Newspaper Page Text
The ADVANCE, August 23, 2023/Page 12A
(Eift Aiiuancg
State of Social Services
Shares Area Resources
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
Toombs County De
partment of Family and
Children Services Director
Ashley Payne and Toombs
County Action Pact Coun
ty Coordinator Pamela
Fountain informed attend
ees of the available area
resources and challenges
which the agencies are fac
ing at the Greater Vidalia
Chamber State of Social
Services on Thursday Au
gust 10.
Payne has worked in
the Toombs County De
partment of Family and
Children Services for 16
years, as she began as an
investigator. “One of the
goals throughout my life
was to become a director.
I was given that opportu
nity around 7 years ago,
when I was working at the
state office and decided to
come back. There are try
ing times, but I love my
community and being able
to serve it,” she began.
Her address was di
vided between the two
realms of service which the
Department covers: the
Office of Family Indepen
dence and Child Protective
Services. “DFCS covers a
wide area of services,” she
emphasized. “There are so
many needs, so many ways
to help, and so many things
to discuss.”
According to Payne,
the Office of Family Inde
pendence focuses on the fi
nancial aid which the agen
cy supplies, such as Food
Stamps, Medicaid, and
Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF).
“In Toombs County alone,
we served around 6,700
people on Food Stamps,
50 families in TANF, and
8,700 with Medicaid.”
Payne empha
sized, “We are processing
around 700 applications
per month, and that is be
cause we have reinstated
where you have to show
proof of income and resi
dency, which we were not
doing during the pandemic.
It has caused a little hiccup
in our turnaround time be
cause of the influx of appli
cations.”
She continued, “A lot
of people aren’t used to
having to do that anymore
because we haven’t done it
in around 3 years, so it is
something that we are go
ing to have to adjust to. We
do hope that it slows down
the application process
because we cannot keep
up with 700 applications
a month just for Toombs
County.”
Payne informed at
tendees that the easiest
way to apply for benefits
is through the online fo
rums on the DFCS website.
“When you make your pro
file, you can go in as a client
and make sure all of your
information is there. You
can make sure you have up
loaded your paycheck, your
rent, proof of residency,
and things like that without
having to go into the office.”
Payne asked that commu
nity members with store
fronts allow the pamphlets
sharing this information
to be displayed, informing
all patrons of the resources
available if they are in need.
The other realm of ser
vice that Payne discussed
was Child Protective Ser
vices, which is further bro
ken down into three sec
tors: Investigations, Family
Preservations, and Foster
Care and Adoptions. “I
have 5 workers that cover
Photos by Makaylee Randolph
RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY - Toombs County Department of Family and Children Services Director Ashley Payne
(left) and Toombs County Action Pact County Coordinator Pamela Fountain (right) informed the public about re
sources and needs in the community during the State of Social Services event on August 10.
Toombs County. As of last
week, we had 630 intakes
for our county, so for my
5 workers, that’s a lot,” she
remarked.
She explained that
these workers do not have
to physically respond to
every case, but they do
have “touch” each family by
communicating with them
to provide services and re
sources.
Payne discussed how
to make a report through
Child Protective Services
and reiterated using the
online service when mak
ing complaints. “Again, you
do not have to wait on the
phone, and it just makes it
an easier experience,” she
added.
“If at any time, you feel
like there are any safety
concerns going on with
a child that can impact
that child’s day-to-day liv
ing, please report it. If it’s
an emergency, please call
law enforcement. If it is an
emergency reportable to
our agency, please call our
agency,” she emphasized.
She shared the agency’s
judicial code, which out
lines the criteria that au
thorities use to identify the
several categories of mal
treatment, including physi
cal, emotional, and sexual
abuse.
Payne also discussed
the adoption and foster
care duties of the agency.
“As of right now, the state of
Georgia has about 14,000
children in foster care.
Last year alone, [the state]
spent about $44 million on
housing children in hotels.
That is a huge problem in
our area because teenag
ers, sibling groups, children
like that are hard to place,”
she told the group. “I have
5 foster homes in Toombs
County - all of them are
full. If I put a kid in foster
care, they have to go to an
other county. That harms
services, that harms reuni
fication, that takes them
out of their schools - which
is usually the only consis
tency they have. So, we are
really advocating for help in
foster care.”
Payne informed the au
dience that they may even
participate in respite care
for foster families, mean
ing they take care of the
children for a short period
of time to allow the foster
family to vacation, heal
from sickness, or anything
else.
She showed websites,
such as “Wednesday’s
Child” and “It’s My Turn
Now,” which advertise chil
dren who are free, clear,
and ready to be adopted
within the state. These re
sources, along with the
Department of Family and
Children Services, provide
several resources for adop
tion. “There are still things
you have to do - you have
to have a home inspection
and other things - but these
children are open for adop
tion without having to go
through further services,”
Payne remarked.
Overall, Payne says
the Department is well
supported within the com
munity by partnerships
with organizations such
as Toombs County Fam
ily Connection, Imago
Dei Missions, and others.
She told the group that car
seats, pack-and-plays, and
lice kits are always needed
by the Department, and
maybe donated.
The Department is
open from 9 a.m. until 3
p.m. on Tuesday, Wednes
day, and Thursday, but
Payne said she hopes to
expand those hours in Sep
tember. “We shut down a
little while because of CO-
VID, but we are working
on returning to normal. As
you know, we can’t serve
our community without
being there.” When the of
fice is not open to the pub
lic, staff is there to receive
calls - Monday through
Friday, from 8 a.m. until
5 p.m. There also is a drop
box at the facility where
those needing to apply for
benefits may submit their
applications.
A Board of Directors
governs the Department.
This Board meets once
every other month and is
appointed by the Toombs
County Board of Commis
sioners. Currently, there
are two positions open to
be filled; those interested
should contact the Toombs
County Board of Commis
sioners or Payne herself.
Action Pact
Toombs County Ac
tion Pact County Coordi
nator Pamela Fountain also
spoke at the event about
the resources and challeng
es with which that agency
deals.
“We advocate, we are
a resource, and we help a
lot of people in our com
munity,” Fountain told the
audience. “Everyone in this
room is a voice, and every
one you see, you touch. You
are a voice and you are the
eyes to reach out to us.”
Fountain has worked in
the agency for over 13 and
a half years, but prior to her
work in Action Pact, had no
clue about all of the ser
vices the group provides.
“It is amazing the amount
of resources there are,” she
emphasized.
She spoke to the
audience about Action
Pact’s motto, which is “Say
Goodbye to Just Getting
By.” Fountain added, “That
doesn’t just mean financial
ly - that means physically,
medically, and more.”
Toombs County Ac
tion Pact is staffed by
Fountain and 6 other staff
members, and will soon be
joined by an additional Se
nior Center staff member
and two cooks.
“I really like the con
cept of Action Pact’s name
because we do take action
within the community, and
we make an impact on the
people we serve,” Foun
tain commented. “We have
been involved in our com
munities for over 50 years
- and we have been here
in Toombs County for 23
[years].”
According to Fountain,
the concept of Action Pact
began with former Presi
dent Lyndon Johnson, who
began the “War on Poverty.”
She also listed advocates,
such as Billy Graham and
Martin Luther King, Jr. as
influences on the program,
citing their humanitarian
work in 1966.
“We call it the cap, like
a baseball cap, but for us,
it means Community Ac
tion Programs,” Fountain
explained. “We serve 42
counties throughout the
state, and here in Toombs
County, we serve as a Com
munity Action Service and
a Senior Center.”
Some of the services
which the organization
provides include the utility
assistance, financial literacy,
case management, energy
assistance, low-income
household water assis
tance, and weatherization
assistance programs, along
with many other programs.
“We are like an umbrella of
services,” she stressed. “Un
derneath this umbrella, and
on top of this umbrella, all
these raindrops of services
come down.”
She summarized this
“umbrella” as having three
divisions: services from the
Department of Family and
Children Services, Depart
ment of Human Services,
and numerous grant pro
grams coming from the De
partment of Community
Affairs.
“We are a nonprofit.
We are state and federally
funded, but we are not a
state or federal agent. We
just administrate our pro
grams through a commu
nity block grant,” Fountain
clarified.
Fountain shared tales
of success from the Case
Management program,
such as a young woman
who recently graduated as
a Licensed Practical Nurse
(LPN). “She works now
for Memorial Health, and
she has 4 children,” Foun
tain informed the audience.
“There were tears, sweat,
and prayers, but she made
it.”
Other individuals
served through Case Man
agement are the homeless
and senior citizens. Foun
tain said that the bond cre
ated during these case man
agement sessions greatly
impact people’s lives, as she
told the audience about
a recent example of this
bond. “We are now work
ing with one woman who is
trying to get her GED, but
is going through struggles.
I will tell you - it is a part
nership and a friendship.
She called me last week,
and said, My family is sick.
My mom is passing away. I
told my friend that I knew
who could help me - Mrs.
Pam.’ That is what all of this
is about,” Fountain empha
sized.
One of the most active
components of Action Pact
within Toombs County is
the “Toombs County Se
nior Center and Nutrition
Program,” which is made
possible through funding
received based on census
numbers. “Everyone, please
get your employees, get
your church, get your fam
ily to participate - because
census is coming and it is
important. If you do not do
your census, our govern
ment funding for this gets
cut,” she explained. “I have
just gone over the budget
for this fiscal year - I am
getting cut $70,000. I sat
there and thought it was a
joke, but sadly, it’s not.”
The nutrition ser
vices are divided between
the Congregate Nutrition
Program for those over
60 years of age, and Meals
on Wheels. Fountain also
shared that often, Meals on
Wheels drivers take extra
meals with them along de
livery routes and provide
them to the homeless and
other individuals that they
see in need.
“These [nutrition]
programs are not income
based - this is based on
need,” Fountain told the
group. “You do an applica
tion, we send someone to
do an assessment, and from
there, you are placed on a
waiting list until funding is
accessible.”
Fountain said that
some senior citizens pay
privately for congregate
meals so they may fellow
ship with those at the Se
nior Center and participate
in activities there. “When
they choose to do this, they
pay $5 for a meal and a day
of activities,” she remarked.
“The meals themselves cost
$13.70 per client per meal
to make and serve.”
These Senior Citizens
come to the Center on
Monday through Friday,
and arrive between 9:30
a.m. and 12 p.m. “We do
activities and have trips
to places throughout the
area,” Fountain said. “It’s
really like a social club for
them.”
She thanked Georgia
Power, the City of Vidalia,
Action Pact, and others in
the community for their
contributions to the reno
vation of the Senior Center.
Fountain explained that
more renovations are com
ing, as the center receives
a new industrial kitchen to
help the staff to cook and
serve meals to these indi
viduals more effectively.
When asked how the
community may help sup
port Action Pact and the
Toombs County Senior
Center, Fountain said that
donations of Arts and
Crafts materials and BIN-
GO prizes are always appre
ciated. She also encouraged
those who wish to take part
in the work of the organiza
tion to volunteer their time
by presenting the seniors
with a program, class, or
activity, or by sponsoring a
day trip for the group.
Conclusion
The State of Social Ser
vices event was one of sev
eral Greater Vidalia Cham
ber signature events, which
strive to inform the public
about resources, progress,
and needs within the com
munity. The next event
within this series will be
held on October 5, as the
State of Industry addresses
are presented.
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