Allegany County Community Opportunities and Rural Development (ACCORD) is a grant-funded community action agency, originally formed in 1972 as the Housing Action Corporation. It was established to fight poverty in Allegany County by a group of concerned citizens who recognized the need to improve housing conditions for low to moderate income individuals and families. Today, ACCORD, due to its growth and expansion over the years, and because of rising needs in the community, now provides a multitude of different services (ACCORD Corp Home Serving Allegany County, 2010).
The ACCORD Corporation follows an organization-based case management model. Organization-based case management provides a variety of services and meets multiple problems and needs within society. Case management organizations offer multiple services provided in one location where clients receive an assessment and formulation of an assistance plan that could include housing, work opportunities, other social supports, and time to integrate into the community (McClam & Woodside, 2013).
ACCORD’S mission believes in the strength, dignity, and potential of all people. They offer access to opportunities, resources, and services to strengthen individuals, families and communities and are committed to improving the community's response to rural poverty by giving a voice to the unheard. The organization’s vision accomplishes their mission through the use of education, encouragement, and empowerment of others (Accord Corp Home Serving Allegany County, 2010).
ACCORD is directed by five values: compassion, dignity, diversity, advocacy and empowerment, combined with a commitment to excellence, professional development, and partners with collaborations, while being accountable and responsible. Compassion and dignity is expressed by caring for people, while recognizing the diversity within families and the community. They advocate and empower others, addressing social justice through education. Their commitment to excellence is performed by reaching for the highest standards by fostering continuous improvement and using innovative responses to the changing needs of the community (ACCORD Corp Home Serving Allegany County, 2010).
Professional development is offered to the employees of the organization by promoting an environment to foster development through continued education, sharing with others their personal knowledge and experiences, and offering challenging work opportunities. The partners and collaborators agree that strong team work is the foundation of a community’s ability to mobilize and change. Accountability and responsibility is expected by everyone taking responsibility for their own attitudes, actions, and judgments, accepting that they will be held accountable for their choices and actions (ACCORD Corp Serving Allegany County, 2010).
ACCORD contains multiple programs that offer a variety of services such as: the Affordable Housing Corporation program, the Home Program, the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing program, the Restore Program, Community Action Angels program, Head Start program, Choices program, Advantage After-School program, Community Learning Centers and a Victim Response Team. The Affordable Housing Corporation program provides grants for low to moderate income homeowners who reside in Allegany County that help reduce up to 60% of the total cost of the home improvement project. Also available to low- income homeowners throughout Allegany County, is the Home Program that provides grants to assist the homeowner with improvements to more efficiently meet health and safety codes. The Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing program gives grants to low-income homeowners to assist with improvements to meet rehabilitation needs. The Restore Program provides emergency home repair grants to low-income elderly homeowners throughout Allegany County.
The Community Action Angels program is devoted to providing hope to people experiencing any difficult circumstance. This program includes a holiday gift program for children, holiday food boxes, clothing/furniture collection and distribution, nursing home projects, services for the elderly, highway clean up, fundraisers, coat drives for children, disaster and emergency relief, transportation, financial assistance for medical co-pays, utilities and car repairs, purchasing of household goods, furniture and/or appliances, minor home repairs, baby and toddler clothing and/or supplies, and food drives for distribution (ACCORD Corporation, 2013).
ACCORD is well known for the Head Start program. Services are intended to meet the needs of children 3-5 years old with disabilities and the program offers additional services for pregnant women, infants, and toddlers. The Choices program is offered to youth who are pregnant, parenting, or are at risk of pregnancy. The program strives to increase teen’s access to reproductive health services and education. The Advantage After School program offers academic support, social enrichment, and youth development and the Community Learning Centers provide mentoring, homework help, tutoring and educational, social, cultural, and recreational after school activities.
The Victim Response Team offers domestic violence victims and their children a safe and secure shelter in a comfortable environment. This team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer support and assistance. A safe house assists victims to obtain legal remedies, support, employment training options, advocacy, child care, transportation, referrals, and case management services, as well as clothing, home furnishings, and a supply of emergency food upon leaving the shelter. Transportation during shelter stay is available for those who do not have their own vehicle. There is a women's education domestic violence support group, and a play group for their children. The women and children are given the tools to learn about issues of victimization and how to overcome the effects of domestic violence. The Victim Response Team is a group dedicated to strengthening local response to domestic violence and holding offenders accountable for their crimes. The mission of the team is to have a coordinated response to domestic violence in Allegany County and this is achieved through team members coming together monthly to discuss incidents of domestic violence and provide education on domestic violence to area partners with a concentration on the prosecution of offenders. The team targets domestic violence incidents and is specifically dedicated toward preventing, identifying, and responding to violent crimes against women as well as the elderly population (ACCORD Corporation, 2013).
ACCORD is a great organization for families, communities, and children. I like to work at the ACCORD agency because it offers a variety of services. I can see myself working there because domestic violence is one of the causes I care about and because of the variety of services that they offer. I prefer to work in an environment where there a high demand for services with a variety of options. What I do not like about this organization is it offers such a wide variety of services that when people refer to ACCORD it would require further clarification about which section of the organization they are referring. For example, if someone mentioned VESID many people know that the organization offers services to people with disabilities, helps them with employment, and independent living (ACCES-VR, September 20, 2013). The ACCORD organization deals with services that vary from domestic violence to Head Start. I do not like the fact that some services are restricted to only Allegany County, but some of the programs are offered to anyone. There is such a high demand for the services that they offer it would be great if it could be offered to anyone, however I do understand the budgetary restraints.
If I worked for ACCORD my roles as a case manager would be: broker, coordinator, consultant, and planner (McClam, & Woodside, 2013). The multicultural case management model has a broad scope approach and could be applied to any of the ACCORD programs due to the wide range of services they offer.
Bibliography
ACCORD Corporation. (2013, April 30). Community Action Angels Program Services Angles Live in the Hearts that Care [Pamphlet]. Belmont, NY:ACCORD Corporation
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