OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

St. Charles Parish Community Action Advisory Board Meeting – August 13, 2026

Parish Council & Boards — Thursday, August 13, 2026
BodySt Charles Parish, Louisiana
SessionParish Council & Boards
DateThursday, August 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 31:40

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Calling the meeting to order.

0:05

Community action advisory board of St.

0:07

Charles Parish, Wednesday, August twelfth, twenty twenty six at 5.06 p.m.

0:14

Council Chambers.

0:16

We're going to start with the Pledge of Allegiant and a prayer.

0:23

Father God, thank you for this day.

0:25

Thank you for all of us coming together as one as a group under the Community Action Advisory Board.

0:31

In Jesus' name I say, Amen.

0:34

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:42

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

0:49

Recognizing that we do have a quorum.

1:03

Um to look over the amendments.

2:58

A motion to accept the agenda as written and prove the minutes of the previous meeting.

3:14

All in favor?

3:24

Next on our agenda is any um old business for any alternates.

3:30

Um designation.

3:34

I just want to say that um Donnie White is serving as the alternate tonight for Rose Lego.

3:42

Okay.

3:49

So you all have done a great job about calling and help helping me to make sure we have our regular alternate available for meeting.

3:59

We have not had a meeting so far without a quorum.

4:02

So thank you.

4:03

Thank you.

4:05

And so that's on the um old business of alternate.

4:10

Thank you, um Donnie, for um stepping in.

4:13

We truly appreciate it.

4:15

Um business would be the director report for Ms.

4:19

Joan Diaz.

4:20

Thank you.

4:21

I just want to um take time.

4:24

We've kind of wound down summer programs.

4:27

This is the time of year when I give my annual report to the council, and that helps because I'm also the time of year when I'm doing my budget.

4:35

So I just compiled my budget.

4:38

Monday night, we had the council meeting.

4:40

Um I was on the agenda to do the report.

4:42

I'm gonna highlight a few dollars in my budget to let you kind of know the impact that we have in our community in different program areas without doing the whole report.

4:52

And I want to thank our council people men and women who support us.

5:00

I have never had a problem with getting the support that we need from our local council.

5:05

So I want everybody to be aware of that in the community.

5:08

So as you know, we do safety net programs and services, and we've grown through the years on the types of services that we do.

5:16

Um and we but we have main program areas.

5:18

We do emergency assistance in a variety of forms based on the funding streams that we have.

5:24

We do minor home repairs and some substantial home repairs, homeowner occupied through different funding streams as well.

5:34

Um we also provide um center programs for youth, and those what started out as something for youth has expanded to community-based programs that we do.

5:46

So just to kind of give you an idea of the impact in this community, um, our main energy assistance program, La Heap, Low Income Home Energy Program, last year we dispersed $335,000, 410 in direct assistance.

6:04

Um the majority of that is what they call seasonal assistance, and that's a program that Sheila and her staff manage, and we have no problem dispersing that money.

6:16

Qualified applicants based on income, based on factors for the um seasonal assistance, and then we do have part of that 35,000 of it is for crisis, meaning a disconnect and a documented crisis.

6:30

And we do you know, I want to emphasize that we screen clients for the criteria for the programs.

6:37

We don't just serve anybody who walks in the door or any story that comes to us, we try to assist anyone as appropriate in that area.

6:45

Um our emergency assistance, it's a combination of our community service block grant that we have and the local funding that comes from the council, and so I budget that every year, and I have to get approval from the from the council.

6:59

And um, and this year we've spent um if I add it all up, I was we had some money from Atmos, they allow us to go into their system when people have a disconnect on a gas pill and put a credit, but it's over $100,000 in addition to that $300,000 in direct emergency assistance from those different pots of money that we have.

7:23

Um and that doesn't even count what the community partners do when we refer them out.

7:28

Emergency food, last year, second harvest, we have a remember, we have a crisis food bank.

7:35

So whereas Donnie and the Methodist Church, um, Mary Ann get a big truck and they have bags and they use some donations also from some of the local stores.

7:47

Um then food that I can get from second harvest, but last year it's been kind of lean.

7:55

So thanks to some council members, uh last budget year they put money in my in for food for me to be able to purchase food from the local grocery to fill out more than just what I can get from second harvest.

8:10

So a standard bag includes breakfast items, a couple of meals, things to make meals, and it includes meat.

8:18

Last year I bought a lot of that meat using that money.

8:21

Um today I made a good haul for second harvest, so we're gonna be good till Thanksgiving because they we call it it's about how you catch that list when it comes out.

8:30

You gotta place your order, but I'm competing with the entire Greater New Orleans area for items that are on that list, and they have limited outcome.

8:38

But apparently I caught it on USDA when donations when those came in.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Youth Programs█████████████████████21%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Public Safety██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Charles Parish Community Action Advisory Board Meeting – August 13, 2026

The Community Action Advisory Board of St. Charles Parish met on August 13, 2026, at 5:06 p.m. in Council Chambers. The transcript's spoken opening says August 12, 2026; the date used here follows the provided meeting timestamp. The board had a quorum, approved the agenda and prior minutes, welcomed alternate Donnie White, heard the director's annual report and a combined June–July program report, and discussed a possible future center in the Paradis area.

Consent Calendar

  • A motion to accept the agenda as written and approve the minutes of the previous meeting passed by voice vote with all in favor.
  • Board members and staff acknowledged Donnie White as the alternate serving for Rose Lego, and noted the board has never failed to have a quorum.

Discussion Items

Director's Annual Report

  • Ms. Joan Diaz highlighted the program's community impact and thanked the parish council for consistent support. She reported that LaHEAP disbursed $335,410 in direct assistance last year, with the majority in seasonal assistance and $35,000 reserved for documented crisis/disconnect cases.
  • Emergency assistance exceeded $300,000 in direct assistance from Community Services Block Grant and local council funds, with over $100,000 more in Atmos energy credits applied to gas bills.
  • The crisis food bank and Second Harvest partnerships provided food, and council-funded local grocery purchases helped fill gaps. Last year the board distributed 375 Thanksgiving baskets and 30,000 snacks at the three center sites.
  • The summer food program served 7,000 meals even though initial food orders were planned for about 4,000; the program used home-cooked meals, had minimal waste, and no child went without a full meal.
  • Home repair programs used local funds, United Way ramp funding, and volunteer labor from St. Charles Borromeo. Ramps are now rarely contracted out, and the program has a waiting list of six qualified homeowners.
  • The centers served 35 or more children at each site, with every child taking three bus field trips. Programs expanded to include forecare in St. Rose and senior activities. Waterford 3 donated $9,000, all from employee donations and efforts, toward kitchen upgrades.
  • Diaz said St. Charles is recognized as a model community action program and follows the individualized case management model.

Combined June–July Program Report

  • Sheila reported 197 HEAP clients served with $84,950 spent, impacting 389 household members; 34 HEAP crisis clients served with $10,256.65 spent, impacting 693 household members.
  • Local emergency assistance served 33 clients with $8,431.06 spent, impacting 79 household members; services included 22 board assistance, 5 electric, 3 rent, 2 Medicaid/medicine, and 1 shelter.
  • Atmos/SHARE assistance served 8 gas-disconnect clients with $2,629.97 spent, impacting 17 household members. Regular HEAP and crisis funds are exhausted; possible additional funding will be known near September.
  • Second Harvest served 114 clients, impacting 208 household members. The home repair program expended $41,792.26 in June–July; a current project had work written up at $13,581.85.
  • Labor of Love and a contractor served homeowners: 3 clients through the St. Charles Women's Club grant; 9 clients under a contractor with 8 HVAC repairs plus plumbing, electrical, flooring, door, hot water heater, grab bar, and handicapped toilet work, totaling $25,665.01.
  • A new Atmos grant replaced a $1,900 hot water heater and provided fans to four homeowners. A USDA grant project is awaiting HVAC parts.
  • The United Way ramp grant of $36,875 funded two ramps through Labor of Love volunteers and two grab bar/toilet installations by a contractor; total spending was $7,560.05, with six qualified homeowners still on the waiting list.
  • Summer snacks totaled 6,132 at the three sites; summer enrichment participation was 62 at St. Rose, 60 at Colonna, and 60 at Boutte. No SNAP outreach materials were distributed because HEAP funds were exhausted; clients were referred to Catholic Charities and Social Concerns.

Discussion: Future Expansion and Facilities

  • A board member asked about adding a center in the Paradis area. Diaz said there are no current plans, but ongoing discussions and a possible Mount Zion partnership remain open; expansion depends on staffing and funding, and the model can be replicated.
  • A board member suggested pursuing donated bank or corporate buildings to convert into community centers. Diaz noted construction costs are significant, citing a St. Rose patio enclosure project estimated at over $20,000; an IMTT donation and budget reallocations will fund that project. The kitchen expansion at Colonna remains a goal.
  • A board member thanked IMTT for being a good neighbor in St. Rose despite community complaints, noting IMTT's support for the community center and asking that its contributions be shared with neighbors.

Additional Business

  • The board noted that St. Charles Parish will deliver sandbags to seniors during storm season through parish phone numbers.
  • The chair closed with a prayer referencing Hurricane Betsy and reminded members of the next meeting on September 9, 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • The agenda and minutes were approved unanimously.
  • The board received the director's annual report and the June–July program report.
  • No formal resolutions were voted on; discussion items were informational and forward-looking.
  • The next regular meeting was scheduled for September 9, 2026. The meeting closed with a prayer for storm season and was adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Calling the meeting to order. Community action advisory board of St. Charles Parish, Wednesday, August twelfth, twenty twenty six at 5.06 p.m. Council Chambers. We're going to start with the Pledge of Allegiant and a prayer. Father God, thank you for this day. Thank you for all of us coming together as one as a group under the Community Action Advisory Board. In Jesus' name I say, Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Recognizing that we do have a quorum. Um to look over the amendments. A motion to accept the agenda as written and prove the minutes of the previous meeting. All in favor? Next on our agenda is any um old business for any alternates. Um designation. I just want to say that um Donnie White is serving as the alternate tonight for Rose Lego. Okay. So you all have done a great job about calling and help helping me to make sure we have our regular alternate available for meeting. We have not had a meeting so far without a quorum. So thank you. Thank you. And so that's on the um old business of alternate. Thank you, um Donnie, for um stepping in. We truly appreciate it. Um business would be the director report for Ms. Joan Diaz. Thank you. I just want to um take time. We've kind of wound down summer programs. This is the time of year when I give my annual report to the council, and that helps because I'm also the time of year when I'm doing my budget. So I just compiled my budget. Monday night, we had the council meeting. Um I was on the agenda to do the report. I'm gonna highlight a few dollars in my budget to let you kind of know the impact that we have in our community in different program areas without doing the whole report. And I want to thank our council people men and women who support us. I have never had a problem with getting the support that we need from our local council. So I want everybody to be aware of that in the community. So as you know, we do safety net programs and services, and we've grown through the years on the types of services that we do. Um and we but we have main program areas. We do emergency assistance in a variety of forms based on the funding streams that we have. We do minor home repairs and some substantial home repairs, homeowner occupied through different funding streams as well. Um we also provide um center programs for youth, and those what started out as something for youth has expanded to community-based programs that we do. So just to kind of give you an idea of the impact in this community, um, our main energy assistance program, La Heap, Low Income Home Energy Program, last year we dispersed $335,000, 410 in direct assistance. Um the majority of that is what they call seasonal assistance, and that's a program that Sheila and her staff manage, and we have no problem dispersing that money. Qualified applicants based on income, based on factors for the um seasonal assistance, and then we do have part of that 35,000 of it is for crisis, meaning a disconnect and a documented crisis. And we do you know, I want to emphasize that we screen clients for the criteria for the programs. We don't just serve anybody who walks in the door or any story that comes to us, we try to assist anyone as appropriate in that area. Um our emergency assistance, it's a combination of our community service block grant that we have and the local funding that comes from the council, and so I budget that every year, and I have to get approval from the from the council. And um, and this year we've spent um if I add it all up, I was we had some money from Atmos, they allow us to go into their system when people have a disconnect on a gas pill and put a credit, but it's over $100,000 in addition to that $300,000 in direct emergency assistance from those different pots of money that we have.

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