Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership provides more than thirty distinct programs and services that directly respond to our mission statement -- "Eliminate poverty. Empower families. Engage communities.” Below is some of what we do to make this happen. Our Homelessness Prevention, Transitional Housing, and Rapid Re-Housing assistance services provided case management, emergency assistance, and referral services to more than 250 at-risk households. Our Head Start program provided education, health, and nutrition services to 317 pre-school children while providing opportunities empowering their families in areas including goal setting, employment, and asset development. A free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program reached 557 customers and processed $1.2 million in refunds while saving filers. Through outreach efforts we assisted seniors with application assistance for Medicare Part D and prescription assistance. We directly assisted more than 200 families with application assistance and referral for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly Food Stamps, as well as operated the local Nutritional Assistance Program for Seniors (SNAP) that monthly provides a box of commodity foods to more than 250 low-income seniors. Child Care Resource & Referral provided 745 hours of training in 45 counties with 4,176 providers attending CCR&R trainings. 5,045 parents received child care referrals. Our Rainbow Bridge Safe Exchange and Visitation Center conducted 2,503 safe exchanges and 2,255 hours in supervised visits assuring that a child can have safe, healthy contact with a non-custodial parent so that the child has access to both parents without being placed in the middle of difficult parental relationships.

1. Provide consumers with the needed services and benefits that leverage income through internal services and coordination with community and other partners. 2. Assist households in developing financial literacy and fitness skills to strengthen their ability to sustain family economic success. 3. Recruit, train, and supervise community members to work together on anti-poverty initiatives. 4. Provide increased opportunities for people in rural communities to participate in programs, services, and initiatives that improve lives and strengthen their communities. 5. Make voter registration and civic engagement opportunities available to all consumers from first point of contact. 6. Expand formal and informal partnerships that coordinate and expedite services and bring opportunities to low-income people. 7. Increase capacity to achieve results through expanded volunteer, fund raising and grant efforts. 8. Assist vulnerable populations to achieve their potential, maintain their independence, stay connected with their community and stay free from violence through the services we provide.

Low to moderate income individuals and families

Clay and Wilkin Counties in NW Minnesota, the greater FM area and Child Care Resource & Referral services for Eastern ND and Northwest MN