Community Action News
October 2021
|
|
|
FACING THE CLIFF
A critical barrier that many families face is the Cliff Effect, which happens when a family's income increases enough that they lose eligibility for benefits, but not enough to be able to afford housing, healthcare, or childcare on their own. Imagine, you could advance your career with a salary increase or a promotion as a step toward economic mobility, but you have to seriously consider if you can afford to do so.
WCAC knows that moving out of poverty is anything but simple. In this month's e-newsletter, we are spotlighting various financial empowerment programs and initiatives including the development of our new Resiliency Center and other strategies that reaffirm our commitment to support area households in taking steps towards true economic mobility.
WCAC is a member of the Economic Pathways MA Coalition and recently testified in strong support of legislation pending at the Massachusetts State House that would create a pilot program for working families or individuals who receive any sort of public assistance to transition out of assistance without facing an income 'cliff.' We encourage you to join us in contacting your state legislators to urge their support for Senate Bill 119 and House Bill 208.
|
|
|
|
Marybeth Campbell
WCAC Executive Director
|
|
UNDERSTANDING THE CLIFF EFFECT
The Cliff Effect occurs when families' income increases enough that they lose eligibility for public assistance supports such as food, childcare, and housing, but not enough to afford these on their own. The result is that an increase in wages leads to a decline in their standard of living - working harder, but getting poorer. WCAC thanks Alice Bell a local childcare worker employed full-time for recently sharing her story about the impact the Cliff Effect is having on her life and many others.
|
|
READY, SET, RESILIENT
WCAC is establishing a Resiliency Center which will address the needs of low-income families through streamlined access to community resources and a client-centered approach, easing the complexity of navigating through the often siloed systems of resources, ultimately assisting families to move toward economic mobility. A key strategy will include the provision of financial empowerment services to include free income tax preparation, access to banking and one-on-one financial coaching and help with credit repair and building, financial education, access to no-interest loans, and incentivized matched savings.
Over the past 18 months WCAC has been laying the groundwork for the Resiliency Center, with the first Financial Coach set to begin work November 1st. At full complement the Center's staff will eventually include Community Resource Navigators as well as additional financial coaches.
"The Resiliency Center is intended to help support families in smoothly navigating through the programs and services they need," noted WCAC Executive Director Marybeth Campbell. "Through strong community collaborations for resource and referrals, we intend to create direct pathways to economic mobility."
Families must often contact or visit multiple community organizations, retelling their story and situation repeatedly, completing many different applications or providing the same eligibility documents to multiple organizations. This has been made even more challenging given the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on access to in-person services and the need to access and use technology. Referred families will include those living at or below the federal poverty level, those with low-incomes living at the “near poverty” level or from paycheck to paycheck, and households who experienced economic hardship due to COVID-19 and may be facing situational poverty for the first time. The target population includes participants from within WCAC’s programs and the broader community through supported referrals with community partner organizations.
Much more than a brick-and-mortar 'center', WCAC's Resiliency Center represents a true shift to a client-centered approach in supporting households in need. Internally WCAC staff will be participating in a new Community of Practice to strengthen connectivity and internal referrals to the agency's many programs and services.
|
|
BRINGING MOBILITY MENTORING TO WORCESTER
Mobility Mentoring is the professional practice of partnering with clients so that over time they may acquire the resources, skills and sustained behavior changes necessary to attain and preserve their economic independence. Through a one year pilot funded by the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, WCAC, together with our Mobility Mentoring partners Central MA Housing Alliance, MA Rehabilitation Commission, MassHIRE Central Region Workforce Board, MassHIRE Worcester Career Center , Northeast Business Associates (NEBA), The Community Builders at Plumley Village, Worcester Community Connections Coalition of You, Inc. (an affiliate of Seven Hills), Worcester and Southbridge Family Resource Centers of You, Inc. (an affiliate of Seven Hills), and the Worcester Housing Authority have met monthly in a Learning Community style since 2019, and are now coaching up to 24 participants. This fall the initiative is opening up to additional community partners interested in undergoing the training and joining the client-centered approach to service, bringing Mobility Mentoring to Worcester!
The model is a shift from case management to coaching in a participant-centered manner focusing on meeting participants where they are, assisting them to meet their goals as they define them, with ongoing coaching. Nurturing the relationships and partnerships between the participating organizations has proven highly successful in shifting from standard case management style to client-centered coaching. The national EMPath model has been adapted by the group to specifically address the needs of families here in Worcester. Specific adaptations include utilizing local earning levels; noting the impact work history or lack thereof plays; as well as the inclusion of the social/emotional needs of children.
"Parents face so many barriers going to back to work, including fears of losing what benefits they have. But if we just help families access public benefits and not help them overcome these obstacles, we can inadvertently cooperate in keeping them in poverty," said Worcester Community Connections Coalition
Program Director Anne Bureau. "The EMPATH model of Mobility Mentoring is the gold standard in the country for working with families to face and overcome these challenges and we are so grateful to WCAC for bringing it to Worcester!"
Community organizations interested in joining the Mobility Mentoring project can contact WCAC's Chief Impact Officer Charla Hixson for additional information. Mobility Mentoring® is a registered trademark of Economic Mobility Pathways, Inc. |
|
The American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021, increases the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to provide up to $300 per month per child under age 6, and up to $250 per month per child ages 6 to 17.
You can receive payments of up to $300 per child every month starting in July 2021 through December 2021. You will need to file a tax return in 2022 to receive the rest of the payment.
If you:
- have a valid SSN or ITIN
- earned less than $12,400 if single, $24,800 if married filing jointly
- have not filed a return this year
- and you didn't receive the full amount of stimulus you were owed
|
|
VITA VOLUNTEERS ARE VITAL
Learn to prepare taxes and make a difference in your community at the same time. How can you make a difference? Simple. Volunteer to help your community by preparing taxes free of charge with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs.
You will receive training to provide free tax help for low-to-moderate income families who need assistance preparing their tax returns. As a volunteer, you will join the thousands of others who each year prepare millions of tax returns at thousands of tax sites nationwide.
How does this program work? As a committed tax volunteer you’ll be assigned to work with a sponsoring organization, first to receive training and then to begin volunteering at a location in your community. Training is offered both online and in the classroom. Tax sites are generally open nights and weekends and the hours are flexible. Contact Tim Jaegle if you would like to be an volunteer tax preparer.
|
|
 |
Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or pregnancy related condition, sexual orientation, gender identification, genetic information, membership in the uniformed services or any other classification which is protected under state or federal law. Click Help Wanted icon above for link to current listing of employment opportunites at WCAC. |
|
|
|
www.WCAC.net Info@WCAC.net |
|
|
|
|
|
|
