The last year has been a time of transition for Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico (CAASNM). Stacey Cox, our CEO and friend for many years, moved to California to pursue new opportunities and dreams. We welcome Dawn Hommer as our new CEO. Her energy and business development background will serve CAASNM well.
We are very proud that CAASNM achieved an 80 percent return on the funding it received this past year, despite the funding challenges due to cuts in Federal, State and private funding. Our services touched over 40,000 people in our service area that includes: Doña Ana, Sierra, Luna, Grant and Hidalgo counties. We expanded home weatherization services to include all of southern New Mexico. Over 500 families received free weatherization services that greatly improved the health, safety, and value of people's homes.
We are also proud that we have sustained our comprehensive benefits assistance service for clients. CAASNM assisted 428 families to secure social benefits, helping them stretch their budgets to cover other necessities. We were also able to provide free tax preparation to almost 7,000 people who received a total of $1.1 million in EITC refunds. Total tax refunds exceeded $3.4 million, a huge boost for low income families and the local economy!
CAASNM's success can also be measured in the 12 small rural businesses CAASNM's Small Business Development team mentored and trained with support from USDA. The average increase in business was 60 percent, although different industry segments varied. Small, rural businesses are an important engine for growth in southern New Mexico's economy.
We believe that people achieve economic success when services are tailored to their needs and goals. CAASNM provided Individual Development Accounts for 116 people, including 12 high school students. These students completed the financial literacy and savings requirements and received $5,000 each for higher education-a 4:1 match of their savings.
A grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation provides CAASNM the opportunity to study how we can successfully scale our Individual Development Accounts in Doña Ana County. Strengthening valuable ties with our community partners-- old and new-- enables us to provide high quality services to more people in southern New Mexico.
As we look to the future, we look forward to building on the successes described in this report. By Doing the Right Things Right our staff and valuable partners help us to achieve a positive collective impact that strengthens families and communities in southern New Mexico.
Gilda Dorbandt, Board Chair
Dawn Z. Hommer, CEO
