January 27, 2010
Department of Energy Announces New Regulations to Facilitate
Weatherizing Subsidized Affordable HousingThe Department of Energy (DOE) today announced new regulations that will help improve the energy efficiency and livability of HUD, Low Income Housing Tax Credit, and USDA assisted apartments by minimizing barriers to the participation of these homes in the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). As outlined in a final rule released today, DOE has concluded that hundreds of thousands of subsidized apartments meet certain WAP eligibility requirements without the need for further evaluation or verification by the state WAP administering agency or local subgrantee. In doing so, DOE has significantly reduced the burden of evaluating WAP applications for these multifamily properties.
The National Housing Trust has prepared a summary of DOE's final rule. Click here for the summary.
The final rule amends the eligibility provisions of the Weatherization Assistance Program so that certain properties identified by HUD and USDA will be considered automatically income eligible for the program without further evaluation and verification.
In addition, DOE has clarified that administering state agencies can take into consideration benefits other than reduced utility costs when ensuring that weatherization benefits accrue primarily to tenants. As a model, DOE cited the State of Washington's policy recognizing that preserved low-income housing, added comfort, and environmental health benefits as a result of weatherization upgrades can be considered direct benefits to tenants. This guidance will help ensure that low-income families who do not directly pay utilities have an opportunity to participate in the program.
The Weatherization Assistance Program received $5 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)- a 20-fold funding increase over previous years.
2010 Tax Credit Outreach
Kits AvailableThe Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ 2010 Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit Outreach Kit can be ordered via email, eickit@cbpp.org, or by going to www.cbpp.org/eic2010.
The kit includes posters, flyers, fact sheets, and outreach strategy ideas to help organizations promote the availability of tax credits and free tax filing assistance to low-income families and individuals.
The Earned Income and Child Tax Credits will mean more for working families and individuals than ever before as they continue to grapple with the pressures of the weak economy.
They need to know that help may be there when they file their tax returns in 2010: they may be eligible for tax credits worth as much as $5,657, and they may qualify for credits even if they did not earn enough in 2009 to owe income tax. Effective outreach prevents them from missing out on opportunities that will help them achieve economic stability.
This year, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Congress and the President have improved and expanded the array of tax credits that can provide a significant boost to workers’ paychecks, including the above-mentioned credits as well as the newly created Making Work Pay Credit. In addition, a new American Opportunity Credit can help low-wage workers pay for college.
As a result of the new legislation, more people will qualify, credits will be larger and benefits will be tailored to better meet family needs. These enhanced benefits make outreach efforts more critical than ever, so we greatly appreciate The Center producing this great resource!
KEEP IT and GROW IT
Total Impact: New State-by-State Data on Bad LendingWe all know that the cost of a bad loan or foreclosure is felt not just by the individual, but by the whole family. Truth is, the impact of reckless and predatory lending affects the entire community and state. Today, we share a set of new fact sheets that provide specific information on the total costs of bad loans and foreclosures in your state.
The Center for Responsible Lending is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy organization dedicated to protecting homeownership and family wealth by working to eliminate abusive financial practices. They have compiled a state-by-state analysis of foreclosures and bad loans in each state and the District of Columbia. The analysis includes:• delinquencies and foreclosures
• the cost of bank overdraft loans
• the cost of dealer overcharges on auto loan interest rates
• the cost of payday lending (where applicable)
• data showing the share of high-rate (subprime) mortgages made by national banks that were • • • allowed to ignore state lending laws
• equity wealth lost due to nearby foreclosures
• AND MORE!These user-friendly fact sheets are easily reproduced for advocacy with legislators, colleagues, funders and potential customers. The categories are easy to understand and there are graphs and charts to help illustrate points.
We hope these Action Alerts energize your RuFES deeds and aspirations. Help us spark more RuFES action! How? Simply contact us with any news, ideas or opportunities that can help your RuFES colleagues across the nation.
CAAs — Help members of Your
Community Get Financially Fit!
Our friends and colleagues at the US Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service are gearing up for Go Direct/Direct Express Month in February, www.godirect.org/Go_Direct_Direct_Express_Month.cfm. During the month, the focus will be on encouraging senior citizens, people with disabilities and others who receive federal benefits by paper check to switch to electronic payments via Go Direct/Direct Express. By switching to electronic payments, Americans who get federal benefits can eliminate the risk of stolen checks and gain more control over their money. Plus, with electronic payments, money is immediately accessible on payment day from virtually anywhere. No more waiting for the mail or running an errand to deposit or cash a check.
Signing up is quick and easy, and can get senior citizens, people with disabilities and others on the road to financial fitness immediately.
Go Direct gives people with checking or savings accounts a fast, easy way to sign up for direct deposit. To sign up, people can call 800-333-1795, go online to www.GoDirect.org , or visit their local bank or credit union.
Direct Express Debit MasterCard card - This Treasury-recommended prepaid debit card provides Americans without bank accounts with a safe, easy alternative to paper checks for Social Security and SSI benefit payments. Cardholders can make purchases, get cash and pay bills. There are no sign-up fees, monthly fees or overdraft charges. Some fees for optional services may apply. People can call toll-free at 877-212-9991, sign up online at www.USDirectExpress.com , or visit a local Social Security office.How your agency can help
Your Community Action Agency can play a vital role in spreading the message about this important issue. It's easy to get involved:• Distribute Go Direct campaign and Direct Express card materials.
• Actively encourage people cashing or depositing federal benefit checks to switch to electronic payments.
• Plan or participate in Financial Literacy Month activities in April.
• Incorporate Go Direct campaign and Direct Express card materials into your financial literacy efforts.For more information, visit the Partners section of the Go Direct Web site: www.GoDirect.org (English) or www.DirectoASuCuenta.org (Spanish), or call a campaign representative at 952-346-6055.
Help Feed Kids in the Summer: Sign up for free webinars on the federal Summer Food Service Program
From our great colleagues at the Food and Nutrition Service, US Department of Agriculture
Join us in one of the upcoming free webinars to learn more about and hear the benefits of being a part of the federal Summer Food Service Program! Register online at http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g426e9
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) can help to fill the summer meal gap for the 18 million students that are at risk of going hungry when the school year ends and school lunches are no longer available.
Faith-based, community and private non-profit organizations can make a difference in the lives of these children by serving meals with SFSP—a federally funded program administered by states that reimburses organizations for meals served to children during the summer.
There are two ways to get involved with the SFSP. Your organization may become a SFSP site where meals are served, or a SFSP sponsor that both serves meals and keeps track of the accounting and paperwork. Sponsors are reimbursed for all meals served that meet USDA's nutrition standards.
For more information, participate in one of the above-mentioned webinars or go to www.fns.usda.gov
You only have only two weeks left to apply for the National Women’s Law Center's 2010 Progressive Leadership Advocacy Network (PLAN) program.
PLAN supports a diverse group of emerging advocacy leaders working to make positive change for low-income women and their families.
Emerging leaders across the country are encouraged to apply.
The deadline for applications is February 8.
Apply today!
The PLAN program experience includes:• Participation in the intensive, three-day PLAN Spring Institute for new members;
• Ongoing strategic leadership, policy, and advocacy learning opportunities; and
• Access to individualized technical assistance from NWLC policy and advocacy staff.By strengthening their leadership and advocacy skills and in-depth policy knowledge, the PLAN program helps advocates sharpen their abilities and deepen their understanding of the steps they need to take to be effective leaders.
P.S. For further questions, please contact us at progressiveleaders@nwlc.org.
In preparation for ETIC (Earned Income Tax Credit) Awareness Day on January 29, our great friends and colleagues at the IRS have prepared a variety of materials to help you promote this event in your local
communities.The resources page on EITC Central, http://www.eitc.irs.gov/ptoolkit/awarenessday/resources/, contains customizable templates and other tools- such as sample articles, Letter to the Editor, news release, and "tweets" for use on Twitter-to help plan your activities.
The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Blanche Lincoln
Chairman, Senate Agriculture
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Saxby Chambliss
Ranking Member, Senate Agriculture
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable John Boehner
Minority Leader
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable George Miller
Chairman, House Education and Labor
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable John Kline
Ranking Member, House Education and Labor
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
January 22, 2010Re: Child Nutrition Reauthorization Funding and Program Priorities
Dear Majority Leader Reid, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Boehner, Chairman Lincoln, Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Chambliss and Ranking Member Kline:
The child nutrition programs – school lunch and breakfast, child care and WIC, summer feeding and afterschool snacks and meals – are facing a two part challenge: rising rates of hunger and obesity. The programs are not reaching all those children who are eligible. In addition, while the nutritional quality of the programs has improved significantly since Congress required that they follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it is increasingly difficult for providers to meet these guidelines without additional resources.
A well-conceived, robustly-funded reauthorization bill can reduce hunger and food insecurity in America, help reduce childhood overweight and obesity, improve child nutrition and health, and enhance child development and school readiness. To that end we urge Congress and the Administration to enact a reauthorization bill that:-assures and strengthens program access and supports participation by underserved children
and communities;
-enhances nutrition quality and provides adequate meal reimbursements; and
-modernizes technology and simplifies program administration and operation.The President, as you know, has proposed an additional $1 billion per year for child nutrition reauthorization to start down the path of eliminating childhood hunger by the year 2015. Given the recent USDA report showing that one in every four children live in households struggling against hunger, the child nutrition programs will need at least that amount of funding, if not a significantly higher investment, to respond to the current crisis. The recent Institute of Medicine recommendations for school meals also demonstrate the
need for additional resources for improving the nutritional quality of school meals.
The successful, cost-effective child nutrition programs play a critical role in helping children--especially those in low-income families--achieve access to quality nutrition, child care, and educational enrichment activities while improving their overall health, development, and school achievement.
Despite the extraordinary challenges facing our nation, investing in our children must remain a top priority. The child nutrition programs must receive the critical funding needed to support and improve the nutritional health and well-being of our children.
We appreciate your leadership and support on behalf of our nation’s children.
Sincerely,
9to5, National Association of Working
Women
Action for Healthy Kids
Afterschool Alliance
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Health Education
American Association of School
Administrators
American Frozen Food Institute
Apple Processors Association
Association of Nutrition Services Agencies
B. Sackin & Associates
Bread for the World
Coalition on Human Needs
Community Action Partnership
Community Food Security Coalition
Congressional Hunger Center
eGovernment Payments Council of the EFTA
End Hunger Network
Feed the Children
Feeding America
First Focus
Fitness Forward
Food Research and Action Center
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Healthy Schools Campaign
International Dairy Foods Association
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Migrant Legal Action Program
National Association of County and City
Health Officials
National Association for the Education of
Homeless Children and Youth
National Association for the Education of
Young Children
National Association for Health Education
National Association of School Nurses
National Association of State Boards of
Education
National Chicken Council
National Consumers League
National Council of Jewish Women
National CSFP Association
National Education Association
National Milk Producers Federation
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
National Turkey Federation
National WIC Association
National Women’s Law Center
Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine
RESULTS
School Nutrition Association
Service Employees International Union
Snack Food Association
United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Association
United Way Worldwide
World Hunger Year
Thank you to all our new and returning members for joining and supporting Community Action Partnership for 2010. We have an outstanding start to 2010 with close to 500 members renewing or joining for 2010 by the end of January! The Management and Leadership Conference in New Orleans was an exciting start to a year that promises to be challenging, productive and very exciting.
Thanks to all of our 2010 members. You should be receiving your winter 2010 issue of The Promise magazine in the next few weeks. If you have not yet renewed or joined Community Action Partnership for 2010, please click here for a copy of the membership form. We look forward to welcoming all of you to the Partnership family and greatly appreciate your continued support.
