Abdul Sm Rasheed knows Henderson, North Carolina. He grew up in the rural area, attending elementary school and graduating from high school there. He’s had his entire lifetime to love Henderson County, understand what his community needs, and contribute to building it. 

As the CEO and senior advisor of Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity Inc., Rasheed oversees programs that invest in individuals who need support which in turn impacts the health and prosperity of his hometown and its neighboring counties. Although he’s seen despair and need, he has also witnessed triumph out of those same circumstances. Those triumphs have shaped his perspective on rural life and public investment.

Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity Inc. is a nonprofit organization that operates as a Community Action Agency (CAA), a locally owned entity in a national network of more than 1,000 other Community Action Agencies. When this network was created by the federal government in 1964, these agencies were assigned to geographically designated areas based on the poverty level of local residents. 

The programs managed by Henderson’s Community Action Agency allow kids from low-income homes to attend preschool and receive services they need, like speech therapy or physical therapy, before entering the public school system. The preschool not only better prepares students for elementary school, but it provides a reliable source of childcare so parents are able to work. 

They also support seniors who can’t afford the repairs or energy efficiency upgrades they need for their homes, they provide stopgap funding for emergency assistance to cover a utility bill when someone loses a job, and they invest in teens who have left the school system and not found viable work. 

All of the programs are designed to positively impact the local economies of the communities in which funds are distributed. 

“We have many, many victories,” Rasheed said. “There is no way that low-income families and low-resource communities like the ones I’m working in could in fact facilitate citizens gaining a certain, defined quality of life, and realize opportunity out of their circumstance to become contributing members to their families, communities, and nations if there were not an investment in them from the federal government and state government and quite honestly philanthropy. We need all of those partners and investors in order to make it work.” 

A comparatively small investment can go a long way in rural communities and making the right investments to address community needs can create a multitude of benefits, not just for the people receiving services but the entire community. Funding for the specific programs that Rasheed oversees removes barriers that may prevent or delay economic progress for an individual, and ultimately, a community as a whole.

Geneva Littlejohn oversees the weatherization program at Franklin-Vance-Warren Opportunity Inc. As someone who was born and raised in Vance County, home to about 45,000 people, she has seen the difference the funding makes. This year, the organization was projected to assist 83 households across the five counties it serves.

“In our area, we have a lot of homes that are older homes,” Littlejohn said. “A lot of the elderly in those homes just can’t afford to get the roof or their heating system fixed. They need ramps. Some need grab bars for safety. It just helps them live in their homes more comfortably. It’s very important to have these programs to help people remain in their home.”

For Littlejohn, the assistance is helping people she has known for much of her life. In a rural area like Henderson County, she grew up around the adults who are now the elders she is able to help. Littlejohn understands intimately that the benefits of receiving weatherization assistance can go far beyond the individual upgrades. 

When a home is more livable, and the cost to keep it comfortable is more affordable, the people living in that home have a greater ability to contribute to the local economy. Each time a grant is issued to help an individual household reduce its economic burden, it helps the community at large.

“Now they have extra money for groceries or a day out or savings,” Littlejohn said.

And it is that circular benefit that motivates Rasheed. The return on investment, particularly in rural communities, is sometimes the quiet accelerator of local economies. He’s seen it in the individuals who once needed assistance but now own homes or businesses. 

“The economic impact of the public investment in the lives of these individuals is absolutely a plus-plus in terms of return,” Rasheed said. “If you put one dollar in a home that saves energy and stabilizes a family, that return on that $1 is going to be two-three fold just in the energy savings and the healthcare costs. It’s not a giveaway. Trust me. It’s not a giveaway when we invest in these kinds of programs.”