It Costs more to be Poor

The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace. This is a fact of life that reality television and magazines don't often explain.

This is a GREAT article about the realities of poverty.

Recovery vs Stimulus

It amuses me that it matters whether I say "stimulus" or "recovery." The word "stimulus" currently carries the burden of a failed strategy under a previous administration while "recovery" waves the banner of "change" for the new administration. Either way, it'll be nice to get something moving. From as early as last January we have been hearing about the critical need to spend recovery dollars quickly, efficiently, and with great accountability. If the money were in a CMCA account right now that's exactly what we'd be doing. Unfortunately, the downside of "recovery" funds is that it takes a heck of a lot more planning, budgeting, partnering, training, etc. than the shot-in-the-arm cashflow of a "stimulus" check that didn't even buy me the tv I'd been pining over. Check out my blog post from January 2008 to see my preference between these two hot-button words. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has the potential to meaningfully stimulate the economy. CMCA alone will be creating roughly 50 jobs directly, not to mention all of the workers and employers we'll be supporting through our programs. Community Action has always been about supporting employee retention. When you can foster stability in the home, assist with basic needs, provide high quality early education through Head Start, and train people for new jobs or increase their work skills, you're stimulating the economy by helping people work! It's exciting to think about all the opportunities we're going to see over the next two years as the recovery funds role out to communities throughout the country. New jobs, invigorated infrastructure, and a new economy based on a healthier set of economic parameters . . . now that's a stimulus I can get behind.

Director's Report - Planning for Stimulus Funds

Since we first started hearing whispers about an economic stimulus package the CMCA board and Leadership Team have been brainstorming on our involvement. The first news that dribbled in was that our Weatherization program would expand significantly. We found out shortly thereafter that it meant we would go from weatherizing roughly 140 homes per year to around 100 homes per month. Subsequent information has shed some light on additional funding for our Employment and Training program, Community Services Block Grant, Head Start and Early Head Start. We still don't have exact details nor guidance on how to access these funds but our plans are gaining some definition. Check out this link for my report to the Board of Directors on the Leadership Team's efforts to brainstorm and begin articulating a plan of action. As soon as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds are available, CMCA is ready to flood mid-Missouri with additional services and do our part to support our economy's recovery.

Quick Notes

Our 100 Man lunch in March was extrememly successful. 512 men attended across the 8 counties! This is a new record for this event!

Mernell King, Early Childhood Programs Director, has been selected for the National Head Start Association Leadership Award. She will be presented with her award at the National Head Start Association conference on May 1.

Please join Central Missouri Community Action (CMCA) for a first annual, break-out fundraising event on the Katy Trail on April 25, 2009. This unique fundraising event will highlight five beautiful stops along the Katy Trail and celebrates the efforts CMCA has undergone to eliminate poverty in Mid-Missouri. Please visit our event website to register today!

If you aren't available or interested in riding, consider supporting CMCA by making a pledge to my family's contribution.

Riding Out Poverty features 4 legs of the Katy Trail that will accommodate riders of all levels. As a provider that serves the 8-county area that comprises mid-MO, Central Missouri Community Action will be celebrating four of its counties within the legs.

Leg One - North Jefferson to Cooper’s Landing =20.8 miles

Start Time: 9:00 a.m.

Leg Two - Hartsburg to Cooper’s Landing = 10.4 miles

Start Time: 10:30 a.m.

Leg Three - Rocheport to Cooper’s Landing = 14.3 miles

Start Time: 10:00 a.m.

Leg Four - New Franklin to Cooper’s Landing = 24 miles

Start Time: 8:30 a.m.

UCLA Newsreel

It's not everyday that you get quoted in an article linked to UCLA's main website, not to mention a long article about the health literacy initiative at CMCA called I CAN! This partnership is such a great opportunity to do more meaningful work in our community and to share our expertise with a broader audience. The Columbia Tribune also published a recent article with much of the same information and I thought the online feedback was interesting. Feel free to add your own thoughts here.

President Obama's Plans

The Leadership Team is meeting all day on Saturday, March 14 to discuss our ideas for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (this link is a summary of stimulus funds to which Missouri will have access). We know we are getting a tremendous increase in Weatherization (more than 10x our current funding through Sept 2010) and large increases in Head Start (through a competitive application process with amounts unknown), CSBG (nearly double current funding through Sept 2010), and WIA (amounts yet to be determined). The President and Congress has charged us with adding to the safety net of services by assisting record numbers of participants eligible for our services but we're also challenging ourselves to think about sustainability and long term solutions to poverty that the stimulus may not effect. To help us think long term, we'll be analyzing President Obama's plans (click her to reach our planning wiki and then click on "Obama's plans") for his administration and comparing those plans to our transformational plan. We're already cooking up some great ideas but this is such a massive endeavor, I fear missing a great idea that might be floating around out there that we ought to add to our consideration. Please check in with your thoughts and let us know if you've got a good idea for serving more people quickly, creating jobs for low- to moderately-skilled workers, or for meaningful strategies that move people off of public assistance in the long term.

Homeownership is Not for Everybody

But MAN! If you or anybody you know has never owned a home but has been thinking about it, saving up, or dreaming about it, this might be the year to make it happen. With interest rates low, deals on every street (since the housing bubble has burst), and the following information about the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit, it becomes an awfully tempting way to stabilize a family's housing needs AND support our country's economic stabilization.

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit
Basics

Up to $8,000 is available to first-time homebuyers as part of the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act (HR 1) which was signed into law on February 17. You can claim the credit on your 2008 tax return if you buy a home in 2009. You can request an extension from the IRS or file an amended 2008 tax return.

Homeownership Tax Credit Basics

• First-time homebuyers who have not owned a home in the past three years.
• Purchased a home between January 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009.
• The home must be their primary residence.
• The home can be a new or resale home, a coop, condo or manufactured home.
• Must live in the home for at least three years (if you sell it before three years, you must repay the credit).
• The credit is 10% of the purchase price (or up to $8,000).

(Source: CFED)