Region and Parishes Represented

1
Introduction
2
Thibodaux Region (Region 3)

• Ascension
• Assumption
• Lafourche
• St. Charles
• St. James
• St. John
• St. Mary
• Terrebonne

3
Thibodaux Region

• Parish
• Ascension
• Assumption
• Lafourche
• St. Charles
• St. James
• St. John
• St. Mary
• Terrebonne

• Poverty Rate
• 14.7
• 27.5
• 20.5
• 14.8
• 26.1
• 20.3
• 30.0
• 23.1

4
Organizers Regional Team Members

• Ascension Laura Crochet LBC Consultants Gbenga
  Bello, Ascension Parish Mgr, OFS
• Assumption Bedar Warren, Dir. Assumption DHCD
  Kathy Hall, Assumption Parish Mgr. OFS
• Lafourche Gail Duet, President Lafourche
  Prevention Partnership Sharon Gauthe, Dir.
  BISCO Jessica Oliva, LCSW, OPH Peggy Arceneaux,
  Early STEPS Coor. OPH
• St. Charles Cory Turner, Community Resource
  Coor. Div. of Probation and Parole DOC, Jean
  Reeves, St. Charles Parish Mgr. OFS
• St. James Diane Braithwaite, President LA
  Association of Community Action Partnerships
  Rick Becnel, St. James Parish Mgr OFS
• St. John Dean Torres, Executive Director, St.
  John United Way Rick Becnel, St. John Parish
  Mgr. OFS
• St. Mary Almetra Franklin, CEO St. Mary -
  Vermilion Community Action Agency Martha
  Longman, St. Mary Parish Mgr. OFS
• Terrebonne Mark Delaune, Supr. Div. of Probation
  and Parole DOC Laura Crochet LBC Consultants
  Bonnie Rehage, Asst. Parish Mgr. Terrebonne
  Parish OFS

5
Organizers Regional Team Members

• Diane Braithwaite, President- LA Association of
  Community Action Partnerships
• Dean Torres, Executive Director- St. John United
  Way
• Jessica Oliva, LCSW- OPH
• Anne Perry- DOE
• Robert Ledet, Regional Manager Thibodaux Region
  OFS
• Mark Delaune, Supervisor Division Of Probation
  and Parole DOC
• Paula Kane, Community Specialist Thibodaux Region
  OFS

6
Priority Community Conversation Issue Areas

• Enhancing Education
• Enhancing Employment and Economic Development
• Enhancing Community Assets

7
Education Issues Solutions

• Issues
• Excessive dropout rates
• Awareness of varied career options at the high
  school level and timely access to support
  services or programs
• Life skills training for school-aged and adult
  populations

• Solutions
• Develop intervention teams for at risk students
  and families consisting of all appropriate
  community partners
• Develop collaborations between private, public
  enterprises and education
• Coordinate efforts to increase opportunities for
  family and adult literacy life skills programs

8
Employment/Economic Development Issues and
Solutions

• Issues
• Education Economic coordination and
  collaboration
• One-stop shops for multiple community programs
• Community partnerships between public and private
  enterprises

• Solutions
• Increase economic development efforts to bring in
  higher wage paying jobs to increase family self
  sufficiency
• Enhance and expand community resources to conduct
  outreach programs to increase knowledge of
  transitional skills to move from minimum wage to
  self-sufficiency
• Improve communication between agencies (private
  and public sector)

9
Community Assets Issues and Solutions

• Issues
• Public awareness and access to community
  resources including health care
• Community public transportation systems
• Increased participation of all stakeholders

• Solutions
• Develop community resource guides for families
• Conduct resource map to address quality of life
  issues
• Address perceived barriers to participation in
  community resources through education and outreach

10
Potential Challenges to Implementation

• Lack of funding
• Lack of public awareness of resources
• Lack of public transportation
• Lack of participation by all stakeholders
• Limited education levels in communities
• Lack of buy-in by all stakeholders
• Lack of local leadership in private, public and
  education sectors

11
Opportunities to Leverage Existing Resources

• Increase participation by community members,
  faith-based, public and private enterprises in
  existing coalitions, partnerships, partnerships
• Continue Community Conversations
• Publication of community resources guide for
  distribution to all stakeholders and general
  public
• Analyze existing funding streams between
  agencies, private and public sectors to assess
  opportunities for expansion and increased
  coordination of resources

12
S.T.O.P. Action Steps(Solutions to Overcome
Poverty)

• Enhance and publicize existing partnerships,
  collaborations and coalitions to increase
  community knowledge of available resources
• Ensure service providers create welcoming
  environments for all stakeholders.
• Continue Community Conversations to establish
  goals and objectives for community action in
  designing and monitoring solutions to overcome
  poverty
• Use community resources (schools, colleges, etc)
  to conduct transitional life skills programs for
  families