Tag Archives: UCHRA

UCHRA’s LIHEAP program working with low-income families to keep utility bills paid. LIHEAP stands for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. UCHRA assists families struggling to meet financial deadlines for their energy bills by contacting and working with utility vendors directly to get those bills paid. Community Services Director Lanelle Godsey said this program is about providing basic needs to ... Read More »

Pickett County next up on UCHRA’s commodities distribution event schedule, set to start at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Commodities Manager Adam Knepp said the event serves to help those in need feed their families. Knepp said the distributions have been widely popular across the region. “The commodities program is for low-income families to help them to get food to help ... Read More »

The Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. Executive Director Mark Farley said the Agency began as part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty. He said in the 50 years the agency has grown to provide over 20 programs on behalf of the state government. “They designed this concept to be spread across the United States ... Read More »

UCHRA eager to see how a new state grant opportunity to will play out in terms of addressing needs for childcare facilities. The Community Child Care Hub Pilot Grant will make available up to $5 million to help develop and establish locally managed childcare administrative hubs that will support networks of newly licensed childcare locations. Executive Director Mark Farley said ... Read More »

Oversight of UCHRA’s Court-Appointed Special Advocates program, or CASA, will be moved to CASA of the Tennessee Valley. The program is designed for children going through the court system who need some kind of guardian while they are involved with the courts. UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley said it has been difficult for the agency to work with CASA because ... Read More »

Upper Cumberland Development District and Human Resource Agency Executive Committees approved its budget for the next fiscal year. The Development District is projected to operate with some $10.2 million in expenditures, with a balanced budget after netting out match requirements and revenues. Chair Randy Heady said the new budget includes a cost of living adjustment for employee raises. “Last year, ... Read More »

Upper Cumberland Development District working on an application to secure certified peer recovery specialists in all 14 Upper Cumberland counties. Director Mark Farley updated the Executive Committee during a meeting Wednesday. He said the goal is to put a male and female specialist in each county, or at the very least one in each depending how the grant works out. ... Read More »

Another signal of the lack of childcare in Putnam County: the most recent state child well-being report, where Putnam ranked 85th in childcare cost burden. UCDD/UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley said the two biggest issues are affordability and capacity. He said that stems from the difficulty of opening a daycare facility in general. “Work with our state partners the various ... Read More »

One of three UCHRA day reporting centers are operational with the first inmates enrolled in the program. The agency received $4 million last year to create three locations to rehabilitate drug offenders instead of incarcaration. Executive Director Mark Farley said the Putnam County location has two participants. “We’re very excited, because it is a very structured, evidence-based program where we ... Read More »

Rehab capacity and vaping amoung the most serios substance abuse issues facing the Upper Cumberland. Those the results of an Opioid Summit featuring mayors and local law enforcement. The discussion centered on how to best use opioid abatement money coming to the local level. UCHRA Executive Director Mark Farley reported the findings to the Policy Council Wednesday. He said vaping ... Read More »