Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

Christy Saylor (left), with the Missouri Ozarks Community Action (MOCA), teaches individuals, including several students from Great Circle in St. James, about responsibility during the Jan. 18 “Tackling the Tough Skills” workshop, hosted by the Phelps County Public Housing Agency (PHA).

St. James—The Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and Phelps County Public Housing Agency (PHA) Family Self-Sufficiency program will host a free workshop April 26 in St. James on “Tackling the Tough Skills.” This workshop is a reschedule from March, due to illness.

This workshop is the third in a series of five and will cover communication. It will be held from 10 to noon at Phelps County PHA, 4 Industrial Drive, St. James, with Christy Saylor, Missouri Ozarks Community Action (MOCA) county projects coordinator, presenting.

The remaining workshops in this series are planned on:

• May 25 and will address problem solving; and
• June 15 and will cover budgeting.

All workshops are held at MRPC.

Workshops are offered at no cost to the participant. For more information or to RSVP, contact Savannah Vandegriffe at 573-265-4200 ext. 132.

Free training classes are a part of MRPC and PHA’s efforts to help prepare families by making them aware of the resources available to assist with self-sufficiency. Each participant who attends will receive a $25 Wal-Mart gift card, as long as they meet income qualifications.

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 25, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

MRPC provides staffing to the Phelps County Public Housing Agency that provides rental assistance to over 750 low-income families in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps (outside the city limits of Rolla) and Washington counties. The PHA also offers the Family Self-Sufficiency Program where clients develop a goal-oriented, five-year plan that moves them toward self-sufficiency and independence from government programs.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion.