On June 1, 2011 Baltimore CASH Campaign, Maryland CASH Campaign, and Job Opportunities Task Force will be hosting a joint forum with Katherine Newman.  Dr. Newman will be discussing her book Taxing the Poor: Doing Damage to the Truly Disadvantaged, a new book she co-authored with Rourke O'Brien. The book delves into the impact of taxation on low-income families in the U.S., demonstrating  how  rising sales taxes exacerbate the poor conditions of communities living in poverty. To learn more about the book visit https://sites.google.com/site/taxingthepoor/ . 

Please join us for the forum on June 1, 2011 from 12 pm - 2 pm at the Annie E. Casey Foundation located at 503 N. Charles Street on the 2^nd Floor.

To RSVP, please contact Natisha Willis at  natisha@jotf.org  oR Call 443-692-9420.

Asset Development Committee Meeting with Steve Dubb 

Steve Dubb, research director at the Democracy Collaborative at the University of Maryland will be a guest speaker at Baltimore CASH Campaign's quarterly Asset Development Committee meeting on July 21, 2011.  Steve Dubb is the author of Building Wealth: The New Asset-Based Approach to Solving Social and Economic Problems and Linking Colleges to Communities: Engaging the University for Community Development, and he will share information and best practices regarding worker-owned cooperatives.

If you are interested in attending, please save the date -   

July 21, 2011 from 9:30 am -11 a.m.

at NeighborWorks® America at 400 East Pratt Street, Suite 606.  

April 2011 was National Financial Literacy Month!

This year Money Power Day was held on April 2^nd as a tribute to the national effort to foster and maintain healthier relationships with money. Over 1,300 people attended Money Power Day, Baltimore CASH Campaign's 6^th annual free financial fitness fair, which was an all-day event held at Poly-Western High School. Attendees took full advantage of a wealth of resources, financial products, services, and workshops offered at the fair.

The opening ceremony set the tone for an inspirational day, with a blessing by Pastor Frank Lance of Mount Lebanon Baptist Church and speeches by Sara Johnson from the Baltimore CASH Campaign, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, and Tony White from the Governor's Office of Community Initiatives. Platinum sponsors included MECU, SECU, M&T Bank, and Bank of America. MECU hosted workshops attended by more than 150 people. SECU sponsored the Youth Zone where youth played the Power Buck game, painted ceramic piggy banks and tested a financially focused video game called Refund Rush. M&T Bank's Credit Café was a hit with over 130 people receiving a copy of and reviewing their free credit report. Bank of America made it possible for IRS certified volunteers to file 28 tax returns and provide general tax information at the event.

Attendees also participated in activities on the main stage which included a Financial Feud Game Show, Credit Repair workshop by CCCS of Maryland & Delaware, and a Love and Money discussion hosted by Deborah and Terry Owens. Additional attendees took advantage of credit counseling, housing counseling, financial planning, legal consultations provided by pro bono foreclosure attorneys, and information and application assistance for health insurance and public benefits.  Others received blood pressure screenings, used the free document shredding services, and took a picture in the photo booth at the event!

Money Power Day was a hit again this year, and it remains one of the largest free financial fitness fairs in the region offering a range of relevant financial services, products, and resources for Marylanders. Baltimore CASH Campaign would like to thank all of its sponsors, partners, and volunteers who helped make Money Power Day a great success!

Visit www.moneypowerday.org  for additional information about this year's event. ■

Since 2001, a client named Teffany has gotten her taxes prepared by Baltimore CASH Campaign. Teffany is a single mom in Baltimore supporting a family of six.  In addition to her two children, one daughter and one son with cerebral palsy, Teffany supports her mother, niece, and nephew. With such a big family to support, Teffany expressed that she appreciates how Baltimore CASH Campaign has always worked hard to get her the maximum refund and that the tax services are provided for free!

This year Teffany was thrilled when she found out that she and her family would be receiving almost a $10,000 tax refund. This refund will make it possible for Teffany to begin her search for an ADA compliant home for her mother.

Teffany has also taken advantage of the tax time savings bonds offered by Baltimore CASH Campaign at all of the tax sites. She purchased three savings bonds with her tax refund - one for her son, niece, and nephew - to put toward their dreams of going to college and buying a home. By taking advantage of the tax time savings bond resource, Teffany was entered into a statewide drawing hosted by Maryland CASH Campaign.  Only weeks after filing her tax return, Teffany was notified that she was one of the winners who would be receiving a $500 cash prize.

Teffany reports that she is one of Baltimore CASH Campaign's biggest advocates and loves spreading the word about Baltimore CASH Campaign's services. In the past, she paid for a refund anticipation loan (at a location not affiliated with Baltimore CASH Campaign) after a tax preparer promoted it.  However, she was disappointed that she paid for an expensive loan, and her refund was put into a prepaid debit card with high fees. Since then, Teffany has gone to Baltimore CASH Campaign every year to file her tax return and encourages everyone she meets to use free services whenever possible! ■

About Branden McLeod:

Branden McLeod is Associate Director of the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute, which provides research and analysis of how state budget and tax policy priorities affect low and moderate income communities. At the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute, Branden leads and coordinates a variety of outreach and advocacy programs while conducting much of the analysis for human service programs. Branden holds a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland in Baltimore and a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.

Was there someone that inspired you to become a social advocate?

Although I've worked in the human services field since I graduated from Lincoln University, I didn't always know I was going to become a social advocate. I started out thinking I would become a clinical social worker and counselor -- changing lives on an individual basis.  However, this focus changed during my second semester at the School of Social Work. I enrolled in a class called Human Behavior II with a professor named Dr. Aminifu Harvey. Dr. Harvey inspired me to extend my outreach on a macro level. He really encouraged me and challenged me to change the lives, not just of individuals and families, but to change the lives of communities through policy change and community organizing.

Since graduating from Lincoln University, has there been a time where you served as a mentor for youth?

Most of my experience working with youth came out of my work with the Devereux Foundation. I worked primarily with youth who either came out of the juvenile detention center or the department of social services. A lot of the teens I worked with had challenges including those related to growing up and finding themselves. At the time, I was only 23 and I was working on my own set of challenges, namely uncovering my professional path. The fact that I was so young really helped me relate one-on-one to each youth I mentored at the group home.

Is there a special project you're excited to be working on at Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute?

One thing we've been working on for a few months now has been developing a communications specialist position to communicate information about changes in tax policy that affects our education, public projects, health care, and public safety. We want our messages to resonate more with the average person -- to get more of the community engaged in what is happening at the public policy level. We have developed a proactive position and we're looking for someone to get the message out there that there are good things to be done by way of the budget. We want to communicate that there are progressive taxes that can be put in place, namely combined reporting which closes the door on corporate tax evasion and continuing the millionaire's tax.

Is there an untapped research direction that you're looking to pursue in the near future?

One thing that has emerged this past legislative session was a bill to increase the minimum wage. The Institute did not weigh-in on the bill, but it is likely that we will research the issue. In 2008, we did not weigh-in on the Slot Machine Referendum. Instead, we published a Regular Person's Guide to the Slot Machine Referendum. When we meet with our advisory committee in May, we will bring up the idea of producing a similar Regular Person's Guide for the minimum wage issue. If so, the guide will catalogue the research that is out there that debunks some of the common myths about increasing the minimum wage of workers. Another research direction I am interested in pursuing is the unbanked and also underbanked. Working with Maryland CASH Campaign, I learned of this topic at a recent meeting in Chicago. It would be interesting to collect more data on both the unbanked and underbanked, as Illinois did, breaking it down by county to show where Maryland is in terms of promoting greater asset building.

Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?

I hope to see myself and my organization as the go-to place for knowledge and expertise on income security, progressive taxation, budget and any unmet needs of middle to low income communities. I want to continue my work at both Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute and with Maryland Alliance for the Poor, working to strengthen safety nets and public assistance programs for working families. In addition, I want to continue my work promoting policies like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) act and elimination of credit checks for employees and potential employees. One thing I really love about what I'm doing now is that there's a lot of room for growth and diversification in my outreach and research. I have lots of opportunities to grow both my individual vision and vision for my organization. ■

It has been a little over a year since the official launch of AssetPlatform.org -- a comprehensive online resource that provides direct access to financial products, tools and information for organizations and individuals working to increase the earnings and assets of low income families. By using technology in an interactive way, AssetPlatform.org finds a way to engage program directors, case managers, and funders alike. It delivers free high-quality products and services to the desktops of front-line staff, including education and training, coaching calculators, assessment tools, and consumer-friendly financial products.

The resources on AssetPlatform.org are organized around six primary categories: budgeting, savings, credit score, debt, insurance/safety net, and organizational resources. Each category comprises easy to access information, training, tools, and products relevant to each category. Practitioners can learn how to better navigate their clients' savings by using the emergency savings calculator, which helps personalize an emergency budget for clients based on their spending habits. There are helpful resources that make it easier to save for the future such as trainings on how to encourage a client to buy a savings bond, save for retirement, and acquire a certificate of deposit. There are even tips on how to help clients better understand their credit score and how credit scores impact them. 

AssetPlatform.org also offers links to resources and education for individuals working with older Americans, including a financial literacy curriculum designed especially for seniors and a credit union locator to help clients find the credit union that is right for them. Whether you are looking for online trainings, searching for ways to communicate more effectively with clients, or just looking to boost your own financial literacy, AssetPlatform.org is an interactive learning tool that is always at your disposal!

To log in or to learn more about AssetPlatform.org visit www.assetplatform.org  ■

On Friday April 1, 2011 Governor Martin O'Malley announced the launch of the Emergency Mortgage Assistance program, a $40 million program to help homeowners address back mortgage payments for those who are at imminent risk of foreclosure due to unemployment, underemployment or a medical condition. With funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, eleven counseling agencies throughout the state of Maryland have been charged with implementing the program.

Conditions for eligibility include:  

·         A loss of employment income because of the economy or a medical condition

·         3-12 months delinquent on mortgage payments and pending foreclosure

·         Total household income equal to, or less than, 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI)

·         A reasonable likelihood of being able to resume mortgage payments within 2 years

Providing assistance in the payment of up to a year of overdue debt, including delinquent taxes and insurance, up to 2 years going forward, the program provides a maximum combined total assistance adding up to $50,000. "This program is welcome news for countless people in Maryland who are going through these difficult times," said Congressman Elijah Cummings. Income eligibility for the program for a two person household in Baltimore can be as high as $78,900, making the program more accessible to families and individuals with marginally higher incomes.

Find out more today by visiting  www.MDHope.org or calling HOPE Hotline at 1-877-462-7555 for assistance. ■

Volunteer & Paid Positions

Baltimore Integration Partnership 

Graduate Student Intern (Summer 2011): The Baltimore Integration Partnership is seeking an intern with prior training in planning, social work, or public policy. Graduate students interested in revitalization and workforce development should plan to apply by May 20, 2011. Stipend available.   

To read more visit:   http://www.baltimorepartnership.org  

Qualified applicants may submit their cover letter, resume, 3 references, and writing sample to Kurt Sommer at ksommer@abagrantmakers.org     

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Baltimore CASH Campaign 

Volunteer Maryland Coordinator (VMC):Baltimore CASH Campaign is looking for an individual to fill a full-time, 11 month AmeriCorps position. This position will receive a stipend of $13,000, and an education award of $5,550. The VMC will be responsible for recruiting volunteers for seven separate volunteer positions at Baltimore CASH Campaign. This position will also work to strengthen the use of volunteer management tools and collaboration with staff and partner organizations to determine volunteer needs.

To request an application, email: info@baltimorecashcampaign.org for a copy of the Volunteer Maryland Coordinator (VMC) application. Applications will be reviewed and interviews will be scheduled throughout the summer. The VMC service year will officially begin on September 14, 2011 and end on July 31, 2011.  

Getting Financially Fit  

Baltimore County Alumae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.   

Tuesday, May 24, 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm

Topic: Staying Financially Fit - Don't Fall Off Your Financial Wagon   

 A free event on how to boost your financial fitness.   

The Randallstown Community Center

3505 Resource Center Drive

Randallstown, MD 21133

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Basic Money Management 

Maryland CASH Campaign

Saturday, May 28, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm     

Learn how to better budget your money, manage your utility bills, reduce your expenses, and plan your financial future at this free informative session.  

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Homebuyer Education Workshop  

Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore   

Thursday, June 2, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm  

Learn what it takes to become a successful homebuyer! This is a two-part class that helps you understand how to navigate the mortgage application process and compare and obtain a good mortgage agreement. Participants should be prepared to bring their most recent pay stubs for 1 month, past three years of tax returns, W-2 tax forms from 2008, 2009, and 2010, most recent bank statements for 2 months, current credit report from a certified lender, and a state issued photo I.D./drivers license.

Neighborhood Housing Services  

819 Park Avenue  

Baltimore, MD 21201

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National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC) Conference

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - Thursday, June 9, 2011 

Theme: Mapping the Future: A roadmap to helping families achieve economic success.  

This year's annual NCTC Conference will focus on charting a new direction for the community tax preparation and asset building field.  

Hyatt Regency Hotel

151 East Wacker Dr. 

Chicago, IL 

To learn more visit NCTC at: www.tax-coalition.org 

Topic: This informative webinar will examine the power of harnessing technology to enhance financial literacy education and personal financial well-being.    

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