For the past two and one-half years, the local committee for the Mobile Community Action (MCA) has periodically appeared before the Washington County Commission as well as written, requesting free office space with utilities. A couple of long-tenured commissioners who have taken elderly and disabled citizens to the MCA office for assistance, experienced the citizens being turned away or referred to other agencies.

At the last written request from MCA asking for office space and utilities, Commissioner Hilton Robbins asked to be provided proof of the agency's assistance to Washington County citizens. Judge Charles Singleton, who serves on the MCA Board of Directors, has passed along the commission's request for several months, and thus far not been given any answers.

MCA is administered and financed by ADECA (Alabama Dept. of Economic and Community Affairs). On June 30, three officials with ADECA met with the commission to discuss MCA's assistance programs in an attempt to find answers for the commission. Those present were Rhoda Talley, Community Services Block Grants (CDBG) accountant; Crystal Davis, program director for CSBG; and Wendy Hester, chief accountant. Three programs are administered by ADECA under this "umbrella": CSBG, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and Weatherization Assistance for Low Income Persons (WX).

All commissioners and Singleton strongly disagreed with ADECA figures from Hester's power point presentation, showing .47 percent (less than 1/2 of 1 percent) or only 3,329 Washington County citizens below the federal poverty level. By comparison 10 percent of Mobile County's population is below the poverty level. Hester said her figures are based on the 2000 census reports.

Both members of the press questioned Hester whether Title I information for the free and reduced lunch program was correlated

in coming up with Washington County's poverty numbers. She said no, that only census records were used.

The presentation stated that Washington County is slated for $43,354.48 regular CSBG funds and $86,561.61 in projected stimulus funds. The MOWA band of Choctaws will receive $60,677. Their funding is counted separately because Indian nations are not included with the county as a whole.

MCA must present a plan each year to ADECA for approval. However, there appears to be a great leeway as to the types of programs, how they are administered and to whom they are awarded. Several times during the meeting Singleton stressed that this was the information he was unable to get MCA to provide to him. He stressed, "The feedback I keep getting is that unless one is a part of a certain group, they don't get MCA assistance."

The second program (services) that MCA administers is LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energry Assistance Program). Davis said Washington County will receive $595,103 in LIHEAP funds this fiscal year. These funds come from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistance Program. She said most households assisted are below 75 percent of the federal poverty guidelines: a household cannot exceed 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The total assistance to a household is from $270 to $400 twice a year. The money is sent directly to the supplier of the heating or cooling, not to the householder.

The third program administered is Weatherization Assistance for Low Income Persons (WX). Davis' report listed 38 houses total for Washington County under this program. Weatherization involves blowing in foam insulation, pipe insulation, caulking windows, etc.

A major problem seems to be that MCA's programs are designed and administered from their community survey which is not broad based. Even Davis admitted, "I am not pleased with this survey form." The statistics that MCA is using to administer assistance under these three programs to Washington County citizens is based solely on survey sheets handed out to Head Start parents. The only Head Start center in Washington County is in the extreme southern portion on Topton Road on MOWA lands. It was pointed out that this location is extremely inconvenient for the majority of county residents.

In the comments portion of the meeting, members of the press pointed out that surveys based entirely upon feedback from Head Start parents eliminates Washington County's needy elderly. Discussion followed which pointed out that basing these programs on such a skewed survey is not an adequate measure of citizen needs.

The bottom line question was asked again: will Singleton, as a member of the MCA Board of Directors ever be provided with names (not to be published) and numbers of Washington County citizens receiving assistance from these three MCA programs? Hester responded, "We're working on that."