November 18 , 2009
The Community Action Partnership is in the 2009 Combined Federal Campaign.
Our CFC number for designating donations is 80371.
JANUARY
13-15, 2010, IN NEW ORLEANS — REGISTER NOW!
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 a pdf of the Conference flyer; click here to download
the Conference Registration Form.
An informed, committed, pro-active board of directors is essential for the success and effectiveness of any Community Action Agency. Come learn from one of the most experienced, respected executive directors in our Movement, Mr. Sandy Baz from Maui Economic Opportunity. His session is reality-based, using lessons learned and best practices of board governance and leadership. Mr. Baz received outstanding evaluations from the participants at his workshop at our recent national convention in Philadelphia. An outline of his session in New Orleans starts with a nonprofit organization’s capacity to fulfill its mission depends highly on the ability of the board of directors to do its job. Powerful and effective boards understand their roles and responsibilities and have the tools and knowledge to lead an organization to excellence.
Community Action Agency boards must have an understanding of the history and values of Community Action to do their job. The unique aspects and legal requirements of board governance in the CAA world take special attention.
As an Agency of Excellence, MEO has been refining a model that strives to impart board members with knowledge for quality leadership for the past 15 years.
The board leadership model is based on the foundation of the “Duty of Care” and the “Duty of Loyalty”. As “owners” of the nonprofit on behalf of the community, there are four areas where board members must exercise quality leadership:• Vision
• Structure
• Accountability
• AdvocacyThe law expects that the board knows its job and does it well. The agency and community need your support with the 3 T’s; time, talent and treasury.
Increased nonprofit oversight by government and ever-changing laws require updated training. Training is encouraged every one to two years and is mandated by many funding sources. Senior level staff is also encouraged to attend and gain a better understanding of the board’s roles and responsibilities.
Board member recruitment and retention can be a challenge no matter what type of nonprofit agency. Learn some tips to strategically attract and retain the best board members and how to develop a succession plan of future members that want to join your board.
Nonprofits get just as much if not more scrutiny than publicly traded corporations. Always remember good values, ethics, transparency and disclosure in your board work.
Sananda "Sandy" Baz is the chief executive officer of Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. Sandy joined MEO in 2000 as its first IT Director, in 2002 he was promoted to Deputy Director and in January of 2006 was selected as the fourth executive director in the agency's 45 year history. MEO was selected as an Agency of Excellence by the national Community Action Partnership in 2003. Sandy is the chair of the Hawaii Community Action Program Directors Association, immediate Past-President of the Rotary Club of Kahului and serves on the boards of the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, the national Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs and the Rocky Mountain-HI Coalition. Sandy is a 2008 Hawaii Community Foundation PONO Fellow, a 2007 Pacific Century Fellow and winner of the Pacific Business News "Forty Under 40" Award. Sandy also teaches board training, nonprofit management and other related subjects.
SANDY BAZ
CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
As the economic downturn continues to hurt low-income communities, families and individuals, more Community Action Agencies are looking to start, strengthen or expand their economic development activities and projects. The Partnership is proud to announce that Dr. Ralph Lippman, director of the California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA) and Glenn Sanada, CCEDA’s program manager, will conduct an intensive learning and training session on Thursday, January 14th at our national leadership conference. Ralph and Glenn are the two core consultants on the Partnership’s community economic development best practices project funded by the federal office of Community Services (OCS/HHS). Working with them at this session is Julie Jakopic from Creating the Vision. Ms. Jakopic is an experienced, highly-regarded trainer and technical assistance provider.
This session will dovetail with workshops and other sessions on green jobs and green job creation. More info on this in future issues of eNews.
Glenn Sanada, Program Manager California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA)
Glenn was the development director for a non-profit community development organization for 12 years before joining the start up team for the Bank of America Community Development Bank.
In his 13 years with the Bank, he was involved with the development of the Bank’s affordable housing lending program and served as a Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for the Community Development Lending Group. Over the last three years at the bank, he focused on the development of new lending programs for community based lending and investments. Glenn now manages the Training and Technical Assistance programs for the California Community Economic Development Association.
Glenn received his BS in Urban Planning, graduated from the National Internship in Community Economic Development and the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. Glenn serves on the Board of Directors of Housing California, Los Angeles Community Design Center and the Little Tokyo Community Development Corporation
GLENN SANADA
Glenn is also on the Board for the Zion Community Investment Corporation (Zion Bank and California Bank and Trust’s New Markets Tax Credit business lending program
Ralph Lippman became involved in the development and revitalization of communities when “urban renewal” razed his apartment building. During that decade he worked for the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles and lectured in public affairs at Pepperdine University and the University of Southern California.
In the 1970’s he joined a tribal development corporation, whose dual concerns were the creation of jobs and income on the reservation. Ralph shepherded projects as diverse as the evaluation of vocational training to the feasibility of alligator wrestling, and assisted with the financial packaging of a ski resort and the creation of a film commission.
Ralph returned to L.A. in time for the Olympics as the Director of Program at USC, He returned to the community with the Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation which builds farm worker, multi family, self help and low end for-sale housing, and as the LA director for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
Ralph is presently the director of the California Community Economic Development Association. CCEDA’s two hundred twenty members produce results through a range of community building strategies. CCEDA provides its members a clearinghouse for information and action that advance the field and elevate the discussion through continuing education, technical assistance, and advocacy.Ralph earned his Doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He completed the Program for State and Local Executives at Harvard’s Kennedy School.
He received the Outstanding Leadership and Innovation Award in Community Economic Development from the California Economic Development Lending Initiative.
RALPH LIPPMAN
Dr. Lippman currently sits on the board of the California Association for Local Economic Development and the United Way of Los Angeles Cabinet. He is also a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco’s advisory board.
What separates winning, competitive proposals from unfunded, unsuccessful grant applications? Are there really “tricks” you need to know to get funding? How do some federal agencies score and evaluate proposals? Do you know the ten most common mistakes that weaken, even destroy a grant application?
Well, even if you know all the answers to these questions, you’ll want to consider participating in this 3 hour session, packed with handouts and by popular demand a “perfect proposal” that actually was funded. Partnership President & CEO Don Mathis will lead this session. He’s been reviewing federal grants for more than 25 years and has read & scored the good, the bad, and the ugly. Your time in this session is an investment in your agency’s financial sustainability.
The Partnership, through its membership in the Coalition on Human Needs, is joining forces with the Food Research and Action Center, Wider Opportunities for Women, Center on Law and Social Policy, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Center for American Progress, and dozens of other groups to advance the job creation principles below as the foundation for a new federal jobs recovery effort.
If It’s Jobless, It’s Not a Recovery
A Jobs Agenda for Sustained and Shared Recovery
Job Creation Principles
Create jobs that meet needs. Investments in health care, child care, infrastructure, rebuilding schools, energy efficiency, housing, information and referral, nutrition, education, and other services for children, youth, seniors, and people with disabilities provide multiple benefits to the economy. These services create jobs in the short-run, contribute to long-term economic and employment growth, meet community and family needs, improve access to markets, and prepare people to participate in future economic growth.
Federal action to create jobs is urgently needed now and will be needed a year from
now. For many communities and population groups, unemployment is at disastrously high levels (some examples, 41.3 percent of African American 16-19 year olds, 15.5 percent of those with less a high school diploma, and 12.9 percent of women who maintain families were unemployed in October; more than one-third of the unemployed have been out of work 27 weeks or more). Providing federal funds to states and localities to create community-based jobs can address these urgent needs quickly and efficiently. A range of strategies is called for, including short-term infrastructure projects, transitional jobs, and various combinations of work and training. Because economists project high
unemployment for a long time after the recovery period begins, a sustained recovery requires steady creation of jobs funded through current ARRA funding, extension of some ARRA provisions, enactment of new emergency measures, and inclusion of funding in the FY 2011 budget.
Create pathways to long-term employment in jobs and careers with living wages and
benefits. Well-designed temporary jobs in health care, improvements in infrastructure, and renewable energy can also provide the work experience and on-the-job learning opportunities that low-skill and long-term unemployed workers must have to gain the skills they will need to have a better chance of getting a good job with career potential once the economy starts expanding.
Target jobs to low-income communities and individuals and vulnerable population
groups. Because joblessness is now so widespread, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to job creation. Both universal and targeted programs are needed. Certain groups with disproportionately high unemployment and/or low earnings need special efforts to ensure they are not left out of an economic recovery. Job creation initiatives across government agencies should include mechanisms for ensuring that target populations share in the benefits. Groups requiring special targeting include low-income youth, women, custodial and non-custodial parents, people with disabilities, people of color, people with limited- English proficiency, veterans, displaced workers, ex-offenders, and people over the age of 55. Geographic areas with persistent high levels of poverty, both rural and urban, should receive targeted assistance.
Include education/training and work supports so that low-income people can have access
to good, living wage jobs. Education and training, including English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, should prepare workers for the jobs being created. There should also be expanded opportunities for people with low-incomes to combine work with education aimed at improving long-term career prospects. Supports include income supplements, rehabilitation, child care, and outreach and referral to appropriate services and benefits. Effective supports include hiring workers needed to administer such programs.
Prevent job loss through aid to states and localities. The revenue loss to state and local governments caused by the recession is very severe, and has led to cuts in jobs and services only partially offset by the federal aid included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Any strategy to reduce joblessness must prominently include more federal aid to states, through increased federal contributions for Medicaid, grants to states for education and other services, and funds to cover the cost of administering the growing Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) and other nutrition aid. Most ARRA assistance to states is now scheduled to expire at the end of 2010. States will continue to experience severe revenue shortfalls well beyond that time. States are now engaged in planning for their FY 2011 budgets, which for most states begin on July 1, 2010. Quick federal action to provide more aid, including new grants made directly to local governments, will prevent state and local cuts, preserving both jobs and the services needed by a growing number of low-income people.
Protect against displacement of existing workers. New jobs should be created with strong protections to prevent displacing existing positions. Jobs should pay prevailing wage rates for the same or substantially equivalent work with the same employer. Benefits should also be comparable.
Incorporate consultation with labor unions, community-based groups representing low income people, and employers in developing jobs and planning for the preparation and support for the new workers.
For more information, please contact Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director,
Coalition on Human Needs, dweinstein@chn.org
LOW-INCOME CONSUMERS
Stay in the Loop About Census 2010Our great colleagues at Nonprofits Count issue regular electronic newsletters that contain very useful information and resources on how local communities can get and stay involved in outreach efforts for the 2010 Census. To sign up, go to http://www.nonprofitscount.org/newsletter-signup.html.
The State and Local Energy Report is seeking nominations for the 2nd Annual Weatherization Awards, which recognize innovative design and efficiency for low-income housing. The Awards, sponsored by the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP), the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), and corporate sponsors including Retrotec, PDS Consulting, Conservation Services Group (CSG), Fluke Manufacturing, BPI, Rinnai, Saturn Resource Management, and ACI will give awards to 2009’s best projects in the following areas: single-family home weatherization or renovation, multi-family building weatherization or renovation, and new residential construction.
States can nominate exemplary local projects or agencies can apply independently. To nominate a project, please contact Project Coordinator Jenna Stokes at jstokes@energyprograms.org or 202-333-5915. The deadline for applications is December 11. The Awards application and details, including the media advisory and prizes are available at www.stateenergyreport.com.
Last year’s winners were honored at the 2009 NASCSP Mid-Winter Conference in Washington, DC and flown to London by the British Government for an information exchange with their UK counterparts. The magazine photographed and chronicled the winning weatherization projects to inspire replication.
The winners were:
New Construction: Pine Street Neighborhood Revitalization, Commission on Economic Opportunity
Multi-Family: Maricopa County Human Services Department, Community Services Division
Single Family: State of Minnesota Weatherization Program Renewable Energy Equipment Grant
This year’s prizes include the tools and training needed to equip an energy audit or weatherization team: Retrotec Q5E, the most sophisticated single-fan blower door system available today; TREAT software, an award-winning software modeling energy savings tool; Performance Systems Academy’s National Train-the-Trainers class; BPI certifications; Fluke manufacturing testing tools kit (airflow meter, temperature humidity meter, carbon monoxide meter, etc.); Rinnai direct-vent wall furnace; Saturn Resource Management Building Analyst and HERS Rater course; and ACI complimentary registration to the 2010 Home Performance Conference, including food and lodging.
The NASCSP-selected panel of judges will announce the 2009 winning projects during the NASCSP Mid-Winter Conference on February 22 in Bethesda, MD.
Contact:
Jenna Stokes
Weatherization Awards Project Coordinator
jstokes@energyprograms.org
202-333-5915
1232 31st St NW
Washington, DC 20007
www.stateenergyreport.com
Following a nationwide search to fill this key leadership position, the Partnership is pleased to announce that Ms. Lindley (Lil) Dupree will be the new director of training and technical assistance. Lil currently serves as the development officer at the Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana where she started her career in and commitment to Community Action working for Doug Rathe, one of the true leaders in our national network. Lil’s start date is January 4, 2010. She replaces Larry Koziarz and will segue into filling Larry’s work with Pathways to Excellence, our Certified Community Action Professional (CCAP) program, and other tasks in the Partnership’s grants from the federal Office of Community Services (ACF/HHS).
LIL DUPREE
Lil is a certified ROMA trainer; has extensive experience in community economic development, banking, and data management; and she brings many vital skills to the Partnership. You’ll get the chance to talk with her and see her in action at our 2010 Management & Leadership Training Conference in New Orleans, January 13-15. She is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College (Portland, Oregon) and is completing her Masters of Public Administration at the University of Montana. She serves as a board member for the Montana Statewide Continuum of Care and for the Child Development Center (western Montana).
“I am delighted that Lil Dupree will be serving the Partnership’s members and providing leadership to our growing training and technical assistance services to the Community Action network,” said Partnership President & CEO Don Mathis. “Lil has been a major force in the emerging leaders efforts in Regions VIII and X and her competencies and energy will be put to effective use at the Partnership.”
We can all help with affordable housing, child care, health care
By Joe Conrad
For The News-SentinelDespite the recent increase in the state's minimum wage, many Hoosier families are still struggling to make it, and there is ample data to prove it.
The facts
The Indiana Self Sufficiency Standard calculates how much money working adults need to meet their basic needs without receiving subsidies of any kind. It accounts for varying costs of living based on family size and composition. In simpler terms, self-sufficiency means maintaining a decent standard of living and not having to choose between basic necessities — whether to meet one's need for child care but not for nutrition, or for housing but not health care. Self-sufficiency wages are family-sustaining wages.
JOE CONRAD
By using the information in the standard, citizens and policy makers can learn more about what wages are adequate to pay for basic living costs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and taxes.
The Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy, calculates that a family of four required a minimum of $38,100 to sustain themselves in the Fort Wayne metropolitan area in 2007. That translates to monthly figures of: $636 for housing, $643 for food, $876 for child care, $404 for transportation, $365 for health care, $271 for taxes and $308 for miscellaneous expenses.
According to the most recent guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services, a family of four making $26,200 would be classified as living in poverty. And to be eligible for food stamps in 2008, a family of four would have to make less than $26,856. Yet these numbers still fall well below the Self Sufficiency Standard figure mentioned above of $38,000.
Anyone can do the basic math. There's a more than $11,000 difference between the government's statistics and the Economic Policy Institute's modest yet realistic figures. That means something has to give, and that “something” is usually basic needs.
It is important to note that this basic family budget is indeed “basic.” It factors in only the amounts a family needs to spend to feed, shelter and clothe itself, get to work and school and function in 21st-century America. Hence, it includes no savings, no restaurant meals, no funds for emergencies — not even renters' insurance to protect against fire, flood or theft.
Northeast Indiana families are struggling to meet day-to-day expenses, much less get ahead. In the Community Action of Northeast Indiana service area, 122,651 people lived below the 200 percent poverty level in 2000, or 24.1 percent of the entire population. Nearly two-thirds of these people (79,877) live in Allen County. Allen County's percentage of the population below 200 percent of poverty is 24.5 percent. The only county in the service area that has a higher rate than the statewide average of 25.8 percent is LaGrange County, at 30.3 percent.
Why it matters
When northeast Indiana families are economically secure, society as a whole benefits. It's part of the economic engine. Financially stable individuals form healthy families. And healthy families equate to stable neighborhoods. And stable neighborhoods can lead to more attractive cities for companies to do business. More industry leads to more prosperity and secure jobs held by financially secure individuals.
The economic impact of helping families move out of poverty is truly impressive. CANI's 2008 “Community Needs Assessment” provides an overview of how poverty affects northeast Indiana. Its findings reflect how the agency approaches poverty through its various programs. (See www.canihelp.org). The assessment shows the dramatic impact of raising people above the poverty line.
In general, helping local families move out of poverty could collectively equate to more than $80 million a year in revenue. This additional money would then be spent in the community, further stimulating the local economy. And this is just moving people to the federal definition of poverty (100 percent), not even at or above the Self-Sufficiency Standard. Just think about the possibilities that can result when people are moved to an even higher level.
If we simply helped people move above the poverty line, the effect on society could be remarkable, for example: less need for social service agencies, decrease in crime, decrease in high school dropout rates, etc. This is something everyone has a stake in.
Call to action
For better or worse, public policies greatly affect low-income people. One means to change policy is to educate people about the real costs of living in Indiana, as well as the real costs to families and communities when wages are insufficient.
This can be done through writing letters to the editor, local government, corporations and anyone you think should have a stake in the issue. People may not realize it, but almost everyone in the community is affected by poverty on some level. Legislators can better identify with an issue if it hits home with them. The key is to find and emphasize that issue.
Our communities need to focus on and develop a high-wage job sector. This can be done through supporting training programs in high-wage areas, recruiting high-wage businesses into our state and recognizing current Indiana businesses paving the way with the wages, benefits and family-friendly policies they offer.
Education is key to moving forward. Statistics show a college degree can open many doors a high school diploma would not. Still, the cost of a basic college degree is beyond the means of most low-income families. Serving on the local community college's board of directors is one way to advocate for the cause of affordable education.
Through support of agencies like CANI that are advocates for issues such as affordable housing, child care and health care, you can make a difference. CANI is in need of public support to carry out its mission. Donations of time and money are most needed. Whether it be serving as a mentor for a young person or writing a check, CANI appreciates any contribution.
For more information about ways to help, contact CANI's Lauren Caggiano at 1-260-760-8924.
Joe Conrad is executive director of Community Action of Northeast Indiana, a private nonprofit social service agency that serves Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben and Whitley counties.
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.
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