The Community Action Partnership is in the
2009 Combined Federal Campaign.
Our CFC number for designating donations is 80371.

NEWS YOU CAN USE
•	The 2010 Census is important to our work! Check out this new toolkit - It’s free!
•	Learn more about Child Tax Credit, EITC, and Dependent Care & new Making Work Pay tax credits — Sign up now for free webinars by National Women’s Law Center
ISSUES & OPINIONS
•	All residents should be counted in 2010 Census Partnership opposes change to 2010 Census questions
•	Partnership endorses proposed national commission on criminal justice reform Focus to include reentry programs, incarcerated youth, rural & urban issues
•	Partnership supports new Livable Communities initiative Would establish new office, grants program in HUD
PARTNERSHIP NEWS
•	2010 Membership Discount ends October 31
•	Register now for the 2010 Management & Leadership Training Conference in New Orleans
•	Job announcement – Project Director, Community Economic Development
•	Partnership seeks director of training & technical assistance Only hard workers with experience & commitment need apply

The great folks at Nonprofits Count have produced the new, free Census Toolkit for Nonprofit Organizations. The toolkit, available at www.nonprofitscount.org features everything a nonprofit needs to get involved with the 2010 Census, including:

• Factsheets designed for nonprofits in English and Spanish on topics like "What's At Stake," "Seven Things Nonprofits Can Do," and "Meeting with Census Partnership Specialists"
• Sample Census questionnaires in seven languages and other resources from the US Census Bureau and others
• Multimedia including videos, photos, and PowerPoint presentations

Why is this so important? The 2010 Census will determine the distribution of $300 billion annually of government funding for critical community services. If low-income people are not properly counted, they risk losing their fair share of these services.

The Community Action Partnership is working with Nonprofits Count, the US Census Bureau, and other national groups to ensure that low-income people are counted during the 2010 Census so we can “root out poverty” and achieve an economy that works for all.

Thanks to our great, incredibly smart colleagues at the National Women’s Law center for offering these informative, no-cost webinars to our Community Action Network, and thanks to the Coalition on Human Needs for making sure that we got this connection.

Webinar - Tax Credits Outreach I & II (10/20/09 - 11/10/09)

Part I — Tax Credits: What Working Families Need to Know
Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (1 hour)

This webinar will explain how tax credits can give working families a leg up and briefly describe some federal and state credits that families should be aware of, including the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, and the new Making Work Pay Credit. This webinar will cover:

• The EITC, which is worth up to $5,657 for low- and moderate-income families with children;
• The Child Tax Credit, which is worth up to $1,000 per child just for having a child;
• The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, which gives families with child care expenses up to $2,100;
• The new Making Work Pay Credit, worth up to $800; and
• Basic tips for sharing information about tax credits with families.

Part II - Tax Credits Outreach: Tips and Tools for Service Providers and Advocates
Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern (1 hour)

Advocates and service providers can engage in a few simple outreach activities, often building on other networks and campaigns that can make a big difference for working families. This webinar will help you:

• Connect with local coalitions;
• Find free tax preparation services in your community;
• Get free outreach materials; and
• Learn some successful techniques for spreading the word about tax credits.

This webinar is free to participants, but registration is required. Click here to register for both sessions. You can also register for only the first session (on 10/20/2009) or only the second session (on 11/10/2009).

 

Thanks to our colleagues at The Census Project, the Partnership signed on to this letter to the U.S. Senate advocating that all residents be counted in the 2010 Census. Counting all residnets has been our national policy & practice since 1790.

October 12, 2009

Dear Senator:

We are writing to you as members of the Census Project, a collaboration of state and local governments, civil rights and labor groups, housing and child advocates, businesses, professional societies, and research organizations interested in a fair and accurate Census 2010.

As you know, Senators Vitter and Bennett have offered an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2010 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill, which would have the effect of excluding undocumented residents and possibly all non-citizens from being counted for purposes of congressional apportionment. Since our first decennial census was taken in 1790 under the direction of Thomas Jefferson, we have counted all residents of the United States. The
consequence of the Vitter/Bennett amendment would end this practice for purposes of congressional apportionment, even though all previous Republican and Democratic Administrations have concluded that excluding non-citizens from the apportionment base would be unconstitutional.

In addition, the amendment would seriously impede the next decennial census:

• The Census Bureau could not conduct the 2010 census on its current schedule, thus delaying not only the constitutionally and legally required (Title 13, U.S.C.) population count, but apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and congressional and state legislative redistricting.
• The 2010 census would include a question that is untested, which is scientifically and operationally irresponsible and risky.
• The cost of adding a question at this juncture goes well beyond reprinting 2010 census forms or adding an addendum to the form. A new question would require new promotional and informational materials, advance letters, data capture and processing systems, instructional materials for all census workers, and assistance guides in 59 languages. The ongoing American Community Survey would need to be changed to conform to the census questionnaire. The mailing packages for census forms would be affected.

All of the consequences listed above would add significant costs and delays to the 2010 census. In the interests of fairness and cost, and in light of the clear constitutional violation suggested by the sponsors, we urge you to vote against this amendment.

Sincerely,

Louis Kincannon, former director, U.S. Census Bureau
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
(AFL-CIO)
American Statistical Association
Americans for Democratic Action
Arab American Institute Foundation
Asian American Justice Center
Association of Population Centers
Coalition on Human Needs
Community Action Partnership
Consortium of Social Science Associations
Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS)
Demos
Japanese American Citizens League
Korean American Resource & Cultural Center
Korean Resource Center
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Linda Loubert, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Morgan State University
Marketing Research Association
NAACP
National Association of Human Rights Workers
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium
National Low Income Housing Coalition
Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network - Nonprofits Count! Campaign
OCA
Population Association of America
Population Resource Center
Prison Policy Initiative
Project Vote
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
Southeast Michigan Census Council
Southern Poverty Law Center

Thanks to our hardworking colleagues at the (national) Coalition For Juvenile Justice and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Partnership has signed on to this letter to the U.S. Senate, advocating for this establishment of a new, national commission to focus on a wide variety of justice issues. Virginia Senator Jim Webb continues to be a forceful, thoughtful advocate on realistic, meaningful, criminal and juvenile justice reform.

---

Co-Sponsor S.714 the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009

Dear Senator:

We write urging you to cosponsor S. 714, the National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009, recently introduced with bipartisan support by Senator Jim Webb. The bill establishes an independent Commission and charges it with the responsibility of initiating a comprehensive examination of America’s criminal justice system and making recommendations for fiscally responsible and effective reforms.

The need for a comprehensive review is clear. At every stage of the criminal justice process – from the events preceding arrest to the challenges facing those reentering the community after incarceration – serious problems undermine basic tenets of fairness and equity, as well as the public’s expectations for safety. The result is an overburdened, expensive, and often ineffective criminal justice system. Consider just a few examples of the problems we face:

The United States imprisons 2.3 million of its people, a greater percentage than any other nation in the world. When the number of Americans on probation or parole are included, the total number of people under criminal justice supervision exceeds 7,300,000, 1 in every 31 adults, costing taxpayers over $57 billion annually. Over-reliance on incarceration and long sentences is expensive, unsafe for inmates and corrections employees alike, and unlikely to achieve the goal of rehabilitation.

The impact of this level of incarceration on all our communities, urban and rural, is grave as potential wage earners are unable to care for their families, pay taxes and be productive members of the community. Even after being released and “paying their debt to society,” the stigma of incarceration lasts a lifetime as formerly incarcerated people must overcome discrimination in the form of barriers to obtaining jobs, housing, and financial aid for educational purposes. It should come as little surprise that two thirds of formerly incarcerated people will be rearrested and half will be reincarcerated within three years of their release.

Current practices have been devastating to minority and vulnerable communities. Minorities make up a disproportionately large share of the incarcerated population: one of every three black males and one of every six Hispanic males born today can expect to spend time in prison. Comparatively, one in seventeen white males will spend time in prison. These racial disparities hurt everyone because they undermine community confidence in both law enforcement and the courts.

Vulnerable populations become even more vulnerable when they go through the criminal justice system. For example, approximately 10,000 young people are held in prisons and jails with adult offenders. Additionally, high rates of mental illness among incarcerated youth and adults further complicate the workings of the criminal justice system. Four times as many persons with mental illness are incarcerated than are in mental health hospitals. Prisoners are two to four times more likely than the general population to be schizophrenic, depressed, bipolar, or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Correctional administrators are struggling under the burden of managing these special-needs populations.

The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 creates a commission whose members would be appointed by the legislative and executive branch. The Commission would be charged with the task of examining the criminal justice system, identifying both its strengths and weaknesses, and then offering recommendations to the Congress designed to: responsibly reduce the overall incarceration rate; lower violence and crime rates; improve federal and local responses to international and domestic gang violence; restructure our approach to drug policy; improve the treatment of mental illness; improve prison administration; and establish a system for reintegrating formerly incarcerated people.

We urge you to co-sponsor S. 714. Passage of this legislation is an important first step in developing evidence-based and cost-effective solutions to improve our criminal justice system and increase public safety.

Sincerely,

National Organizations and Businesses
AdvoCare
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Civil Liberties Union
Americans for Democratic Action
American Humanist Association
American Jail Association
The Association for Behavior Analysis International, Special Interest Group in Crime, Delinquency, and Forensic Behavior Analysis
American Probation and Parole Association
Attention Deficit Disorder Association
Biomass Coordinating Council of the American Council On Renewable Energy
Carnevale Foundation
Church of Scientology
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice
College Parents of America
Community Action Partnership
The Convict Criminology Group
Corporation for Supportive Housing
The Correctional Association of New York
Correctional Education Association
Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators
Criminon International
Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants - Chapter for Veterans
Disciples Justice Action Network
Drug Policy Alliance
Drug Reform Coordination Network
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
FedCURE
Friends Committee on National Legislation
The Fortune Society, The David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy
Goodwill Industries
Haymarket Center
Human Rights Watch
The Innocence Project
The Inner Voices
Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative
International Community Corrections Association
International CURE -- Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants
Just Detention International
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
Leaders in Community Alternatives, Inc. (national headquarters, CA)
Legal Action Center
Marijuana Policy Project
Methadone Support Organization
The National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National African American Drug Policy Coalition
National Alliance of Faith and Justice
National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National Association of Social Workers
National Black Police Association
National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, Inc.
National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
National Correctional Industries Association
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
National Council on Crime and Delinquency, NCCD Center for Girls and Young Women
National Criminal Justice Association
National Disability Rights Network
National Employment Law Project
National HIRE Network
National Institute for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma
National Legal Aid & Defender Association
National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
North American Family Institute
November Coalition
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Washington Office
Providence Service Corporation (national headquarters, AZ)
Safe Streets Arts Foundation
The Safer Foundation
The Sentencing Project
Sex Abuse Treatment Alliance and CURE-SORT
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Therapeutic Communities of America
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
The WestCare Foundation
Women of Reform Judaism

Over 50 local organizationa and businesses also signed this letter.

Thanks to our colleagues at Reconnecting America, the Partnership joined dozens of national, state and local organizations in supporting S. 1619, the Livable Community Act of 2009,
introduced by Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd.

---

Senator Richard C. Shelby
Ranking Member, Senate Banking Committee
304 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

October 8, 2009

Dear Senator,

We write you as representatives of the affordable housing, sustainable, equitable development and philanthropic communities to urge you to consider signing on as a cosponsor of the Livable Community Act of 2009, S.1619, introduced by Senator Christopher Dodd. This bill would authorize the creation of a new office at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to coordinate federal policies that foster sustainable development and administer HUD’s sustainability initiatives, and would also provide $4 billion to assist local governments in planning better and more affordable places where people can live.

A growing number of communities are looking for ways to support integrated regional planning efforts. While the need for affordable housing has received well-deserved attention through HUD, creating a systematic way to support a renewed focus on “affordable living” would take into account the combined burden of transportation and housing costs. For many working households, the goal of affordable living is becoming less attainable as fuel prices and trip lengths increase. We feel this legislation will help support local communities in urban, suburban and rural regions to provide more affordable choices for all Americans.

These grants will help communities of all sizes that are looking for innovative ways to create and preserve affordable housing, support transit-oriented development, improve public transportation, create walkable and bikeable main streets, foster economic and community development, and provide access to quality jobs and employment opportunities, and improve health and well being. The first grants would help communities develop comprehensive regional plans that incorporate transportation, housing, community and economic development and environmental needs. The majority of the funding, $3.75 billion over three years, would fund a challenge grant program to implement projects identified in these comprehensive plans.

In addition to funding needs, many communities face regulatory challenges when trying to use existing federal programs to support affordable, sustainable communities. Because the bill also works to promote and implement interagency cooperation between the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and HUD on these issues, programs like New Starts grants for major transit capital investments and the Community Development Block Grant program could more efficiently assist communities in planning for and coordinating housing and transportation investments.

Senator Dodd’s Livable Communities Act represents an enormous opportunity for Congress to help millions of Americans and their families live more affordably, and sets the stage for true cooperation and collaboration between federal agencies that will have a real impact on how effectively our communities can plan for the future. We urge you to support this important legislation.
Thank you for your consideration,

1000 Friends of Florida (FL)
1000 Friends of Minnesota (MN)
AAMU Community Development Corporation
Action! for Regional Equity (MA)
Alliance for Metropolitan Stability (MN)
Alliance to Develop Power (MA)
America 2050 (National)
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (National)
Asset Building Strategies (CA)
Atlanta Regional Health Forum (GA)
Bay Area Black United Fund (CA)
Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing (LA)
B.R.A.C.E.S. (Benevolent Rural Alliance for Cultural and Environmental Strategies) (LA)
Benroe Housing Initiatives PC (LA)
BISCO (Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing) (LA)
Boston Public Health Commission (MA)
Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc. (NY)
California Coalition for Rural Housing (CA)
California Housing Partnership (CA)
California Newsreel (CA)
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CA)
California Park & Recreation Society (CA)
California WALKS (CA)
Capital Area Alliance for the Homeless (LA)
CASA of Oregon (OR)
CDC Association of Greater Houston (TX)
Center for Civic Policy (NM)
Center for Fair Housing, Inc. (AL)
Center for Neighborhood Technology (IL)
Central Baltimore Partnership (MD)
Central Indiana Community Foundation (IN)
Chace Ruttenberg & Freedman LL(RI)
Champlain Housing Trust (VT)
Children’s Defense Fund (National)
Churches Supporting Churches (LA)
Churches United in Ministry (MN)
Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (MA)
City of Denver (CO)
City of Lakewood (CO)
City of Portland(OR)
Citywide Tenant Association (LA)
Coalition for Economic Survival, Los Angeles (CA)
Coalition for Smarter Growth (DC-MD-VA)
Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio (OH)
Codman Neighborhood Development Corporation (MA)
Community Action Partnership (National)
Community Development Council of Greater Memphis(TN)
Community-driven Policy Making (CA)
Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (MI)
Community Housing of Maine (ME)
Community Resources of Atlanta (GA)
Community Wellness Partnership of Pomona (CA)
Corporation for Supportive Housing (National)
Crossroads Urban Center (UT)
CulturePAC (LA)
Delaware Housing Coalition (DE)
District of Columbia, Office of Planning (Washington, D.C.)
Downtown Phoenix Community Development Corporation (AZ)
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (CA)
Energy Conservation Options (CA)
Enterprise Community Partners (National)
EpiVax, Inc (RI)
Equity Atlanta (GA)
Fit City Duluth (MN)
Florida Alliance of Community Development Corporations (FL)
FRESC (CO)
Gales Creek Insurance Services (OR)
Gamaliel New York State (NY)
Gamelial Foundation (National)
Georgia Institute of Technology - Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (GA)
Global Green New Orleans (LA)
Great Greenville Housing & Revitalization Assoc. Inc (MS)
Green for All (CA)
Greenbelt Alliance (CA)
Greenlining Institute (CA)
Guste Homes RMC (LA)
Habitat for Humanity International
Hampton Roads Committee of 200+ Men, Inc. (VA)
Hampton Roads Regional Equity Coalition (VA)
Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey (NJ)
Housing Action Coalition (RI)
Housing Action Illinois (IL)
Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania (PA)
Housing Assistance Council (National)
Housing Our Communities (AZ)
Housing Preservation Project (VA)
Housing Resources, Inc (MI)
Indiana Association for Community Economic Development (IN)
Jerusalem Economic Development Corporation - Housing Div. Ministry (JEDC-HDM) of the First Pilgrims Baptist Church (LA)
Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity (OH)
Kurt Triplett, King County Executive (WA)
Lake Park East Tenants, Chicago (IL)
Latino Health Access (CA)
Lighthouse Communities, Inc (MI)

Join now for 2010 and get the discounted membership rates!

Thank you for your great support and involvement in 2009. The year has been an exciting one and the outreach to other national organizations, foundations, and the Obama Administration has been stronger, effective, and positive! We need to you standing with us this coming year as we
undertake even greater partnerships and initiatives! Your agency membership is a critical force behind the Partnership's strength. Take a moment to renew your membership for the coming year.

The Convention special discounted rate is still available for the 2010 Community Action Partnership membership. Please get a "head start" on your benefits and services for 2010 - including discounted registration for the 2010 Management and Leadership Training Conference in New Orleans. We have not increased our membership dues for 2010 - and you will save on the rates if you respond by October 31st. Thank you!! If you have any questions about membership, please contact Sranda Watkins at (202) 449-9773 or SWatkins@communityactionpartnership.com

Click here to download the Early Membership form with the discounted rates!

Begin the New Year with in-depth learning and sharing of ideas with your colleagues. Our 2010 Management and Leadership Conference will take place at the New Orleans Marriott and will include sessions on Head Start, Green Jobs, Job Creation, Board Training, and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. Please visit our website regularly for more information as it becomes available. Click here to download the Conference Registration Form.

PARTNERSHIP SEEKS PROJECT DIRECTOR FOR NATIONAL
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORT

The federal Office of Community Services (OCS, ACF, HHS) has awarded the Partnership with a 3 year grant to do a variety of economic development tasks involving Community Action. The Partnership is looking to hire an experienced project director for this effort. The job is based in Washington, DC. Your attention is requested to the job announcement below.

Project Director, Community Economic Development

Community Action Partnership is seeking a candidate with minimum 5 years experience in community economic development and 3 years experience with national-level projects. Experience in Community Action or related field preferred. Must have strong writing, analytic, computer, and communications skills. Travel required, must work well under pressure. Bachelor’s required, Master’s preferred. This is a three--year grant-limited position. Send resume, writing sample, 3 references to Don Mathis, Community Action Partnership, 1140 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 1210, Washington, DC 20036. No phone calls.Community Action Partnership is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

 

Director of Training & Technical Assistance

Community Action Partnership is seeking a candidate with minimum 5 years experience in Community Action or related field to head up national T&TA efforts. Must have strong writing, analytic, organizational, computer & communications skills, experience with federal & state funding and training programs & models, travel required, must work well under pressure, Bachelor’s required, Master’s degree preferred, send resume, writing sample, 3 references, salary requirements to Don Mathis, Community Action Partnership, 1140 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 1210, Washington, DC 20036. No phone calls. Applications must be received by October 16th, 2009.