In The News
Stories of progress are everywhere at Community Progress Council. News articles and broadcasts of client success and community impact are shared below, alongside program and services for low-income residents of York County.
Community Progress Council is happy to provide interviews, photographs, and other information to news outlets upon request. Media inquiries should be sent to Carl Whitehill, Director of Marketing and Communications, at cwhitehill@yorkcpc.org or (717) 846-4600, ext. 282.
Rent relief is available, but applications are coming back incomplete
July 22, 2020
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How York County Residents Can Apply for Rent Assistance
Officials are considering changes to the state Rent Relief Program after finding nearly all applications from York County were incomplete.
About 97% of the 170 local applications submitted so far have been incomplete, said Katie Hershey, the Hanover coordinator and self-sufficiency coach for the Community Progress Council, which is managing the county’s rent relief applications.
“We want to be able to move this process along to hand out money to the renters who desperately need it,” she said. “We really are working hard now to get the word out proactively.”
Part of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rent Relief Program’s application requires interested candidates to submit three forms — one filled out by the tenant and two filled out by the landlord. Additional documents — including the lease, pay stubs, proof of unemployment and proof of property ownership — must also be submitted.
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Felton Couple Rises From Poverty
October 24, 2019
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Dan Green fell in love during his homecoming’s last dance, “Stairway to Heaven.”
This was Northeastern High School in 2002, and Dan, a sophomore, was sporting his finest threads, a silky AC/DC shirt. In his arms was a junior, Krista Grothe.
He thought, “I’m gonna marry this girl someday.”
He did, but before that day came, they would have a baby and a boatload of challenges. Their burdens would put them in the category of poverty, dictating how they lived and where they lived.
But they survived. They found hope in the kindness of strangers, and three children later, they live and breathe the theory that love endures.
WIC Program to Distribute EBT Cards Instead of Checks
Sunday, September 15, 2019
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The state Department of Health announced Monday, Sept. 9, that instead of distributing checks from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), participants will now receive an EBT card that can be swiped just like a debit or credit card.
The change will be positive for a number of reasons, said Carly Hess, clinic manager and WIC outreach coordinator for the York County Community Progress Council.
“Unfortunately, sometimes there’s a stigma that goes along with checks,” she said.
WIC checks used to be distributed to participants once every three months, Hess said, and each check was printed with a list of the approved items that could be purchased with that check, such as milk, peanut butter, fruits, vegetables or cereal.
York’s CPC wins state ‘Best Agency Award’
11/24/2018
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Community Progress Council, York County’s community action agency, received the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s “Best Agency Award” during a Nov. 13 event in Harrisburg.
The Community Progress Council (CPC) was one of four out of 72 agencies across the state to be honored, according to a news release.
The CPC was recognized for its work with York County residents regarding home-ownership, home foreclosure, rental assistance and personal finance.
Its housing program provides one-on-one counseling, as well as educational workshops for residents.
Workshop gives business, government leaders a taste of poverty
Central Penn Business Journal, Friday, January 12, 2018
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Access to health care, jobs, housing, transportation and child care was just beyond reach. If they were attainable, they were costly necessities that made the difference as to whether there would be dinner on the table or lights on at night.
They scrambled to find jobs and to feed their families, while handling as best they could the mishaps and misfortunes that easily derail plans, leading to hunger or homelessness or both.
“There was a lot of uncertainty,” said Mike Buckingham.
Sobering role play puts York County leaders below the poverty line
York Daily Record/Sunday News, Thursday, January 11, 2018
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Ever have your purse stolen? Accidentally cut your hand with a kitchen knife? A kid get sick?
For a middle class family, that might be an inconvenience.
For a family living below the poverty line, this might be a tipping point toward disaster.
That’s important to understand if you’re an employer or business leader in York County, the Community Progress Council thinks.
VIDEO: Poverty simulation creates empathy
York Dispatch, Thursday, January 11, 2018
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A poverty simulation at York College strives to help others understand some of the challenges of poverty.
Why should I care about poverty in York? (column)
York Daily Record/Sunday News, Wednesday, August 30, 2017
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Community action empowers individuals to rise above poverty
York Daily Record/Sunday News, Tuesday, May 16, 2017
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Focus on long-term solutions to poverty
York Daily Record/Sunday News, Tuesday, January 17, 2017
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Meet Stephen Doweary – CPC Foster Grandparent
York Daily Record/Sunday News Monday, December 5, 2016
View the video here