The Washington state Department of Children, Youth, and Families has awarded Washington Gorge Action Programs a Rural Home Visitation Exploration grant for $30,000 to complete a needs assessment for Klickitat and Skamania counties.  In a 2022 Home Visiting Exploration Study, the state listed Klickitat and Skamania as two of five prioritized counties that do not currently offer the department’s home visiting services and show a high level of need according to two other assessments conducted in 2019 and 2020.  WAGAP Pathways program director Abby Whalin said the committee must first understand if the community buys into the home-visiting services option.  Then, it would determine who can help provide those services in the two rural counties, as DCYF does not have the capacity to provide them directly.  Finally, it would determine a specific program that would be most successful.  The goal is to provide families with home-based support so that children are better prepared for school, parent-child bonds are stronger, and abuse and neglect are less likely to occur.