The Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership is a nonprofit private organization established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's War on Poverty. We help people to help themselves in achieving self-sufficiency. We are one of nine Nebraska Community Action Agencies that serve the poor and our specific territory covers Douglas and Sarpy Counties. We also serve nutrition programs to residents of Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, and Washington County.
As a Community Action Agency, we are a part of a national network that is the primary source of direct support to more than 34.5 million people who live in poverty across the United States. The majority of our clients are extremely poor, with incomes below 75% of the poverty threshold, or $9,735 for a family of three (the average family size for the client population).
Our Mission Statement
"To eliminate the causes of poverty by strengthening individuals, families and communities through self-sufficiency initiatives in Douglas & Sarpy Counties."
Our Brand Promise
ENCAP is guided at all times by the following mission: "Community Action changes people's lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other."
Behavioral Health Services
The Behavioral Health Services (BHS) at Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership (ENCAP) is an Outpatient Treatment (OT) program (ASAM Levels of Care I and II) providing comprehensive assessments, counseling, and education on recovery from mental health and/or substance abuse (co-occurring, co-morbid) related issues. Modality of services involves individual, group, and/or couples/family sessions that generally address situational stressors, chemical addictions, co-occurring, anger management, psychiatric related illnesses (outpatient medication management), and the impact of traumatic life experiences on low income individuals and their families. Funding is sought through Medicaid, Medicare, self-pay (based on a sliding fee scale), Federal contracts (i.e., US Probation, U.S. Pre-trial), Nebraska Probation state vouchers, and grant affiliated sources such as the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) for Community Action Agencies (CAA). Furthermore, the program networks with other area behavioral health/healthcare providers and human/social service organizations to ensure a broad range of referral sources to and from ENCAP.
The physical location of the program is at the main ENCAP facility located at 2406 Fowler Ave, Omaha, NE, 68111. Accessibility for individuals needing accommodation due to physical disabilities is available in and on this building. Clients are provided with confidential interview rooms involving face to face interaction with a provider. Several moderate to large rooms are available to the BHS Program in the building to facilitate group treatment and educational classes. The days and hours of service are available Monday-Friday, 8am – 5pm, with flexibility to accommodate persons served who may require early evening hours for appointments and Intensive Outpatient group. Clients are informed of after hour contact requiring voice mail messages to be returned upon the following business day and, in case of an emergency situation, provided with emergency contact numbers through both voice mail and the BHS brochure.
Program Philosophy: The program is designed to primarily service adults with ability to serve adolescents and children in local areas where there might be a need for Behavioral Health Services among low-income recipients and their families. It is especially sensitive to the cultural, variance in age, gender, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, language, and socio-economic (financial hardship) conditions and needs of the populations served. No one is denied services because of inability to pay. Because so many low income persons served have no means to pay for services, ENCAP has developed a clinical training program for graduate students, in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited counseling education programs, who can provide services on the sliding fee schedule during their internships.
Over the years, BHS has developed a special interest and expertise in working with culturally different groups; especially among African American communities. Because ethnicity/race, socio-economic status, and the other diverse characteristics of the customer does affect the therapeutic relationship, the strengths and positive traditions from the cultural heritages of local families and communities are recognized, appreciated, and used to guide culturally appropriate approaches for service delivery in counseling. In addition, specific expertise has developed in meeting the counseling needs of men and women transitioning out of controlled environments. Emphasis is given to helping challenged individuals to further develop and maintain constructive behaviors promoting the substance free lifestyle of a law abiding citizen.
Consideration for priority populations - customers under the Board of Mental Health, IV drug users, pregnant women, and those entitled to disability related benefits, children / adolescents - will be given priority, upon detection with screening their needs, to treatment access and/or appropriate referral to specialized services to meet the particular priority need identified. Customers presenting with the need for counseling support while waiting for access into a higher level of care (residential treatment) can be given interim services to promote treatment readiness and ensure access and coordination of needed services. Recovery from both mental health and/or substance abuse problems are also supported through continued service development promoting the customer’s well-being, improved functioning, and identified circles of support that enhance quality of life as define by the individuals and families served.