IMPACT served almost 2,500 residents in Jasper County

IMPACT Community Action Partnership is proud to know it served 2,484 Jasper County residents this past year, but representatives of the organization told the board of supervisors that still leaves about 6,671 other residents with an income below 185 percent of the federal poverty line who are eligible to receive services.

Brandon Pollard, grants and donors coordinator at IMPACT, provided the county board of supervisors with an update of the work done in the community during the March 18 meeting. IMPACT is the Community Action Agency that serves Jasper, Boone, Marion, Polk and Warren Counties.

“Our mission is to help folks that are experiencing poverty or have a low income and help them address their basic needs,” Pollard said. “In our last fiscal year, which would have run October 2023 to September 2024, we served 1,093 families (households) in Jasper County and just under 2,500 residents.”

About 900 of those residents served were children and teens, and about 340 were people over the age of 65. Pollard said there are approximately 9,155 Jasper County residents with an income below 185 percent of the federal poverty line, which is about 25 percent of the county’s total population.

“Anyone up to 200 percent of the federal poverty line is definitely going to qualify for at least one of our services in all of our counties,” Pollard said. “…There are a lot more households that could benefit from our services that we’re currently not reaching. We’re always trying to do more to reach more families.”

According to 2022-2023 data from National Center for Education Statistics, 41.8 percent of Jasper County students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

IMPACT programs that be used in Jasper County include food cards, short-term homelessness prevention program, a senior farmers market nutrition program, the RAYS scholarship program and utility assistance. IMPACT CEO Anne Bacon said there are going to be challenges with energy assistance come April 1.

By then, the moratorium on utility disconnections for the federally-funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will end.

This means utility companies can resume disconnections for people who have not paid their energy bills. Bacon said it is “extremely unlikely” IMPACT will have any funding to help anyone with a shutoff notice after April 1. Bacon said that has to do with the amount of funding available compared to people who need it.

“So even though we’re not reaching all of the people in Jasper County, we wouldn’t have enough funding to do so if we were able to reach them all,” Bacon said. “We’ve seen that progressively get worse over the past few years — the cost of utilities against how much energy assistance is available.”

IMPACT schedules a community needs assessment every three years, and Pollard is in the midst of doing that right now. The organization looks at every area it serves to make sure if there are any gaps to shift services. For example, IMPACT doesn’t have a food pantry in Newton since there is one in place.

Another reason the IMPACT representatives held a presentation at the board of supervisors meeting was to request their continued support in the community. For instance, usually one supervisor joins board of directors. In the past, Denny Stevenson served on the board, but now Thad Nearmyer will serve in his stead.

The board of directors must be comprised of one-third elected officials, one-third private citizens and one-third people who have low incomes or have lived experiences of poverty. Bacon also took a moment to thank Stevenson, a former county supervisor, for his service on the board of directors.

IMPACT also asked supervisors to refer community members who can benefit from the organization’s services, inform the group of community needs they are hearing from residents and help build connections with other community groups, organizations and businesses.

“We want to hear from you about those things, especially right now while we’re doing our community needs assessment,” Pollard said.