Community Action Partnership eNewsletter, September 9, 2016

September 9, 2016

PARTNERSHIP NEWS

Partnership Elections

NEWS YOU CAN USE

HHS Issues Final Head Start Program Performance Standards
Accountable Health Communities Track 1 Funding Opportunity
Opinion: Should the Government Subsidize Jobs for the Unemployed?
Tech Executive to Head Homeless Nonprofit

TRAININGS AND WEBINARS

Podcast: Going Beyond Shelters to Tackle Homelessness
Urban Institute Webinars
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Webinars
OPRE Webinar and Blog Post

PARTNERSHIP NEWS

PARTNERSHIP ELECTIONS


Immediate past Partnership Chairman Tom Tenorio passes the leadership gavel to newly-elected Chair Bryan Duncan

ELECTIONS: BRYAN DUNCAN ELECTED AS CHAIR OF COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP'S NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

At the conclusion of the 2016 Community Action Partnership Annual Convention, attendees were on-hand to welcome Bryan Duncan as the new chairman of the Community Action Partnership's National Board of Directors.

Duncan, the former 1st Vice Chair of the Partnership Board, has been with Community Action for 21 years, serving as Executive Director for 10 years. He is President of the North Carolina Community Action State Association and has served as First and Second Vice-Chair. Duncan is the Chair of the Marketing and Public Relations Committee of the Southeastern Association of Community Action Agencies. He holds a BA in Sociology from UNC-Chapel Hill and is a Certified ROMA Trainer.

Additional Board election results include:

Elizabeth "Biz" Steinberg, President and CEO of Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo, Inc., is now First Vice Chair.

Malcolm Ratchford, Executive Director of Community Action Council for Lexington-Fayette, Bourbon, Nicholas, and Harrison Counties in Lexington, KY is now Third Vice Chair

Aaron Franklin, Executive Director of Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri, Trenton, MO is now Treasurer.

Arlene McAtee, Executive Director of Mid-Iowa Community Action, in Marshalltown, IA represents Region 7.

Darrick Simpson, Executive Director of Long Beach Community Action, in Long Beach, CA now represents Region 9.

For full board and staff directory, visit here.

Coming soon: 2016 Community Action Partnership Annual Convention wrap-up and photos!

NEWS YOU CAN USE

HHS ISSUES FINAL HEAD START PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

On September 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the much-anticipated final Head Start Program Performance Standards (the final Performance Standards, or the final rule), that will further improve and strengthen the Head Start program.

The final Performance Standards, which were initially proposed on June 19, 2015 in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), marks the first comprehensive revision and reorganization of the Performance Standards since they were published in 1975. The final Performance Standards update the federal regulations governing the practices and policies of Head Start and Early Head Start programs to align with the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 (the Head Start Act) and to revise and raise educational standards, as required by the Head Start Act. The updated Standards reflect current research, science, and best practice. They describe high-quality service delivery so Head Start is better able to focus on outcomes for children and families. They also reduce administrative and regulatory burden, and improve clarity and transparency.

The new HSPPS and related resources are now available on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC), including:

Head Start Program Performance Standards [110 pages]
Federal Register: Head Start Performance Standards [621 pages]
Head Start Policy and Regulations
ACF-PI-HS-16-04 Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) Final Rule
General Fact Sheet from the Office of Head Start (OHS)
Questions and Answers about the release of the new HSPPS
The on-demand webinar that introduced the new regulations

The webinar, Introducing the Head Start Program Performance Standards - Final Rule, was presented by OHS this afternoon. It is now available to watch on-demand. Topics for the webinar included:

An overview of the new HSPPS
A description of supports OHS will offer grantees as these they implement these Standards

Stay tuned for info on the upcoming Community Action/Office of Head Start webinar on the new performance standards. Details to come!

ACCOUNTABLE HEALTH COMMUNITIES TRACK 1 FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

In January 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for a model called the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model. This is the first Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation model to focus on the health-related social needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Many of these social issues, such as housing instability, hunger, and interpersonal violence, affect individuals' health, yet they are rarely, if ever, detected or addressed during typical health care-related visits. The AHC Model is based on emerging evidence that addressing health-related social needs through enhanced clinical-community linkages can improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

The original Funding Opportunity Announcement requested applications for three different scalable tracks featuring interventions of varying intensity that would address health-related social needs for beneficiaries. After receiving significant interest, inquiries and stakeholder feedback, CMS has decided to make modifications to the Track 1 application requirements and is releasing a new FOA specific to Track 1 of the AHC Model. The AHC Model is accepting applications for Track 1 at www.grants.gov through November 3, 2016.

Questions about the AHC Model can be sent to AccountableHealthCommunities@cms.hhs.gov. For more information about the AHC Model, please visit our website at https://innovation.cms.gov/initiatives/ahcm.

Read More

OPINION: SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZE JOBS FOR THE UNEMPLOYED?

Commentary for Spotlight and Opportunity, September 7, 2016

In the latest commentary for Spotlight, contributor Dan Bloom, director of Health and Barriers to Employment Policy at MDRC, examines the evidence behind programs that pay subsidies to private employers to create jobs during economic downturns. Bloom notes that at least 40 states turned to subsidized jobs programs during the recession, but that the research on such programs is mixed; some approaches were much better than others at fostering long-term employment and raising wages. This week, as we recognize Labor Day eight years after the beginning of the recession, Bloom argues that stubbornly high rates of unemployment in certain communities and stagnant wages could be addressed by thoughtful, evidence-based subsidized jobs programs.

Read More

CEO TO HEAD TROY ANTI-POVERTY INITIATIVE

The city of Troy will partner with the Commission on Economic Opportunity on a state-sponsored program that aims to address poverty in 10 cities across upstate New York.

Mayor Patrick Madden announced Tuesday that CEO will work with the city to develop and implement a plan to reduce poverty among households and families through the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative. The state program was announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this year, with Troy among the communities chosen to receive funding for planning and implementation of a local initiative.

CEO will serve as the city's designated nonprofit and coordinating organization for the program, establishing an anti-poverty task force including representatives of other local organizations and overseeing the administration of the program. With assistance and support from the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and Department of State, the group will identify common issues that contribute to poverty and develop comprehensive strategies to address those problems.

Read More

TRAININGS AND WEBINARS

PODCAST: GOING BEYOND SHELTERS TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS

There are some social problems that, unfortunate as they are, just need to be accepted. They will always exist to one degree or another. One of those problems most people have resigned themselves to is homelessness. Rosanne Haggerty is not most people.

"We really misunderstood this issue," says Ms. Haggerty, the chief executive of Community Solutions, a New York nonprofit that helps communities use data and design to rethink complex problems affecting their most vulnerable residents. The group's 100,000 Homes Campaign worked with 186 communities across the country to house more than 100,000 chronically homeless people in just four years.

In this edition of the Business of Giving, Ms. Haggerty talks about challenging longstanding assumptions about homelessness and connecting the dots - governmental, economic, medical - that contribute to it. And she tells how her organization is helping bring together the relevant actors to create solutions that go beyond building shelters and make it easier for people to get themselves off the street permanently.

Listen to the full interview here, and/or read a transcript provided by the Business of Giving.

URBAN INSTITUTE WEBINARS

Reducing Poverty and Increasing Opportunity: Envisioning the Next 20 Years

Tuesday, September 13, 12:00-1:30 p.m. EST

LIVE WEBCAST - Register

In collaboration with the National Association for Welfare Research and Statistics, the Urban Institute is bringing together experts to share their views and the evidence on successful strategies for reducing poverty and increasing opportunity. The event will look at promising strategies for the future, advancing the debate about how to promote opportunity for individuals and families in the next two decades.

Promoting Economic Mobility: Putting Evidence to Action for Communities

Wednesday, September 14, 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. EST

LIVE WEBCAST - Register

The Urban Institute, in collaboration with the Citi Foundation, invites you to watch a discussion on innovative strategies and practices that promote upward mobility. US attorney general Loretta Lynch will deliver the keynote address on the key role community organizations play in enabling its residents to attack barriers to equal opportunity.

SPOTLIGHT ON POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY WEBINARS

September 19 -- In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State

The event will be held from 5:30-6:30 EDT at a location to be determined.

In the updated version of In Our Hands: A Plan to Replace the Welfare State, author Charles Murray proposes replacing America's social safety net with a universal basic income. The American Enterprise Institute will host a discussion with Dr. Murray and Jared Bernstein, former chief economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden and senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Click here to register.

OPRE WEBINAR AND BLOG POST

Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation - Office of the Administration for Children and Families

Scaling Up a Workforce Program for Youth: Lessons from the Year Up Program

Several takeaways emerged from our look at Year Up's efforts to scale up its program. Read our latest post in The Family Room Blog to learn more about their efforts that may help other organizations considering when and how to scale up services.

Webinar: Multidimensional Poverty in America

Register to join the Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse on September 20 at 3:00 for a webinar on Multidimensional Poverty in America. The webinar will focus on examining the issue through the lens of race/ethnicity and potential policy implications. Registrants are invited to submit their questions.

Community Action Partnership

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Washington, DC 20036

www.communityactionpartnership.com