The Indiana Community Action Association, the Louisiana Association of Community Action Partnerships, Bergen County (NJ) Community Action Partnership, and the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development were among the 34 projects selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to establish or strengthen their respective weatherization training centers. State agencies in Colorado, Kentucky, Montana, Maine, Utah, and West Virginia also are being funded along with our colleagues at the Oregon Energy Coordinators Association and the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation. Congratulations to all these agencies for submitting winning proposals to DOE.

DOE Announces $29 Million in Recovery Act Awards for Weatherization
Training Centers

June 4, 2010, Washington

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today that 34 projects in 27 states have been selected to receive $29 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to develop and expand
weatherization training centers across the country. These projects will provide green job training for local workers in energy efficiency retrofitting and weatherization services. With this training, skilled workers can help expand the use of energy efficient practices in America's homes and businesses.

"A well-trained workforce will be a crucial part of America's clean energy economy in the years ahead," said Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman. "These investments in efficiency training programs will help build a foundation for long-term growth in America. Energy efficiency improves the competitiveness of our economy, benefits the environment, and puts Americans back to work."

Using innovative approaches to weatherization training and standardized training curricula, these projects will help prepare weatherization workers, supervisors, and inspectors to maintain a high degree of quality in weatherization projects and to work in the growing field of energy efficiency retrofits. The centers and programs will offer training using a combination of classroom, online, and hands-on learning tools.

This funding will support the expansion of 8 existing weatherization training centers and the establishment of 26 new training centers, more than tripling the number of DOE-funded weatherization training centers nationally. The 34 programs announced today will significantly expand access to weatherization training, while improving the quality and consistency of training nationwide. These investments will continue to build on the Administration's efforts to expand the green workforce and build a self-sustaining energy retrofit industry that creates high-quality jobs, while improving the environment and saving energy.

Under the Recovery Act, the Obama Administration is making unprecedented investments that are helping to build America's clean energy future, including $5 billion to significantly ramp up the pace of weatherization in the United States. The training programs announced today will support a range of public and private energy efficiency efforts, including the Department's Weatherization Assistance Program, which has already funded the weatherization of nearly 200,000 homes since last February, using both Recovery Act and annual program funds.

These weatherization training centers are part of the Department's broader Training and Technical Assistance program for weatherization, including a variety of online tools, a national training platform, certification and accreditation standards, program evaluations, quality assurance reviews, and peer mentoring.

The following organizations have been selected for funding:

*Includes applicant cost share

For project descriptions, please see the WAP Training Descriptions document (PDF 45.5 KB). For more information on the Weatherization Assistance Program, visit the Weatherization Assistance Program Web site.

 

All of us in Community Action are concerned about the significant spike in the number of Americans who are "food insecure," 49.1 million people in America living in food insecure households (for example they lack food, money for food, access to healthy foods and are not sure where their next meal is coming from). 17.3 million people live in households considered to have "very low food security," that is one or more people
in the household were hungry (had uneasy, painful sensations due to lack of food) because they could not afford enough food.

On the positive side, food security is the term used to describe what our nation should be seeking for all people-assured access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life, with no need for recourse to
emergency food sources or other extraordinary coping behaviors to meet basic food needs (thanks to our great colleagues at Food Research and Action Center for this analysis).

Advocates can learn more about USDA's and Secretary Tom Vilsack's plans to address hunger and food insecurity by singing up for the no-costwebinar below.

Engaging Communities in Finding Solutions to Food Insecurity:
An Introduction to the National Hunger Clearinghouse

Thursday, June 17, 2010
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT

Registration Link: http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17fb9g453c2

Learn about:

• The National Hunger Clearinghouse, the services we provide, how we can help your agency and clients, and how you can join the effort
• The National Hunger Hotline and relationship to the Food and Nutrition Service
• WhyHunger and the Grassroots Action Network

Target audience:

• National and community-based agencies that make referrals to individuals in need
• Emergency Food Providers (EFPs)
• Agencies and community-based organizations working on hunger and poverty issues

Remote Participation: This session will also be available via Microsoft Office LiveMeeting (Webinar). To participate, please complete the online registration. Further information will be forthcoming to registered participants. You must register to receive additional information.

Agenda: A final agenda and any additional materials will be forthcoming to registered participants. You must register to receive additional information.

Questions?
For webinar or logistic questions, please contact:
Emily Buckham Buday
Emily.buckham@fns.usda.gov
703-605-0772

For content and program questions, please contact: nhc@whyhunger.org

 

SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING HUD'S SUMMER 2010 FUNDING MAZE —
An Interactive Audio Conference
Thursday, July 1, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET

To register simply click the following link. And remember, your entire staff can attend for just one registration fee by gathering around a speaker phone! Have staff who won't be in the office? Ask about our special "per person offsite" option.
http://www.cdpublications.com/store/190

PRIMARY AUDIENCE: New & intermediate federal grantseekers

Grantwriters/coordinators, agency heads, executive directors/program staff/development officers.

FOCUS: This program will present information obtained directly from agency officials, from agency briefings/meetings/grant workshops, and other contacts in the federal grants/grants consulting community who focus specifically on HUD funding. Attendees will also receive a wealth of HUD specific and general grantseeking advice geared towards FY2010 funding.

HOW THIS TELECONFERENCE WILL HELP YOUR ORGANIZATION

As it did in 2009, HUD will publish its 2010 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) as opportunities are approved, rather than combine them as it once did in one large "Super NOFA." HUD has told us that funding should be released later this summer.

This interactive teleconference will provide you and your colleagues a real-time update on the more than 35 discretionary funding opportunities at HUD that finance a wide range of housing-related initiatives, including money-components for homeless programs, higher education, Native Americans, green technology, seniors, children, the disabled, low-income populations, financial counseling, community development and health care.
Here are just a few of many funding opportunities that will be covered:

1. Rural Housing & Economic Development
2. Healthy Homes/lead
3. Housing Counseling/Housing Counseling Training
4. Brownfields Economic Development Initiative.
5. Fair Housing Initiatives Program
6. Sec. 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
7. Sec. 811 Supportive Housing for Persons With Disabilities

GET INSIDE ADVICE THAT CAN HELP YOU WIN HUD FUNDING FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

The goal of this timely teleconference is to provide you a valuable heads-up, with specific funding information that's generally not readily available on agency websites or from other sources. In less than 2 hours you'll improve your knowledge of the federal funding process and greatly enhance your ability to win grants that help your organization meet critical community needs.

Attendees of "Successfully Navigating HUD's Summer 2010 Funding Maze" will receive the latest updates available about HUD's funding priorities, policies and practices, as well as invaluable guidance designed to improve your grant-seeking strategies. Here are just a few of the questions our expert presenters will answer:

• What is the primary emphasis of this year's funding
• Do we see a trend in the funding?
• How does it play into the Recovery Act goals?
• What types of funding are available?
• How much will be available for housing, higher education, seniors and children?

BENEFIT FROM PRESENTERS WITH 30+ YEARS OF FEDERAL GRANT-SEEKING EXPERTISE

Our presenters include Frank Klimko, veteran grants analyst and editor of CD Publications' Children & Youth Funding Report and Private Grants Alert; and Ray Sweeney, long-time professional grantwriter, federal funding consultant and editor of CD Publications' Federal & Foundation Assistance Monitor, assisted by Tom Harmon, editor of CD Digest, the authoritative report on the Community Development Block Grant program since 1965.

HERE"S JUST SOME OF WHAT YOU WILL GET:

* Up to 90 packed minutes of expert advice on how to win HUD 2010 funding for your organization.
* The ability to gather as many staff as you wish around one speakerphone to monitor this important and timely teleconference - for just one registration fee and for far less than most similar teleconferences charge.
* Ample opportunity to ask questions and get the answers you need -- before, during, and after the event.
* A downloadable set of detailed handouts prepared especially for this event, which you can reproduce for all your attendees -- valuable resource material that can be used again and again.
* A FREE 3-month subscription to any one of our news services, available after the event.
* The ability to contact the presenters following the event with additional followup questions or advice.
* Special discounted rates for CD Publications subscribers.
* Reduced rates on a CD recording of the event for all attendees (just $75).
* Flexibility to have out-of-office staff listen and ask questions for just $49 additional per listening line. If you need a second line for more listeners, the fee is just $100 additional.

SPACE IS LIMITED FOR THIS EVENT SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS PERSONALLY

To reserve space for this audioconference, sign up promptly. If you are unable to attend, or all lines have been reserved, CD's, including all handouts, will be available. However Q&A is reserved for live listeners.

To register simply click on or cut and paste the following link into your Web browser. And remember, your entire staff can attend for just one registration by gathering around a speaker phone, and you can add as few as one listener at another location or add a full site at another location for just nominal added fees.
http://www.cdpublications.com/store/190

USDA Announces Grants to Help End Hunger in America
New Grants to Foster Hunger-Free Communities and Deliver Help
to Americans in Need

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2010 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA will invest in research, planning, and various hunger relief activities to help end hunger in America. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, also known as the Farm Bill, authorizes $5 million in funding under the new Hunger-Free Communities grants to deliver help to Americans in need.

“Hunger is a problem that the American sense of fairness should not tolerate and American ingenuity can overcome,” said Secretary Vilsack. “That’s why we have set the goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015 and support rapid passage of a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill that will reduce hunger and improve the health and nutrition of our Nation’s children. Through these new Hunger-Free Community grants, our strong partnerships at the National, State and local levels will be pivotal in providing better access to food and a more healthful diet for our Nation’s most vulnerable.”

Despite record participation in Federal nutrition assistance programs, food insecurity still persists. USDA’s study, Household Food Security in the United States, 2008, reported that 14.6 percent, or 17 million households, were food insecure. These households, at some time during the year, had difficulty providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources.

Through the grants, FNS seeks strategies that support the creation of Hunger-Free Communities by funding activities including food distribution, community outreach, resource development and other methods to make food more accessible to those most in need.

One million will fund Planning and Assessment Grants to evaluate food insecurity in communities and develop strategies to become hunger-free. The remaining $4 million will support Implementation Grants for communities that already have a plan to end hunger and need resources for program implementation.
The grants are available to public and not-for-profit organizations and require collaboration with one or more community partners. Grant applications may be submitted by email to: HungerFreeCommunities@fns.usda.gov or through www.grants.gov.

Improving USDA’s child nutrition programs are a top priority of the Obama Administration. Congress is currently considering legislation to bolster the Child Nutrition Act, which authorizes the National School Lunch, School Breakfast, and Summer Food Service Programs. These programs serve nearly 32 million children each school day and work in concert to form a national safety net against hunger. Improving the Child Nutrition Act is the legislative centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign and highlighted in the White House report Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation released Tuesday, May 11. By passing strong reauthorization legislation, the Administration hopes to reduce hunger, promote access, and improve the overall health and nutrition of children throughout the country. To learn more about the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign, visit www.LetsMove.gov.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs, including the child nutrition programs, that touch the lives of one in four Americans over the course of a year. These programs work in concert to form a national safety net against hunger. Visit www.fns.usda.gov for information about FNS and nutrition assistance programs.

For more information, contact: HungerFreeCommunities@fns.usda.gov.

 

In response to a Washington Post op-ed “Why Obama poverty gauge misleads” by economist Robert Samuelson, Melissa Boteach sent the letter to the editor below. Melissa is the Half in Ten Manager at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. She coordinates “Half in Ten: The Campaign to Cut Poverty in Half in Ten Years,” a project designed to build the political and public will to reduce poverty by promoting decent work, providing opportunity for all, building wealth, and increasing economic security. To find out how you can get involved with Half in Ten, visit www.HalfinTen.org

The goals and mission of Half in ten are almost identical to the Partnership’s “Rooting Out Poverty” campaign which we launched in January, 2008. The three lead agencies for Half in Ten are the Coalition on Human Needs, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

The Partnership is pleased to announce that Melissa Boteach, along with Debbie Weinstein, Executive Director of The Coalition on Human Needs and a Half in Ten board member, will do a presentation on Half in Ten and its national advocacy work at our Partnership convention in Boston on Wednesday, September 1st. If you’re a policy wonk, longtime anti-poverty advocate, or want to hear about the latest national advocacy strategies and partnerships is reducing and ending poverty, you’ll want to attend that session.

Melissa Boteach

We all know how important it is to trumpet Community Action’s stories of success-- creating jobs, helping families in need, getting unemployed people the skills they need to find and keep jobs. Here’s a great story about HOPES, Inc. the Community Action Agency in Hoboken, NJ. This story appeared in The Hoboken Reporter. Even more good news, HOPES was awarded a $7,500 grant from bank of America for HOPES adult education services and a $5,000 grant from MoneyWi$e for HOPES’ financial literacy program.

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This spring, Rhode Island experienced floods and storms of historic proportions. Westbay Community Action in Warwick was a true leader in the flood rescue and recovery efforts. Thanks to Westbay’s President & CEO Jeanne Gattegno for providing this news clip on her agency’s great work.DEA

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WARWICK, R.I. – In a celebration of solidarity, compassion and gratitude, the employees of CVS/pharmacy® on Providence Street in West Warwick planned and staffed a day long fundraiser for Westbay Community Action last Saturday, May 22. CVS Corporate donated $3,000 and CVS customers donated non-perishable foods. The event also served as a gift of free fun to the store’s customers and the community-at-large that suffered greatly during the recent historic flooding. The outdoor event, broadcast in part by Lite Rock 105, included games, activities costumed characters and a variety of snacks. A handful of Westbay’s flood rescue and recovery teams who worked seven days a week during the flooding to assist displaced households, were also there to lend a hand. Westbay Division Director of Family Services Paul Salera accepted the $3,000 check for continued flood recovery efforts during a brief ceremony held at the event.

“The sense of commitment and genuine affection for customers and neighbors shown by the CVS employees was truly impressive,” said Jeanne Gattegno, president and CEO of Westbay Community Action. “Community spirit must be in their DNA, because they just couldn’t do enough for us and our clients, even though many of these employees suffered flood damage too. Westbay is very appreciative of this joint effort by the local employees and the CVS corporate office.”

The idea for the fundraiser came directly from CVS/pharmacy® employees, including coordinators pharmacist Stacy Penault and Associate Sarah DeCataldo at the Providence Street location. They were concerned about their customers, many of whom employees have known for many years, and were also grateful that their community was slowly returning to normal. The store was under water for days and completely ruined, but reopened for business May 16, sporting a new design.

Westbay Community Action was at the forefront of flood rescue and recovery. During the first flooding in March, case managers assisted 47 households. In April during the catastrophic floods that followed, Westbay provided the Red Cross shelter with food, water, clothing and other vital supplies. During the height of the disaster, Westbay worked closely with FEMA, EMA, and local disaster responders and officials to coordinate efforts and address shifting demands.

Case managers were deployed seven days a week, first at the shelter during rescue and later at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center, eventually assisting 737 people in 343 households with lodging, food, clothing, gift cards or Salvation Army vouchers. Westbay is still in contact with 14 of the 92 households that were provided emergency lodgings, as they transition to permanent housing by early June.

• CAA National Community Action Month commemorations – how did your CAA celebrate in May—did you honor volunteers and staff, host an event, or get an article published in the local newspaper? And did your elected officials proclaim May “Community Action Month?” Give us the scoop! Please note: if you’ve already emailed us your NCAM materials in response to earlier requests, we have your submissions on file and will include them.

• News on new staff appointments, awards, best practices and success stories. If you’ve done something new or innovative to help people and change lives, let us know!

Submissions Guidelines

• Please email a news release or similar document (such as a newsletter article) that provides ageneral description of the topic(s) above.

• Photos – If available, please email 1-2 photos that directly relate to your submission. All photos should be JPG format and 300 dpi, as large as possible. Include photo captions, and if needed, the photo credit information.

• Please email your submissions and photos to magazine@communityactionpartnership.com. Include the subject line “magazine submission” or something that describes your submission, i.e. “CAA tax program”. Please note the new email address, all magazine related correspondence should be sent there.

 

Pay tribute to Community Action with an ad in the 2010 Annual Convention program book!

Celebrate your role in America’s poverty fighting network and
Community Action: The Power of Partnerships by sending special greetings to
your colleagues, honoring your CAA's partners, and highlighting the unique history of your CAA.

Ad deadline is July 12. Click here for the ad registration form and prices.

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Convention Discount Early Bird Rates End on June 18!

To view or download the 2010 Annual Convention Brochure or the Registration form, click here. Hotel rooms are selling quickly at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. Click here to reserve online and assure your reservation is confirmed at the convention rate of $189.00 single or double.