Danville Area Community College President, Dr. Steven Nacco, is impressed with the early success of an expanded effort to serve those in public housing. Since late December, DACC leaders have met with representatives of the Housing Authority of the City of Danville. ‘’We’re basically making ‘what’s next’ a reality. And it’s not waiting for them, necessarily, to come to the College. It’s overcoming some of the barriers. And the barriers aren’t necessarily physical. It’s not like there’s a wall between us, but there are sociological and psychological barriers,’’ says the Danville Area Community College President (shown in photo).
DACC’s plan is to take more of their services directly to the Housing Authority, as well as bring residents from public housing to the college more conveniently. So last week the college started offering a shuttle bus service to transport residents living in the Fair Oaks Public Housing area to the campus.
The Housing Authority provides the 15-seat mini bus which also transports those in public housing to the Vermilion Works Center on North Franklin Street where some adult education classes are held.
Danville Area Community College’s Career Services Director Carla Boyd has been holding classes on-site at Fair Oaks for the past two years. Those classes and the new effort using the shuttle service enable residents to envision a pathway out of poverty. Dr. Nacco adds, ‘’It’s still up to them to do the work, but DACC will not just leave them alone.’’ Funding for the shuttle service is being provided through a federal job-development program.
