Extension helped to organize some 781 CAP's, some of which were later commed into multi-county CAP's. Extension also helped design and implement component CAP projects, and is rrently assisting with 1,742 such projects. Extension currently is supervising 4,057 professional and subprofessional works assigned to OEO and related low-income projects. Extension in the past six months assisted with 941 MDTA and other job aining programs involving some 28,552 participants. Extension currently is working with some 3,152 county-wide resource developent committees, and 562 area development committees, on a wide range of ojects ranging from job training and job development, housing, health, recreaon, education, and other services and facilities beneficial to the entire community area. The Federal Extension Service has provided the State Extension Services inormation about new federal programs. 25,000 copies of a kit of fact sheets detailag 49 different programs have been distributed to the State Extension Services nd other agencies. The Office of Economic Opportunity purchased 7,500 copies f this kit on new programs for their CAA personnel. EXTENSION SERVICE One of the key attractions at the recent USDA-OEO exhibit on low-income work was the mobile work center used by the Arkansas Extension Service for eaching hard-to-reach low income youth in isolated rural areas. The speciallyquipped bus is one of the successful methods that has been developed in this ilot project and has been in operation for more than 2 years. Manned by trained subprofessionals, the mobile bus offers a variety of superised learning experience for boys and girls as well as a meeting place. Equipnent and work benches are removable and seats can be easily installed to transport the youth to other activities. The rear of the bus is equipped with a four-burner butane gas range, double sink, water under pressure, three portable electric sewing machines, cabinet space, cooking utensils, and tables and seats for six girls and a program assistant. The front of the bus is equipped with hand tools, four electric saber saws, four electric drills, work tables and storage, and space for eight boys and a program assistant. The bus is equipped with a 15,000 watt self-starting electric generating plant which provides sufficient power for operation of all power tools and sewing machines. Most of the equipment has been donated by industries, organizations, and individuals interested in this new approach for reaching disadvantaged youth. Instructions for girls include food selection and preparation, sewing and clothing instructions, handicrafts, personal appearance, and personal hygiene. Boys projects include woodworking, use and repair of electrical equipment, handicrafts, personal appearance, and personal hygiene. To date the Arkansas special youth project has been successful in reaching 8700 youth, a major part of whom are not participating in any youth activities outside of school. South Dakota Extension Service awarded OEO grant A $40,014 OEO grant has been made to the South Dakota Extension Service for a technical assistance and training project. Purpose of the project is to initiate a statewide educational and technical assistance program to meet the needs of those low-density areas that cannot be covered by any one installation. The South Dakota Extension Service will operate the program through the various county offices, thus creating a FederalState-county unit capable of reaching those areas. Assistance will be offered in the areas of multi-county planning, development of educational and informational materials, data gathering, etc. State Resource Development Specialists and Agents will provide this assistance to county CAP organizations, local CAP's, the State OEO, and all delegate and affiliated agencies. JOB CORPS REACHES FLOWER, WEST VIRGINIA Patsy Flint, a small country girl from Flower, West Virginia (pop. 45-8 families, counting the folks living in the hollows), had heard a lot of good things about the Job Corps, but also a number of discouraging rumors too. Three of her friends from nearby Tobin (pop. 80) had attended the Job Corps center in Florida. They dropped out because they thought it was a tough course. "I'm so glad I didn't listen to any of my friends," the soft spoken Job Corps graduate admitted. "I wanted to go no matter what and the social worker and my mother kept encouraging me. They told me I'd be a better person with a future to look forward to." Today, Patsy is a different person. Now on her own, she is employed as a stenographer in a government office in Washington, D.C. and lives in a residence hall with 8 other girls. Patsy has all kinds of plans for her future. One of them is urgent. She wants to reach the point financially where she can afford a small apartment and then bring her sister, Nancy, to Washington where she knows she can find her work as a Nursery Aide. Nancy too is a Job Corps graduate but right now is working as a waitress in Charleston because nothing is available for her there in her newly acquired Job Corps skill. Many of the Job Corps girls are highschool dropouts, but Patsy wasn't. She graduated highschool in Burnsville (pop. 728) but couldn't go on to anything else. Her parents didn't have the money to send her on to a specialized school Her father, a former coal miner, now works at the State park. When Patsy became a Job Corpswoman, she left home for the first time. travelling across the country to Los Angeles center. EXTENSION SERVICE LOW-INCOME WORK This column by the Federal Extension Service is a regular feature of Rural Opportunities. It tells how CAA staffs and Extension workers complement each other's efforts to assist low-income people in rural areas. Last month's column provided a broad overview of many Extension Service activities with low-income families and groups. These ranged from job training and job development to teaching better uses of donated foods, and included work with many different organizations and agencies serving the poor. This month's column features some of the results of Extension work with low-income groups and communities, and may provide ideas that you will find useful. INDIAN WOMEN OPERATE SUCCESSFUL COOPERATIVE The Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana offers limited job opportunities to the 900 Chippewa and Cree Indians who live there. In an effort to provide work and income, a two-month MDTA training course in leather decorating was conducted in 1965. This proved to be the start of a productive and profitable venture. The Hill County Extension Service home economist, Mrs. Elinor Clack, was asked to be in charge of the school. Two Indian women were selected as instructors. Twenty women took the course and decided to form a cooperative, the Chippewa-Cree Craft Guild. They asked Mrs. Clack to serve as their advisor. During the last week of the school the women sold their beadwork at a bazaar to gain experience in meeting the public and in pricing items. They donated the proceeds to the Guild. Mrs. Clark entered samples of their work in the Indian Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they rated an "honorable mention". This was the encouragement the Indians needed to continue. Bank shows faith Their first contract--really a subcontract to furnish 1,150 sets of beaded purses. bracelets, pins and earrings-was for the Cheyenne Arts and Crafts at St. Labre Mission. It took courage, faith and much hard work to accept a contract costing several thousand dollars when the cooperative bank balance was only $110.90. The Havre Bank had enough faith in the venture to approve a loan. In less than four months the order was filled, the loan repaid, and $67 left in the cooperative bank account. The women were paid $6,000. This is an impressive record, but the women recognized there was much yet to learn about production, advertising. management and salesmanship. The future of this cooperative effort now looks quite promising. Last year the cooperative: -had a contract with Guild Arts and Crafts of Farmington, New York, and Ashland, Montana, for 475 dozen pairs of modern earrings. -developed a nationwide mail order business. -supplied several shops with crafts for tourist trade. -managed to get Rocky Boy Yo-Yo's featured by an Ohio firm. -made beaded ties for a New York outlet. The Indian women have become very versatile. They can copy lodge insignia nd brands, and make rug designs. They enjoy expanding their craft to serve heir customers' needs, as well as providing traditional Indian crafts. Moreover, heir cooperative is financially solvent and they look forward to expanding their usiness. gents assist CAP's In addition to the Indian cooperative, Mrs. Clack and Extension Agent R. A. toush also are helping with several CAP projects. Under the Nelson amendment, 8 Indian women were trained and employed to make dolls and quilts. The dolls were sold to purchase materials for the quilts which, in turn, are donated to eedy elderly people. Mrs. Clack and Mr. Roush also conducted weekly training meetings over a ix-month period for both Indian men and women employed under Nelson amendnent funds and for NYC enrollees. This training ranged all the way from develping job skills to teaching money management, health, sanitation, nutrition, grooming and other personal habits. The latest project which the Rocky Boy Indians are trying to develop with Extension and OEO assistance is a pole furniture and upholstering industry. Some 30 women already are enrolled in training classes in preparation for launching this industry. Any reader of Rural Opportunities who wishes to purchase Indian crafts from the Chippewa-Cree Craft Guild or who would like to serve as a sales outlet should write to the Guild in care of Box 707, Havre, Montana 59501. [From Rural Opportunities, April 1967] FARMERS LEARN THROUGH DEMONSTRATIONS Alabama's Cooperative Extension Service (District 11) took a "grassroots" approach in solving low-income family problems. Made up of 17 counties in southeast Alabama, the area is known as the Wiregrass Area and the principal crops are peanuts, cotton and livestock. Extension staffs conducted 256 lowincome demonstrations during 1966. The demonstrations were kept simple and the emphasis was on increasing farm income and home food supply. There were garden, corn, peanut, cotton and home meat supply demonstrations set up for the family units. One county took up commercial cucumber growing. The aim of the demonstrations was to show by example the value of those methods that would increase production, income and home food supply. Assisting low-income families was designated the top priority item in the 1966 Extension program. County agents made regular visits to the low-income farmers and kept a record of their progress. One of the most pleased demonstrators is George Rogers of Ozark, Alabama. Rogers had almost a complete crop failure in 1965. He made only 14 tons of peanuts on 50 acres-about one-third of the county's average yield. This year, through the help of the Extension Agent, he almost tripled his 1965 yields and sold 23 tons from a planted acreage of 32. "Extension has been the difference," says Rogers, "operating money until my crops were harvested . . . coming by and reminding me of jobs that needed to be done. . . advising me on taking soil samples, planting dates, insect control and how and when to cultivate. I'm going to pay off my debts this year." What about Rogers' neighbors? "They've watched my operation all year," reports Rogers, "and everyone of them says he is going to try to do the things I did to up his yields and income." A Bullock County family of 11 received help from Extension and had good success increasing its food supply. Mrs. Nettie B. Robbins knew she had to do some planning to properly feed her 10 children. Advice from the Extension Home Agent helped her decide the size garden she needed and size laying flock to supply enough eggs for eating and baking. "We ate about 500 pounds of fresh vegetables and put over 500 quarts in our freezer," says Mrs. Robbins. "This was a saving of over $500 for us." "I'm well satisfied with our program in District 11," says District Extension Chairman J. C. Bullington. "We plan to expand next year by taking in more families and using this year's demonstrators as leaders in their respective communities. "There is no doubt in my mind but that this program is going to spill over into hundreds of families and create better living conditions, and improve the State's economy and educational level in the process." FREE BUS WILL BRING ELDERLY FOLKS TO CENTER A free bus for elderly people in the Windham Area of Connecticut will make it possible for rural folks to enjoy the special services of a new CAA-sponsored Senior Citizens Center in Willimantic. The Windham Area Community Action Program is the first CAA in Connecticut to get a grant from the State Commission on Services to Elderly Persons for a senior citizens center. The community is making a $16,200 "in kind" contribution to match the Commission's $27,700 grant. Free daily bus service throughout a ten-town area will enable rural people to participate in the Center's activities, as well as get to medical and dental care. to shops, and to the homes of their friends and relatives. The center will be open five days a week. Among its services will be an information and referral center, social activities, and a senior citizen employment center. Geraldine Novotny, a gerontology specialist at the University of Connecticut, is director of the new center. The Windham CAA recently merged with the neighboring Quinebaug Valley Action Committee. The new CAA, covering 20 towns, will retain the WACAP title. William Olds is the executive director of the agency. Mr. RESNICK. Thank you very much. I would like to thank you gentlemen again for appearing here today. The hearings will ajourn now until tomorrow morning at 9:30 o'clock, and at that time the witnesses will be the Honorable Robert Wood, Under Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Dan Rubenstein, executive director, Seasonal Employees in Agricul ture, and Mortimer B. Doyle, executive vice president, National Forest Products Association. (Whereupon, at 12:10 p.m., the subcommittee adjourned to reconvene at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 20, 1967.) EFFECT OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS ON RURAL AMERICA TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1967 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT, OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to recess, at 9:35 a.m., in room 1302, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Joseph Y. Resnick (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Resnick, Montgomery, Goodling, Mathias, and Zwach. Also present: Martha Hannah, subcommittee clerk. Mr. RESNICK. The hearing will now come to order. Our first witness is the Honorable Robert C. Wood, Under Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. You are welcome, Mr. Secretary. STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT C. WOOD, UNDER SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Mr. WOOD. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, it is an honor and a welcomed opportunity to appear before you to discuss the programs and plans of the Department of Housing and Urban Development as they relate to the rural communities of our country. At the outset, let me make it clear that while the word "Urban" in the name of our Department may imply to some that the Department serves only cities and metropolitan areas, this is not true. The key mission is community assistance. The act establishing HUD states specifically that one of the functions of the Department is to encourage the solution of problems of housing, urban development, and mass transportation through State, county, town, village, or other local and private action. A special provision was added to that act by the Congress designed to assure that small communities would be served by the Department. It states that nothing in the act shall be construed to deny or limit the benefits of any program, function or activity of the Department to any community on the basis of its population or corporate status, except as may be expressly provided by law. The Secretary is also specifically directed to provide technical assistance and information to towns and villages, as well as other local governments. Accordingly, the administration of the Department's programs is based on three foundations: |
