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Evolve502 Scholarship Allows Class of 2021 to Attend College Tuition FREE

JCPS seniors can go to college for free through a new scholarship offered by Evolve502! The scholarship, which launched Oct. 1, allows eligible students in the Class of 2021 to begin postsecondary studies tuition-free at any Kentucky Community and Technical College school, Including Jefferson Community and Technical College, or Simmons College of Kentucky to pursue an associate degree or career credential, or take 60 hours of credit. The Evolve502 scholarship is a last dollar scholarship, meaning Evolve502 will fund the difference between federal and state financial aid and college tuition. The application takes about five minutes to complete online at evolve502.org/scholarship. Once applications are submitted and reviewed, applicants will receive a follow-up email with next steps including completing the federal financial aid form and applying to eligible colleges. In addition to the scholarship, Evolve502 is offering opportunity grants to support students whose families earn less than $40,000 annually. The opportunity grants are $1,000 per semester ($2,000 maximum per year) and can be used to assist in costs outside of tuition including healthcare, transportation, books and more. The grants will automatically be given to Evolve502 Scholarship recipients who meet qualifications.  Scholarship Application | Evolve502 The deadline to apply is June 30.

Financial Navigator Available to Help Residents Affected by Pandemic

In partnership with national nonprofit organization the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund), Louisville Metro Government announced today the launch of a free Financial Navigators program to help residents navigate critical financial issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial Navigators will be available remotely starting Nov. 23 to provide guidance over the phone to help residents access available programs and services to manage income disruptions and other financial concerns.  These experts help residents one-on-one to triage personal financial issues, identify immediate action steps to manage expenses and maximize income, and make referrals to other relevant community resources such as the Eviction Prevention Program, LIHEAP, Healthy at Home, etc. Louisville Metro Government and Bank On Louisville will offer these services in partnership with Louisville Housing and Opportunities Micro-Enterprise Community Development Loan Fund, Inc. (LHOME).

Residents can access these free, remote services by completing the online form here or calling (502) 657-6624 to sign up. The navigator will then send a short service agreement and call the client to begin their personal session. Organizations across Louisville can also refer clients directly to an expert.

Each session will last approximately 30 minutes. After the session, the Financial Navigator will send a follow-up email outlining next steps and referrals.

Louisville was one of more than 30 cities and counties across the nation awarded an $80,000 grant by CFE Fund to launch the Financial Navigators initiative, which also includes technical assistance and training. The Financial Navigators initiative is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Citi Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and the Wells Fargo Foundation.

For more information or to complete a referral, click here.

Louisville Metro announcing funding opportunity for new housing, prioritizing energy efficiency

LOUISVILLE, KY (February 16, 2021) – Louisville Metro Government’s Office of Housing is dedicating nearly $3.4 million in allocated federal dollars to fund new affordable housing developments, with priority given to projects that include energy efficiency improvements.

The funding is available through the Office of Housing’s annual HOME program. The program’s goal is to offer housing choices to a range of homebuyers and renters by creating "quality of place" neighborhoods with a diverse blend of affordable housing types supported by public facilities and other amenities.

There is no maximum request amount for HOME funds. The Office of Housing also has set aside an additional $80,000 that applicants can apply for to pay specifically for energy efficiency investments such as tankless water heaters, solar panels or other upgrades. In addition to being environmentally appropriate, energy efficiency investments can also maintain a home or a unit’s affordability over time.

The Office of Housing will award funds to developments that complement existing neighborhood development and do not permanently displace existing residents, along with those that increase affordable housing for low-and moderate-income households and, where possible, repurpose vacant and abandoned real estate.

Applicants will be evaluated on housing development experience and financial and organizational capacity, with a review of past performance on projects of a similar size and complexity. A minimum of $468,400 has been set aside for certified Community Housing Development Organizations.

Guidelines and applications for the 2021 HOME NOFA program are posted at https://louisvilleky.gov/government/housing/affordable-housing-development-program.

Applicants have until March 15 to submit questions to the Office of Housing and formal responses will be posted online on March 22. Applications must be submitted online by April 15, along with a $250 nonrefundable application fee.

Center for Social Justice Youth Development Research forming Steering Committee

The Center for Social Justice Youth Development Research (CSJYDR) at the University of Louisville will be leading the work of building out a certificate program for youth development professionals and workers centered on a social justice approach to youth development practice. The University of Louisville’s Center for Social Justice Youth Development Research (CSJYDR) is establishing a steering committee to support the development and implementation of the new SJYD certificate program. Join CSJYDR for an informational session on Thursday, February 25th at 10:00am. Register Here to attend! If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Aishia Brown at aishia.brown@louisville.edu.

Parent Cafe on Vaping

Statement by President Joe Biden on the 2021 Special Health Insurance Enrollment Period through

Statement by President Joe Biden on the 2021 Special Health Insurance Enrollment Period through HealthCare.gov

  Health care is a right, not a privilege – and I will do everything in my power to ensure that all Americans have access to the quality, affordable health care they deserve. That is especially critical in the midst of a deadly pandemic that has already taken the lives of more than 470,000 of our fellow Americans and infected more than one out of every 12 additional Americans, often with devastating consequences to their health.   Starting today and running through May 15, 2021, we are opening HealthCare.gov for all Americans to have the opportunity to sign up for health insurance. Now, everyone will be able to use a special enrollment period to help secure some peace of mind as we work to beat the pandemic and strengthen and build on the Affordable Care Act.   As more Americans get covered, it is encouraging to see Congress moving quickly to pass the American Rescue Plan, which will ramp up testing, tracing, and our national vaccination program to get shots into as many arms as possible as quickly as we can. The American Rescue Plan will also take big steps to lower health costs and expand access to care for all Americans, including those who have lost their jobs. It will increase federal subsidies and decrease premiums in order to ensure that no one pays more than 8.5 percent of their income to purchase meaningful and comprehensive health coverage. And it incentivizes states to expand coverage to an additional four million people with low incomes, and provides states the opportunity to extend coverage for a year to low-income women who have recently given birth.   I encourage everyone who needs health insurance to go to HealthCare.gov from today through May 15. If you already have coverage, then help your family and friends sign up and enroll.   We will get through this crisis if we look out for one another and work together to expand coverage, lower costs, and ensure that health care truly is a right for all Americans.

Join OSHN for Virtual Town Hall on Violence Prevention - February 25

The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods (OSHN) is launching a series of virtual town halls to raise awareness about violence prevention and enhance civic engagement at 6 p.m. today on OSHN’s Instagram Live page.

OSHN Director Monique Williams will be the series’ first speaker who will address community building, one of the core engagement areas. The other engagement areas include health and wellness, education, economic development, and criminal and juvenile justice. Viewers will be able to ask questions in the comment box on Instagram Live.

The upcoming virtual Violence Prevention Town Hall events include:

• Community Building: One Love Youth Implementation Team, Nigel Blackburn, February 25, 6 p.m.
• Education: Jefferson County Public Schools Chief of Communications and Community Relations, Renee Murphy, March 5, 12:30 p.m.

Williams, a 2020 doctoral candidate at U of L’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences, joined the OSHN team in October with extensive experience as a public health community-based researcher and practitioner. She’s spent the last six years of her career at the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, where she was recruited to assist with growing the community-engaged research arm of the school and lead its Youth Violence Prevention Research Center (YVPRC).

To attend the Instagram Live events, please visit https://www.instagram.com/safehealthylou/ and to learn more about OSHN and how to get involved, go to https://louisvilleky.gov/government/safe-neighborhoods

Whitney/Strong Presents - Save A Life Training on February 20

Whitney/Strong Presents - Save A Life Training on February 20

Save A Life was developed as an innovative way of reducing gun violence in communities that bear the brunt of gun violence disproportionately. Save A Life teaches basic firearm safety skills such as safe storage and gun handling techniques, as well as Question Persuade, Refer (QPR), an evidence-based suicide prevention course in a virtual setting. Practices shared within the training are proven to reduce the risk of gun violence by preventing accidental death and injury, suicide, and violent crime.  Participation is free and culminates with a firearm safety kit which is available for drive-through pick-up and includes a gun lock and more.

Adult Registration: https://www.whitneystrong.org/save-a-life-registration-form

Youth Registration: https://www.whitneystrong.org/save-a-life-registration-form-youth

Metro Animal Services Extreme weather PSA

Extreme weather PSA:

LMAS advises pets owners to keep their animals indoors during extreme cold and snowy weather. Remember, if it’s too cold for you, it’s probably too cold for them. If you cannot bring your pet or animals inside, make sure they have shelter that has been properly insulated and has a flap over the entrance to protect them from weather conditions. Residents should contact animal control to report a pet left outside without proper shelter or access to fresh water, by calling 502-473-PETS, MetroCall at 311, or submit a service request at www.louisvilleky.gov/animal-services. Jefferson county residents who may be struggling to provide their pet  protection from outside weather conditions are encouraged to contact LMAS for information about free resources available for their pet.

Office of Councilwoman Jessica Green | Louisville Metro Council | District 1

601 West Jefferson Street  Louisville, Kentucky 40202

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