joblessness in the SPCAA service area. The primary industries in most parts of the service area are agriculture, retail, service, or hospitality positions (in the more urban area of Lubbock). Jobs in these industries are often low-paying and do not offer benefits or retirement options, which contributes to long-term generational poverty.Poverty is manifested differently for certain segments of the population. The economy and the large concentration of seniors living on a fixed income was noted as an important predictor of poverty in the service area in interviews conducted for the community assessment and also demonstrated in the composition of the populations’ median and per-capita income levels.Seniors in poverty tend to have unstable housing arrangements and increased food insecurity. Poverty among families is greater among single-parent families and families with young children under five years of age. One causal factor may be the cost of childcare and the difficulty of single-female householders have in the service area due to a gender-pay gap, as well as a tendency of women to leave the workforce to care for small children, which can limit their occupational mobility. For families that do receive governmental assistance, the eligibility cliff is a disincentive to increasing their earnings because as earning increase, other government assistance is reduced. Research by Shipler (2004) echoes this trend among low-income groups. Community assessment survey respondents also commented that individuals may lack motivation and fear they will lose benefits if they obtain additional work.Populations of color, specifically Hispanics, in the service area are also disproportionally in poverty. The disparity could be due to lack of educational attainment and other systemic barriers that limit the ability of Hispanic populations to access health care and postsecondary education. In turn, the ability of populations of color to enter into occupational roles that pay a living wage is limited. Data from the community assessment indicates that Hispanics have the2 SPCAA Community Needs Assessment; prepared by Heartland Grant Solutions and approved by the Board of Directors in June 2017.lowest education attainment rates, lowest rates of access to health care, and lowest incomes when compared to their white peers. African American/Black populations also show a disparity in income and health.Poverty among all groups can be attributed in part to a local social and economic system that creates and reproduces poverty. If poverty were caused as a result of one’s independent actions, we would anticipate a much smaller population impacted by poverty. Because the service area population in poverty exceeds more than 77,000 individuals, it can be assumed that there are systemic forces at work in perpetuating generational and situational poverty. Data collected for the community assessment indicates the largest drivers of poverty are depressed wages with few employment opportunities that can improve mobility for low- income residents. Inadequate transportation also makes access to jobs, childcare, and social services costly and difficult, exerting a strain on the service delivery system. Lack of transportation jeopardizes the health of rural towns in the service area as individuals cannot reach grocery stores, retail outlets, or health service agencies without undue burdens.The term “neighborhood effects” is used to describe the simultaneous presence of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage with other social problems, including high rates of unemployment, crime, adolescent delinquency, teenage childbearing, social and physical disorders, single-parent households, child maltreatment, high levels of mobility, poor child and adult health and mental health, and poor developmental outcomes for children and adolescents (Coulton, Korbin, Su & Chow, 1995; Policy Link, 2002; Roosa et al, 2003; Sampson, 2001; Sampson, Morenoff & Gannon-Rowley, 2002). A review of the data for the service area shows that the population experiences the following:Socioeconomic disadvantages that exceed the rates found at the state and nationally, as evidenced by the following poverty rates for individuals:Poverty Rates for Individuals Service area19.3% Texas17.2%United States15.4%The counties with the highest rates of child poverty are Floyd, Crosby, Cochran, Terry, and Lamb. The counties with the highest poverty rate among all ages are Dickens, Cochran, Terry, Crosby, and Garza.The rate of unemployment in the service area at 3.8% is lower than the rate found at the state and nationally. However, when analyzed in terms of the rate of unemployment change, the rate of employment in the serve area did not improve at the same pace as nationally. The counties with the highest rates of unemployment are Cochran, Dickens, Floyd, Hale, and Lamb. These counties also tend to have the lowest rates of educational attainment.The service are crime rates are higher than state or national rates:Crime Rates Service area584.7/100,000 Texas422.1/100,000 United States395.5/100,000The highest incidence of crime is found in Lubbock County.Risk-taking among adolescents and early parenthood also impact the wellbeing of the service area population and the life chances of young adults and their children.Births to Mothers under 18 Years of Age Service area3.3%Texas2.7%Low Birthweight Babies Service area8.4%Texas8.1%Births to Mothers without High School Diploma Service area21.4%Texas20.2%Mothers Who Smoke During Pregnancy Service area7.4%Texas3.9%Garza far exceeds the other counties in the percent of pregnant mothers who smoke at 19.0%. Lubbock has the highest rate of infant mortality at 21.5% of all babies. This is partially due to a more diverse population and the impact of high infant mortality rates among women of color. The percent of babies born to single mothers is highest in Lamb County (54.0%), followed by Cochran and Crosby counties (both 52.2%) and Terry County (51.9%).Factors that demonstrate a concern trend in the mental health status of the population in the service area include:Experience Mental Distress Service area12.4%Texas10.0%Binge Drinking Service area17.0%Texas14.7%The service area has lower mental health provider ratios throughout the service area counties than the state average. In addition, the service area also has a significant number of veterans, who are more likely to experience mental health and substanceabuse issues. In Head Start, 4% of the Head Start child population experienced a mental health or behavioral challenges that warranted a mental health consultation.Educational attainment rates for adults impact their ability to get and maintain a job with a living wage.Population without High School Diploma(age 25 and above) Service area19.3% Texas18.0United States13.3%Population with associates or bachelors degree Service area19.7% Texas24.9%United States26.6%Educational disparities begin early in life and are complicated by lack of literacy and limited English proficiency. Within the service area 16.2% of the population lacks literacy skills and 3.6% of the population lives in a home that is linguistically isolated. The counties with the highest percentage of population that have not received a high school diploma are Garza, Cochran, and Bailey.Food security is an “invisible” need in the service area. Lubbock County has access to grocery stores due to its urban nature and serves as as the service area’s center for food distribution. The data from Lubbock inflates the total service area food security statistics. In the rural areas, food is less accessible and several counties have census tracts identified as food deserts (Cochran [entire county is identified as a food desert], Hale, Floyd, and Lynn). In addition, the rural areas are served by food pantries as opposed to a food bank, which limits the quantity of food delivered to those in need of additional food assistance.Substandard housing is a critical need in the service area. The age of housing is older than found in the state of Texas in all counties. Additionally in several counties, more than 20% of all occupied housing units have one or more substandard conditions. Using this measure, the worst housing conditions are found in Bailey County (39.2% of the homes substandard) and Lubbock County (33.0% of homes substandard). In regard to affordable housing, Lubbock and Lynn counties have the most residents that experience a housing burden when compared to the income levels found in among the population.The Needs Assessment also included a section on key findings, identified as needs that were interrelated and interdependent. The most significant of these were:Improved educational attainment is criticalImproved health to increase the wellbeing of low-income families will have a positive impact on families and the communityAdditional assistant to single parents in Head Start will improve mobility for families and break generational cycles of povertyLiving conditions have important implication for health and wellbeingThese points will be useful to SPCAA in the development of specific strategies to address the top five needs in our service area. Purpose, Process, and Participation From the beginning of the strategic planning process, SPCAA wanted to have as much participation from the Board of Directors and the various board committees. Because of the long travel distances and the time involved, the agency determined that a one-dayworkshop would maximize board participation.Senior staff from the agency – division directors and other staff – were tapped to participate, as were a large number of front-line staff. The idea was that front-line staff would bring unique and valuable insights to the process.Our community partner ATMOS Energy donated the use of their training room at their Lubbock facility, which enabled the agency staff to be away from their offices for the day, and thus free of the sorts of distractions that occur if you’re close to your desk. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks were provided. Mission, Vision, and Value StatementsIn accordance with Organizational Standard 4.13, the session included a discussion on the agency’s mission, vision, and value statements.Mission StatementSouth Plains Community Action Agency Association, Inc. is different from the majority of community agencies in two ways. Although the service area of our base counties includes only 15 counties, our entire service area encompasses nearly 100 counties, making our service area larger than many entire states in the country. In addition, our wide range of programs – provided through Child Care Services, Community Services, Head Start/Early Head Start, Health Services, Housing, Transportation, and Workforce – means that the populations we reach are much more diverse than is typical.3 Org Standard 4.1: The governing board has reviewed the organization’s mission statement within the past five years and assured that: (1) The mission addresses poverty; and (2) The organization’s programs and services are in alignment with the mission.Like many community action agencies across the country, we adopted “HELPING PEOPLE. CHANGING LIVES.” as our mission statement. The mission statement is on our buildings’ signage, on all agency vehicles, on the website and Facebook page, and all print materials. During the 2010 Strategic Planning process, a long discussion on the mission statement was conducted, and a new one was drafted. In an effort to be all things to all people, it was long and wordy and complicated. Eventually, the group decided that there was not a better way to convey our mission than the simple, four-word mission statement that was already in use, and it was not changed.During the 2017 strategic planning session, there was once again a long discussion regarding the mission statement, beginning with an exercise where all participants were asked to write down the current one. Fully half of the participants were unable to recall the current four-word statement. The discussion then moved to the ROMA directive that a mission statement should address include four key elements – population, services, outcomes, and relationships – and if that was feasible and desirable for SPCAA.The participants made several arguments against changing the current mission statement, including:Our diverse array of program participants include individuals who are not low-income, and including that specific term in the mission statement seemed to exclude these individuals.Other participants noted the numbers of Limited English Proficiency persons in our service area as well as English speakers with limited reading skills4, and stated that a long and complex mission statement would represent a barrier to these individuals.Our huge service area is not easily identified through a simple geographic description. We provide service in the Panhandle, on the South Plains, in the Rolling Plains, the Trans-Pecos region, etc.The group as a whole felt strongly that mission statements should be simple and easy to remember. The strategic planning group struggled to remember our very simple one, so changing to a longer and more complicated mission statement seemed counter- productive.It was noted that there is already a stigma attached to participating in some of our programs, and that the mission statement should not add to that feeling by including words like “low income.”There was a suggestion that each program division could draft a mission statement that was more specific to their needs.There was also a suggestion that the ROMA wording could be incorporated into SPCAA’s vision statement.We DO help people. And we DO change lives.4 : 16.32% of the total population in the core service area lacks basic literacy skills.Eventually, the group reached a consensus that the current mission statement is simple, direct, and says what we do, and agreed that no change was necessary.Vision StatementThe current Vision Statement is also simple – EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH SELF- SUFFICIENCY. The group’s consensus was that the current statement was an accurate reflection of the agency’s vision, and no changes were recommended.Value StatementThe agency’s values are as follows:LeadershipTeamworkEthicsCommunicationQuantity/Quality of ServiceHonesty and IntegrityRespect for individualsNo changes were recommended, as the group felt the statement, which was developed during the 2010 Strategic Plan was still an accurate reflection of the agency’s values.Summary of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and ChallengesWorking in teams, the participants were asked to list the items they identified as strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and challenges. As each team presented their list, the rest of the group provided additional comments. A complete list of all items discussed can be found in Appendix B; the following list has been edited for clarity.Strengths (internal)S1Variety of servicesS2Large rural service areaS3Well-trained and enthusiastic staffS4Board members who support the agency and are engaged in the process S5Strong leadership and teamworkS6Well-established community partnerships S7Fiscal responsibility and accountabilityS8Agency’s programmatic policies and proceduresS9Availability of supplemental fundingWeaknesses (internal)W1 Lack of consistent and coordinated training, especially in the following:For support or front-line staffOn technology (current and future)To cross-train throughout the agencyTo continually reinforce the agency’s mission, vision, and values statements W2 Lack of services for homeless individualsW3 Lack of fundingW4 Lack of communicationW5 Lack of resources in small communities to support our existing programs W6 Employee issuesWorker injury or other liabilitiesFraud and abuseLoss of good and/or long-term employeesW7 Rising costs of doing business (e.g. – cost of providing health insurance)Opportunities (external)O1 Utilization of new technologyO2 Seek funding (especially unrestricted funds) from outside agencies, government entities, or for-profit organizationsO3 Partnerships with other agenciesO4 Train staff to become models for other community action agenciesO5 Expand the service area and/or add new programs that match the agency’s mission O6 Establish a life skills programThreats (external)T1Politicspolitical uncertainty with the current administrationmany of our programs are politically unpopularT2Stigma of people asking for help, or participating in our programsT3Legislation that can impact what we do; instability in the government funding process T4There are more needs than there is fundingT5Negative outside perception of our programs and of our program participantsT6Possible loss of partnerships with businesses, ISDs, etc. T7Competition from rival agenciesT8Cyber threats, natural disasters, or other catastrophesT9Bad publicityon social mediafrom disgruntled former employees T10 Lack of leadership/poor decision making T11 LitigationT12 Bad audits or monitoring reviews or being found in non-compliance in programsGoals, Objectives, and Performance IndicatorsSPCAA has developed the following five core strategies as a result of the agency’s needs assessment and strategic planning process. (Please see Appendix C for a matrix that shows the relationship between the core strategies and the SWOT analysis.)GOAL 1: ACHIEVE OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE (AGENCY GOAL)SPCAA will implement processes that ensure all resources are used in the most effective manner and are leveraged to the fullest extent possible; staff is properly trained and paid a competitive wage, and that all services are provided in a professional, compassionate, and effective level.(Builds on internal strengths S3, S5, S7; addresses internal weaknesses W1 and W4; builds on external opportunities O4, and addresses external threats T9 and T10.)Objectives:Ensure employees are adequately trained and maintain necessary skills to perform their respective job functions.Establish a culture that is focused on providing the best customer service to clients.Establish a reputation throughout the service area as an agency that is focused on the well-being and development of its clients.Establish buy-in within the organization.Strategies:Establish an employee development committee to gauge and have direct oversight of agency-wide staff development. Establish baseline tabulation methods to gauge overall development of employees.Use SPCAA’s social media and other methods to highlight employees who have provided exceptional customer service.Use SPCAA’s social media and other methods to highlight clients who have reached their self-sufficiency goals and/or transitioned out of poverty.Actively recruit employees throughout the organization to participate in the social media strategies, making sure there is representation across program divisions and geographic areas.Measures, Year 1:Achieve 100% compliance with Organizational Standards.Appoint Employee Development Committee, which will meet three times.Employee Development Committee formulates baseline tabulation.SPCAA employees are highlighted one time per month on Facebook.SPCAA clients are highlighted one time per month on Facebook.Establish agency presence on Twitter, Instagram, and other appropriate social media outlets.Recruit and train a Social Media team.Measures, Year 2 and 3:Maintain 100% compliance with Organizational Standards; formulate organized method to maintain and submit required documentation.Employee Development Committee will continue to meet three times.Needed training, identified during year one, will be implemented..SPCAA employees are highlighted three times per month on Facebook.SPCAA clients are highlighted three times per month on Facebook.Maintain agency presence on Twitter, Instagram, and other appropriate social media outlets.Update Social Media team, as required.GOAL 2: DEVELOP A CULTURE OF INNOVATION (AGENCY GOAL)SPCAA will develop an Innovation Team, who will be charged with the specific responsibility of looking at ways to develop additional sources of unrestricted funds, seeking new programs, seeking opportunities to provide our existing programs in new areas, looking at ways to more fully integrate existing and emerging technologies, seeking ways to better tell our story to the general public, and developing new cross-agency programs that will address causes of generational poverty in our area.(Builds on internal strengths S1, S2, S3, S5, S7, S8; addresses internal weaknesses W3 and W5; builds on external opportunities O1, O2, O4, and O5; and addresses external threats T7, T8, and T10.)Objectives:Appoint an Innovation Team, who will be charged with examining out-of-the-box approaches to service delivery.Develop plans to more fully integrate existing technologies into agency operations.Seek ways to better tell the SPCAA story across the region.Develop additional sources of unrestricted funds.Strategies:Appoint Innovation Team as quickly as possible.Use social media and other outlets to tell SCPAA’s story in a way that focuses on the successes we have helped our clients achieve.Implement development plan to created better exposure and visibility in the region.Actively research and identify foundation and non-Federal grant opportunities.Measures, Year 1:Appoint Innovation Team, which will meet six times per year, and report to Executive Director and senior staff following each meeting.Innovation Team will present four new ideas for development each year.Innovation Team will seek funding for development of professionally-produced social media campaign to tell SPCAA’s story.Measures, Years 2 and 3:Innovation Team will continue to meet; with new members added as necessary.Innovation Team will continue to present four new ideas for development each year.Innovation Team will track progress of ideas from prior year(s).GOAL 3: EXPAND SERVICES AND/OR SERVICE AREA (AGENCY GOAL)SPCAA will continually seek ways to provide new services in our existing service area and/or provide current services in new areas; in all cases, the expanded services must fall within the agency’s stated mission.(Builds on internal strengths S1, S3, S4, S6, S7, S8; addresses internal weakness W5; builds on external opportunities O1, O2, O4, and O5; and addresses external threats T6, T7, T8, and T10.)Objectives:Maintain constant awareness of programs that may become available for SPCAA to run, while staying within the agency’s stated mission.Maintain constant awareness of areas where SPCAA’s existing programs and services may be expanded, while staying within the agency’s stated mission.Strategies:Using agency knowledge and contacts, know what non-SPCAA programs may be in the position for change.Using staff expertise, know what current SPCAA programs could be modified to better meet the stated community needs.Measures, Year 1, 2, and 3:Maintain awareness of any programs in areas adjacent to SPCAA’s service area that may be up for recompetition.Submit proposals for programs that SPCAA could operate, and that meet the stated mission of the agency.GOAL 4: COLLABORATE WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS (AGENCY GOAL)Utilizing its decades of experience, SPCAA will continue to build collaborative partnerships with other organizations and individuals to address needs and challenges of low-income populations.(Builds on internal strengths S4 and S5; addresses internal weaknesses W3 and W5; builds on external opportunities O2, O3, O4, and O5; and addresses external threats T7, T8, and T10.)Objectives:Continue to build a broad base of collaboration partners across the service area.Use the collaborative relationships to address the needs and challenges of low-income populations.Strategies:Develop and foster meaningful relationships with other agencies that focus on the advancement of the low-income and impoverished.Develop a recognition that poverty exists in every community and foster an authentic, compassionate approach to creating opportunity to work with other agencies to address the needs.Measure, Years 1:Working with the Innovation Team, identify five new collaborative partners, with a focus on partners who serve highly rural parts of the service area.Measures, Year 2:Working with the Innovation Team, identify five new collaborative partners, with a focus on non-traditional partners.Measures, Year 3:Working with the Innovation Team, identify five new collaborative partners, with a focus on urban partners.GOAL 5: STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES BY ADDRESSING THE ROOTS OF POVERTY IN OUR REGION. (COMMUNITY GOAL)SPCAA will work to understand the reasons for poverty on the South Plains and will begin to cultivate a comprehensive approach to addressing the core issues as a component to developing pathways to self-sufficiency.(Builds on internal strengths S1, S2, S4, S6 and S8; addresses internal weaknesses W2 and W5; builds on external opportunities O3, O4, and O5; and addresses external threats T2, T4, T5, and T7.)Objectives:Break families from their current norm and be an advocate for change.Develop training programs that address financial literacy and other life skills.Strategies:Ensure families are trained through formal and basic life skills education to position themselves for advancement.Work with local business partners to develop educational programs for local residents.Measures, Year 1:Review similar educational programs at other community action agencies.Report to staff, committees, and/or board to determine which programs could be modified for our area.Seek funding to begin program.Measures, Years 1 and 2:Implement program. Report and modify, as necessary.Incorporate success stories from educational program into agency’s various social media campaigns.Next StepsIn order for the Strategic Plan to be a livable, workable document, SPCAA staff will update it every three years, to be in the same update cycle as the community needs assessment. This will allow the most current information on community needs to be included in the strategic plan. Additionally, the Planning and Priorities Committee and the Board of Directors (both of whom meet five times a year) will receive regular updates on the identified goals and objectives and the progress that has been made in meeting them. SPCAA staff will develop a chart to track progress.The progress will be evaluated, and the strategies and targets updated as necessary. This strategic plan will be completely updated in three years.Appendix A – List of ParticipantsSPCAA EmployeesCarrie Altman, Associate Director of Head Start/Early Head Start Lousinda Anguiano, Center Coordinator, Morton and LevellandLeigh Arrington, Associate Director Health Services, Director Project CHAMPS Dalia Arvisu, Center Coordinator, FloydadaBrian Baker, Director of SPARTAN TransportationRoger Cardenas, Deputy Director and Director of Health Services Petra Cisneros, Section 8 Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator Christy Colley, Director of Child Care ServicesChristina Cristan, NCRT, CSBG Program Coordinator Kami Eller, Administrative Assistant, Head Start Debra Garcia, Client Services/Child Care Services Heather Harriss, Center Coordinator, Plainview Melinda Harvey, Grants Writer/PlannerCris Howe, ControllerLarry Martin, Risk Management Director Adolfo Perez, Executive AssistantLuis Perez, NCRT, Administrative Assistant William D. Powell, Executive Director Whitney Quick, Finance DirectorConni Rowe, Workforce Programs Outreach Specialist Lessette Sanchez, Section 8 counselorMonica Talamantez, Director of WorkforceHenry Tarango, NCRT, Director of Community Services Christy Vargas, Weatherization CoordinatorMonica Warren, Center Coordinator, BrownfieldBoard and Committee MembersJeremiah Arguello, Head Start/Early Head Start Policy Council Jaime Torres, Governance CommitteeLouise Jones, Planning and Priorities Committee and SPCAA Board of Directors Alma Rodriguez, Head Start/Early Head Start Policy Council Chair and Policy Councilrepresentative on SPCAA Board of DirectorsMarilyn Jennings, Head Start/Early Head Start Policy Council, Scholarship Committee, SPCAA Board of DirectorsAppendix B – Complete list from SWOT AnalysisStrengthsVariety of servicesLarge rural service areaWell-trained and enthusiastic staffBoard members who support the agency and are engaged in the processStrong leadershipTeamworkCommunity partnershipsFiscal responsibility and accountabilityAgency’s programmatic policies and proceduresAvailability of supplemental fundingWeaknessesLack of resources to provide at least a yearly training to SPCAA employees on the agency’s mission, vision, and values.Lack of time to cross-train on a inter-agency basisLack of training for support staffLack of knowledge of all of the agency’s programsLack of services for homeless individualsLack of fundingLack of communicationLack of resources in small communitiesStaff don’t always know about all programs in the agencyLack of ways to bridge the “digital divide”OpportunitiesUtilization of new technologySeek funding from outside agencies, government entities, or for-profit organizationsPartnerships with other agenciesTrain staff to become models for other community action agenciesExpand the service areaAdd new programsThreatsPolitical uncertainty with the current administrationStigma of people asking for help, or participating in our programsLegislation that can impact what we doInstability in the government funding processThere are more needs than there is fundingNegative outside perception of our programsMany of our programs are politically unpopularPossible loss of partnerships with businesses, ISDs, petition from rival agenciesCyber threatsNatural disasters or other catastrophesBad publicity, especially on social mediaDisgruntled former employeesLack of leadership/poor decision makingLitigationCost of health insuranceBad audits or monitoring reviewsBeing found in non-compliance in programsWorker injury or other liabilitiesFraud and abuseLoss of good and/or long-term employeesAchieve Operational ExcellenceDevelop a Culture of InnovationExpand Services and/or Service AreaCollaborate with Community PartnersStrengthen communities by addressing theroots of poverty in our regionAppendix C – Core Future Strategies MatrixStrengths (internal)S1Variety of services???S2Large rural service area???S3Well-trained and enthusiastic staff??S4Board members who support the agency and are???engaged in the processS5Strong leadership and teamwork????S6Well-established community partnerships?S7Fiscal responsibility and accountability????S8Agency’s programmatic policies and procedures??S9Availability of supplemental fundingWeaknesses (internal)W1Lack of consistent and coordinated training,especially in the following:For support or front-line staffOn technology (current and future)?To cross-train throughout the agencyTo continually reinforce the agency’s mission,vision, and values statementsW2Lack of services for homeless individuals?W3Lack of funding??W4Lack of communication???W5Lack of resources in small communities to support our?? existing programsW6Employee issues, especially:Achieve Operational ExcellenceDevelop a Culture of InnovationExpand Services and/or Service AreaCollaborate with Community PartnersStrengthen communities by addressing theroots of poverty in our regionWorker injury or other liabilitiesFraud and abuse ?Loss of good and/or long-term employees W7Rising costs of doing business (e.g. – cost of providing health insurance)Opportunities (external)O1Utilization of new technology??O2Seek funding (especially unrestricted funds) fromoutside agencies, government entities, form for- profit organizations???O3Partnerships with other agencies???O4Train staff to become models for other????? community action agenciesO5Expand the service area and/or add new programs that match the agency’s mission????O6Development of life skills programs?Threats (external)T1Politics, especially:Political uncertainty with the current administration ?Many of our programs are politically unpopularT2Stigma of people asking for help, or participating in? our programsT3Legislation that can impact what we do; instability in the government funding processT4There are more needs than there is funding?T5Negative outside perception of our programs,?Achieve Operational ExcellenceDevelop a Culture of InnovationExpand Services and/or Service AreaCollaborate with Community PartnersStrengthen communities by addressing theroots of poverty in our region and of our program participantsT6Possible loss of partnerships with businesses,?ISDs, etc.T7Competition from rival agencies???T8Cyber threats, natural disasters, or other??? catastrophesT9Bad publicity, such as:On social media?From disgruntled former employeesT10Lack of leadership/poor decision making???? T11Litigation T12Bad audits or monitoring reviews or being found in non-compliance in programsAppendix D – Customer Survey SummariesPlease see the following pages for customer survey summaries.SPCAA Customer Satisfaction Questi onnaire 2017 Survey Resul tsCountyBailey Cochran Crosby Floyd Garza Hale HockleyLamb Lynn Motley Terry Yoakum N/S* Total sDid the staff memberYes9298602893756218930292515acknowledge/ greet you?No00000100000001I was treated consideratelyYes92108602893756218934292520and respectfully?No00000100001002Did t he st aff member actYes9298602892746218934292517professiona ll y?No00000100000001Did the st aff expl ain things in aYes92 110860289374611 8935292519m anner that youcouldNoal0000100000001Did you receive the type ofYes921076026937315 418 19125 12 82497help you wanted?No000001110012 10 1004If not, was it because fundingYes00000000000000w as not available?No00000110020004How would youExcellent48388532185585218725232441rate the quality ofGood39223088502740sot h e service youFair200000110020004received?Poor100000100000001I feel that the staffExcellent48287532186535217725222433m em bers makeGood31021415641244044every effort to helpFair200000100003004me.Poor100000100000001* County Not SpecifiedSPCAA Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire 2017 Survey ResultsCustomer CommentsBaileyBest assistance in Balley County/ I greatly appreciate the help and also appreciate Janie for doing such a great job/ Very respectful and appreciate time/ Everything done very good / Thanks so much / I honestly don't know how I would be without your help Thank you so much God bless/ Best help In assisting to my best knowledge in this difficult time of need / Even though could not help I was still satisfied / Janie Is always so helpful in getting the help I need/ Goes beyond her job duties to help people/ Yes very efficient staff after hours with client even though they were off the clock/ They are very helpful and respectful / Couldn't go to a better place for the right and fair help/ Janie has been very pleasant and good attitude/ They were terrific/ I was very pleased they were so helpful / She is always good and goes out of her way to do everything you need / Janie does her work very efficiently/ Great service/ Thanks for the help/ You work her too hard/ Janie does a very excellent job for everybody/ Excellent job. Workload is extremely hectic needs help but I was very well informed and she did everything to help out/ She is very excellent/ Everything was fine / I was treated very respectfully and assisted/ Enjoyed my visit/ Your coordinator is always willing to talk and help/ Need more workers/ Everything is excellent/ Thanks for the help/ This person needs to stay here/ Counting on what you are doing / Janie is a wonderful caring person she is always so helpful. She is an angel sent here on earth/ Thank you for your serviceCochranThey are doing a great job, we need more people like them/ I am very thankful for the help.CrosbyDespite my confused understanding of billing, things were explained to my understanding/ Very kind and considerate to me / Staff employee Melinda Mendez was very sweet and professional.FloydDalia has been very helpful/ Answered all my questions/ I am so grateful for these services/ Outstanding assistance, as always/ They do a great job!/ Things went good/ She did a good job on helping me/ Thank you/ They are always very helpful and polite/ Yes, I was helped so great. Dalla did an awesome job explaining everything to me/ More people like her need to work here/ She was awesome and great at her job so grateful; thank you all / God bless this program much needed so grateful; thank you all / South Plains Community Action-polite and respectful and great service/ Very nice/ Dalia has treated us very well and very helpful always tries to help / Thank you for good attention.GarzaThank you/ They go the extra mile/ Diana was nice/ Diana is very helpful all the time/ This program has been a blessing/ Staff members do an excellent job/ Diana was excellent/ I appreciate the help/ Thankful for Diana Jones and the example she sets/ Not enough funding for people in povertyHaleThank you/ Fix all clocks/ Heather was having a bad day and took it out on me and would not see me due to being exactly 9:09. She looked at clock and said it was 9:15. Clocks are wrong. She's upset because I called and is giving me bad looks rolling eyes while talking to management. I will be taking this matter up the ladder/ Excellent work/ I really want you to thank everyone for being so nice and helpful/ Thank you/ Mrs. Rita and Heather are very helpful and alwaysexceed their job a 100% / Thank you for the help/ Very nice, God bless/ They are awesome/ She absolutely awesome and so professional/ Excellent help and courteous/ Heather really made me feel comfortable/ Thank you / Send more money/ Great customer service all around/ Very courteous and helpful/ Need help! But did not qualify income guidelines need to be higher/ I would recommend someone else to SPCAA / Good people who care and understanding to everyday struggles / I have always been treated professionally and honestly/ She explained everything very well. She was courtesy and polite and very friendly. Thank you for hiring her/ So thankful for these sweet ladles and this office God bless you all / The staff Is wonderful, but it took all most 30 minutes to be seen for my appointment/ When staff treat customers with respect, we all feel good. Sometimes people feel bad; just asking for help/ Thank you for the staff at community services at Olton Rd. Plainview, TX/ We are very satisfied with the assistance we received. She was very helpful/ All the ladies are a blessing they are always wonderful to me/ Give them a raise for all the help they do. They treat me with kindness and respect/ Everyone was perfect especially Rita. She was very nice and great attitude (Better then the 1st person very rude)/ She was respectful and patient with me and my son/ Everything was great enjoyed conversation with employees / Front desk needs to be more welcoming and attentive. (No greeting)/ Staff was more than willing to help/ Thanks for the help very much needed/ Directed me right when I walked in. Helped with what I needed they did an excellent job/ Very nice people/ Heather is very friendly and caring / I am grateful. Wish there was away I could recognize you / Excellent office/ I feel very thankful for your help/ I really appreciate all the help you have provided you are very friendly thanks/ I am very happy on how I was treated and helped / I am thankful for any type of support! Thank you / They treated me very well. I appreciate the help they provide me. My husband is sick/ Satisfied and thank you.HockleyUnderstanding/ Always friendly and professional / Thank you to all the staff members for being friendly and especially Emily/ Awesome smile thank you / I am thankful for y'all not being judgmental and for helping as much as possible/ That they do help me and they are good at it/ Did a good job/ Always helpful thank you/ Great ladles/ I really needed the help thank you very much cause I had 2 strokes and have not been able to work/ The staff had a way of interacting with me that put me totally at ease/ Emily Ramirez was very helpful and understanding, Explained things well/ Great job friendly and kind keep up the good work/ Thank you for the help/ Thank you/ Emily is good person and very helpful / Thank you very much for the help and courtesy that you all provideLambEveryone was very nice and kind/ I gratefully enjoyed the staff and the help that I received. May god bless each one of them / Great group/ I appreciate Patricia she has been more than help. Keep her/ Very kind and helpful / Yes with light bill / Patricia and Mary, Lupe very nice lady's to everyone/ Mary Garcia is so helpful and told us everything we needed to know .She is patient. I am glad she works there/ Everyone was great you have an excellent crew/ Patricia and Mary are very excellent and kind at what they do. You can tell that they care / Good staff ready to help/ Patricia has always been so helpful and willing so nice. Mary Garcia Is so nice and helpful / Whole staff is friendly and helpful/ Thank God for you all/ Thank you for help/ Staff was really friendly did everything possible to help me/ Very excellent service thank you.LynnEveryone was great. Juanita is just awesome. She always is willing to help in any way/ Juanita always goes beyond the call of her job/ I am grateful for SPCAA and staff/ Staff is going excellent and needs to continue doing a good job. This is the kind of help I need and get.MotleyI will recommend to othersTerryI wish everyone works like Lupe/ Everyone needs to be on the same page as far as what to tell clients/ I would like to thank Lupe and Monica for their great attitude and integrity. They made me feel like they understood my situation/ Thanks/ Very good people/ No thank you very much / Always pleasant and helpful/ Utility assistance/ Very helpful and patient/ Thanks to all of you, you are so kind/ WonderfulYoakumHelped me very much/ I have been coming to S.P.C.A.A for some time now. I have always been helped with my needs and treated me with respect. Staff are professional and knowledgeable/ Great attitude/ Everyone was so nice/ Nice people/ They are very good workers and courteous/ We are very satisfied with all the help we got/ Dolores great resource / They treat me well. ................
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