 OCS/CSBG & AFI FEATURED IN WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE REPORT
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UPDATE: The White House Task Force for New AmericansThe White House Task Force for New Americans recently released its report to the President: Strengthening Communities by Welcoming All Residents - a federal strategic action plan on immigration and refugee integration. The action plan lays out 16 broad goals and provides 48 recommended actions to help build welcoming communities; strengthen existing pathways to naturalization and promote civic engagement; support skill development, foster entrepreneurship, safeguard workers; and expand opportunities for linguistic integration and education. To learn more about the Task Force's plan, please follow the link to the landing page which includes the Task Force Report to the President: Strengthening Communities by Welcoming All Residents -- A federal strategic action plan on immigrant and refugee integration.
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INFORMATION ON THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT (WIOA)
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The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), signed into law on July 22, 2014, was the first significant legislative reform of the public workforce system in the last 15 years. WIOA is an extraordinary opportunity to improve job and career options for our nation's jobseekers through an integrated, job-driven public workforce system. The new law encourages state and local leaders to work together to reimagine and reshape a workforce system that serves the needs of our most vulnerable citizens - low-income youth and adults living in high poverty areas. The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is a natural and important partner within this system, and, indeed, CSBG has a long history of collaborating with workforce partners under the previous WIA law. OCS is encouraging the broader CSBG network to take the opportunity to engage with our workforce partners to take advantage of opportunities under the law to better serve low-income people seeking employment and skill development and also comment on five proposed WIOA-related rules.
Click here to read this letter. _____________________________________________________  "Priority of Service" Provision in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act:Targeting Funding to Serve More High-Need Adults
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) requires priority be given to "public benefits recipients, other low-income individuals, and individuals who are basic skills deficient" when providing career and training services using WIOA Title I Adult funds. This prioritization is critical. In Program Year 2013, just 48 percent of those receiving intensive or training services under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) were low-income. Moreover, only 27.5 percent were public benefits recipients, and a paltry 3.8 percent were Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance recipients. This paper discusses the priority of service provision in the WIOA statute, briefly analyzes the recently released draft regulations, and makes six policy recommendations. Click here to read the brief_____________________________________________________
This Voices from the Field article by Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi of the Mizrahi Family Charitable Fund discusses the remarkable leverage points for change that exist at the state level as they seek to implement the WOIA. She wants other philanthropists to see this moment as an extraordinary opportunity. Click here to see the article. |
10 DAYS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TAX SEASON SPECIAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD
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There are only 10 days left for tax filers who owe a fee on their 2014 taxes to take advantage of a Special Enrollment Period. To do so, consumers must meet all of the following requirements: - They didn't know that the health care law required them and their household to have health coverage, or they didn't understand how that requirement would affect their family;
- They owe a fee for not having minimum essential coverage for one or more months in 2014;
- They are already enrolled in minimum essential coverage 2015; or
- They live in a state with a Federally-facilitated Marketplace; some state-based Marketplaces are offering similar Special Enrollment Periods as well.
C lick here to read the full press release distributed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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CAO OF ERIE COUNTY TO SUBMIT CHARTER SCHOOL PLAN
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The Community Action Organization (CAO) of Erie County, PA, is developing an innovative model to support their Head Start and other early childhood programs. CAO is proposing to create the Fresh Start Charter School for grades K-4, starting in the Fall of 2016. The school would target CAO's Head Start and Early Head Start graduates, and provide continuing parent engagement and family support services to ensure gains made by children in those early education programs were maintained after the transition to elementary school. To learn more about this innovative program, click here.
From Buffalo Business First:
"A Buffalo nonprofit is planning to expand its educational programs with a new charter school in Buffalo, with enrollment preference for Head Start graduates.
The Community Action Organization of Erie County Inc. is submitting a letter of intent to state officials to open the Fresh Start Charter School for grades k-4, beginning in fall of 2016.
The school, which requires approvals from the state Department of Education, would offer a next step for children who come through the agency's preschool programs, such as Head Start and Early Head Start. Many of those students now fail when they move on to public school, said L. Nathan Hare, CEO at CAO."
Click here to read this article.
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APRIL IS FINANCIAL CAPABILITY MONTH
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RESOURCE TOOL: YOUR MONEY, YOUR GOALS
The Partnership's Learning Community Resource Center partnered with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on a financial empowerment toolkit, Your Money, Your Goals! As a part of this initiative, the goal is to train at least 500 case workers and other front line staff from at least 42 CSBG-supported local agencies on the Your Money, Your Goals Toolkit. Almost 400 staff has already been trained on this tool, which includes 14 modules. Enhance the financial capability of those you serve with this tool! English and Spanish versions of the toolkit can be downloaded at: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/your-money-your-goals/. FINANCIAL CAPABILITY SUCCESS STORY
City of Lansing, Office of Financial Empowerment
MILLIONS NOW ABLE TO RECEIVE CREDIT SCORES AND REPORTS THROUGH NONPROFITS
Community Action Agencies that offer credit counseling, housing counseling, and other financial counseling services often buy credit reports and scores for the customers they serve. Until now, organizations have generally been prohibited by their contracts with credit reporting agencies from giving the consumer the credit report or score they purchased on customer's behalf. However, FICO recently announced an agreement with the 3 major credit reporting agencies (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian) that will allow millions of customers who receive nonprofit credit counseling and other services to obtain a copy of the FICO score that these organizations have purchased. For more information or the complete article click here.
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NCAF STATEWIDE CALLS ON APRIL 22
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NCAF is working hard on the Hill with Appropriations, Weatherization Reauthorization, and now with the CSBG Reauthorization through H.R. 1655. We want to further agency engagement through a short statewide conference call. The schedule for these calls is below.
CALL INFORMATION
TIMES SHOWN ARE ALL Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Dial number: (712) 432-1212
Meeting ID: 188-668-463
Wednesday 22 April
4.20 - 4.35 pm, Nevada
4.40 - 4.55 pm, Idaho
5.00 - 5.15 pm, Hawaii
5.20 - 5.35 pm, California
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CONNECTING KIDS TO COVERAGE -- WEBINAR ON MAY 7
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The Community Action Partnership will be hosting a webinar on Thursday, May 7, from 3:00 - 4:00 pm EST with the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign. This Campaign helps spread the word about the availability of free and low-cost health insurance through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Listen in for an overview of the Campaign and learn how you can integrate outreach and education on Medicaid and CHIP into the services you already provide. We'll also share resources and tools that can help get more kids - and parents - covered in your community.
This webinar is free, but pre-registration is required. Please use the link below to register - we hope you will join us!
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4194886815005672194
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OPEN ENROLLMENT PATHWAYS TRAINING TO BE HELD IN DALLAS, TX
ON JUNE 23 AND 24
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The Community Action Partnership Announces the Re-Launch of its
Pathways to Excellence Initiative
Open Enrollment Pathways Training to be Held in Dallas, Texas
on June 23 and 24
The Community Action Partnership is excited to announce the re-launch of its Pathways to Excellence Initiative. Pathways is the Partnership's premier organizational capacity building initiative. Pathways uses 35 Standards of Excellence that define the very best practices for Community Action Agencies. Just as the new CSBG organizational standards developed by the Center of Excellence in collaboration with the Community Action Network define the basic minimum requirements an agency must meet, the Standards of Excellence represent the highest level of management and operational performance to which an agency can aspire. A webinar that describes the Pathways process in more detail will be held on Thursday, April 23rd at 1:00 EST. Register here to attend the webinar. More information about Pathways, enrollment costs, and the application form are accessible on the Partnership's website here.
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WIPFLI NONPROFIT AND GOVERNMENT UPCOMING EVENTS
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August 24-25, 2015
OMB's New Uniform Guidance
Community Action Partnership Annual Convention
San Francisco Marriott Marquis
San Francisco, CA
Registration Fee:
Cost for Community Action Partnership members are as follows:
* $625 per participant registering on or before July 27, 2015. (Partnership Members must use the promo code CAPSF* when registering or they will be charged the regular early bird rate of $645)
* $795 (regular registration fee) per participant registering after July 27, 2015.
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MAY IS NATIONAL COMMUNITY ACTION MONTH
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Next Friday is May 1, the start of National Community Action Month 2015!
Watch the eNews for the announcement of a brand new Community Action Month Toolkit.
Special features include:
- A "Day-by-Day" Community Action month Calendar
- Social Media section on Tweets and Facebook
- Awards information for the Annual Convention
- ...and More
#BeCommunityAction - and get your entire community involved!
The 2015 Community Action Toolkit is coming very soon!
Watch this space and the Partnership Website
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NATIONAL TRENDS IN POVERTY SURVEY
| The Community Action Partnership launched a Learning Community on National Trends in Poverty last spring, which was designed to bring Community Action leaders together to examine the current state of poverty in our country. Economic conditions in the U.S. have changed drastically over the past few decades and Community Action needs to be as responsive as possible to these changing conditions. The National Trends Learning Cluster collaborated with Jim Masters and Allen Stansbury from the Center for Community Futures to facilitate a series of 8 webinars to examine current conditions as well as analyze current research on efforts to address poverty. This survey is designed to support the work of that Cluster Group.
Based on the research disseminated through the National Trends Learning Cluster, the survey is intended to gather empirical data about strategies that CAAs can use at the national, state and/or local level to eliminate the causes and conditions of poverty. Additionally, the survey will help to assess the broader Community Action Network's sense of priorities about where to focus our collective work. Results from the survey will be incorporated into a white paper entitled, "Strategies Recommended to Reduce Poverty and Enhance Economic Security", and presented by Masters and Stansbury at the Partnership's Annual Convention in San Francisco on August 25-28, 2015.
Access the survey here - https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NatTrendsinPoverty
Please submit responses by Wednesday, May 6, 2015.
This publication was created by the National Association of Community Action Agencies-Community Action Partnership, in performance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services Grant Number 90ET0436. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.
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PLAN NOW FOR THE 2015 ANNUAL CONVENTION
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____________________________________________________
Register early for the best savings. Early Bird registration ends one month from today on May 22.
Make your plans - Watch the eNews in coming weeks for session and track listings
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The CONVENTION BROCHURE is now available to download, click here.
Click here for CONVENTION RESERVATIONS at the Marriott Marquis
On-line REGISTRATION for the Annual Convention is now available , click here.
For exhibitor and advertising information, please click here.
AWARDS INFORMATION: The Jayne Thomas Grassroots Volunteer Recognition Award and
The Sargent Shriver Achievement Award
Please click here for complete information.
Grab the early bird rate today! - Ends on May 22 You can register for the full event as well as several pre-convention activities to help you maximize your trip! Keep an eye on this link for more information! The CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS is open!
The deadline to submit session proposals is April 10th.
#Partnership15
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ISA is an insurance provider providing property, liability, and risk management services. Click here to learn about the Irwin Siegel Agency alliance with the Partnership or visit their website. |
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