eSubscription - County's Digital Communication Services

Community Action Agency e-newsletter - September 2022

Montgomery County Maryland sent this bulletin at 09/30/2022 03:50 PM EDT

E-Newsletter: September 2022

Montgomery County
Community Action Agency

Community Action Presents at NCAP Conference

At the National Community Action Partnership (NCAP) Annual Convention in New York City, Zelda Wafer-Jones, the Community Action Board’s Vice Chair, participated as a panelist at a workshop about leadership programs at Community Action Agencies across the country. June Henderson, a 2020 Community Advocacy Institute (CAI) graduate, also participated in the panel discussion. Ms. Wafer-Jones spoke about how the CAI was developed, what the program entails, its outcomes, and how the program has changed over the years. Ms. Henderson spoke about her inspiring personal experience in the CAI, which helped her advocate for herself and others facing housing crises.

The CAI is considered a best practice and has been featured in seminars and articles by Community Action’s state and national organizations, including in the concluding section of NCAP's Readiness to Resilience: The Community Action COVID-19 Story.

The NCAP conference--held in-person for the first time since 2019--brought together staff and board members from Community Action Agencies from across the nation, from Puerto Rico to Alaska. The keynote speaker on August 31, Rashad Robinson, President of Color of Change, challenged participants' perspectives of poverty, encouraging the audience to recognize injustice and work with diverse organizations with similar community goals.

The promise of Community Action grounds agencies across the nation in a common purpose:

Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

The Montgomery County Community Action Agency is one of nearly 1,000 Community Action Agencies serving 99% of U.S. counties. Four out of five agencies are non-profits. Only one-fifth of Community Action Agencies operate within local government. Montgomery County's Community Action is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Affairs. For more information about the agency, Board, and Community Advocacy Institute, visit our website.

For more information about the National Community Action Partnership, visit https://communityactionpartnership.com/.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage: Congratulations to TESS Manager Maureen Larenas

For Hispanic Heritage Month #MesdelaHerencia Hispana, congratulations to Maureen Larenas, Manager of the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center. The TESS center has a 50-year history of serving thousands of people each year in the County's Long Branch community. They are connected to county services and nonprofit programs and resources. Services provided include rental assistance, child care assistance, financial benefit programs such as SNAP and Medicaid, free VITA tax assistance, and legal services. TESS staff speaks English, Spanish, Amharic, and Farsi and is located at 8703 Flower Avenue in Silver Spring. Many thanks to Maureen for her hard work! #Ecuadorian #ecuadorian.

From the Montgomery County Public Information Office's Facebook post.

Montgomery County Public School Expands Pre-Kindergarten Services

Montgomery County’s Pre-Kindergarten/Head Start program begins the new school year with sixteen new Pre-K classrooms providing services to 320 additional children. The goal for the school year is to service 3,248 pre-kindergarten-aged children.

“We are excited about the expansion of our Pre-K/Head Start program,” shares Verna Washington, the Pre-K/Head Start Supervisor for Montgomery County Public Schools. “This expansion provides greater opportunity and access to more families.”

The expansion of the county’s Pre-Kindergarten/Head Start program is in line with the statewide Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, an effort to provide universal early childhood education to an increasing number of three- and four-year-old children, and the additional Pre-K classes expand the number of spaces available for families with a broader range of incomes.

MCPS Pre-K/Head Start services families with household incomes between 100% - 300% of the federal poverty levels. The majority of Pre-K/Head Start classes are full-day (6 hours) with a small percentage of classes serving children in a part-day model.

“MCPS continues to offer a part-day option for Pre-K/Head Start to provide flexibility and to support more families’ work schedules and lifestyles. We also know that some children are not ready for a full day school experience and the part-day option is an excellent way for young children to transition into the school environment,” Ms. Washington explains.

The focus for the FY23 Pre-K/Head Start program year is staff and family wellbeing. CAA Head Start partners have convened a Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) leadership team to support the implementation of the early childhood socio-emotional Pyramid model. The Pyramid Model for Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children is an evidence-based framework for promoting and supporting infant and early childhood mental health and social emotional development of all children. The Pyramid Model takes a tiered public health approach to providing universal supports to all children to promote wellness, targeted supports to those at risk and intensive interventions for those who need them, all supported by an effective community of staff, parents, and caregivers.

Montgomery County’s Head Start program will begin piloting a community-wide Pyramid model at the New Hampshire Estates Elementary school.

Pictured above are Head Start/Pre-K staff and families at the Back to School fair for Montgomery County Public Schools.

TESS Opportunity Coaching to Enhance its "Whole Family Approach"

The Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center is expanding its "whole family practice" with the addition of Opportunity Coaching. The initiative will serve 25 low-income Long Branch area families with young children. Services will be provided from the TESS Center. Yessenia Nolasco, the Opportunity Coach, will work in partnership with TESS staff and service navigators to strengthen participating families, collaborating within the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and with community-based nonprofit partners to deliver services and support families' short- and long-term goals to reach their full potential.

The Opportunity Coach will follow a similar model as HHS partnerships funded by the Kresge Foundation, engaging with parents/caregivers to increase economic security, nurture partnerships with early learning and childcare, support educational and training goals, build social connections, and enhance health and well-being across generations.

The new service builds upon the efforts of the Community Action Agency’s engagement with HHS colleagues, including with Danielle Alvarado-Davis, HHS manager of the East County Coordination and Kresge Opportunity Ecosystem, and national experts, and builds upon the best practices of TESS staff and navigators. The navigation approach is fully embraced by Raymond Crowel, PsyD., the HHS director, and Betty Lam, the chief of the Office of Community Affairs, which oversees Community Action. The navigation approach centers on training staff to develop a working knowledge of services delivered by public and private partners, shadowing highly skilled staff to learn how to actively listen to those served, gathering information to fully understand families’ needs, and warmly connecting families with appropriate services.

The Opportunity Coach is a one-year project, delivered as part of the Whole Family/2-Gen pilot with Maryland Community Action Partnership (MCAP) and the Maryland Department of Human Services, with federal funding from Community Action's Community Services Block Grant. As part of the pilot cohort, the team also receives technical assistance through MCAP, and staff are enrolled in MCAP’s Whole Family “master” coaching training to strengthen service delivery.

To learn more about this FREE opportunity, please call: Yessenia Nolasco, Opportunity Coach, at 240-777-1866.

In-Person Pro Bono Legal Advice Clinics Return to Long Branch

For decades, the Montgomery County Maryland Bar Foundation has operated Pro Bono legal advice clinics, free opportunities for people to discuss with an attorney whether they need legal assistance. After moving to a phone-based Pro Bono program during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bar Foundation's legal advice clinics are once again available in the community, including at the TESS Community Action Center.

Attorneys are on-site at TESS two evenings a month, on the first and third Wednesdays. They provide free legal advice for civil cases. Services are limited to those who reside in Montgomery County and meet household income guidelines. Registration and walk-in without an appointment is from 6:00 - 6:30 pm. Prior registration is recommended to ensure that attorneys with specialty knowledge are available.

In addition to twice monthly services at the TESS Community Action Center, the Pro Bono program offers in-person legal advice clinics in Gaithersburg and Wheaton at Montgomery County’s Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Centers. For more information on the Pro Bono program, visit the Bar Foundation’s website or view the Pro Bono pamphlet on current services.

The Community Action Agency also partners with other legal assistance providers serving Montgomery County, including Maryland Legal Aid, Torture Assistance and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC) International, and KIND, Inc.—Kids In Need of Defense. A full list of Community Action's contract partners is available on our website.

Board of Elections Voter Registration at TESS

On September 20, National Voter Registration Day, the Montgomery County Board of Elections hosted an information table where residents could register to vote, learn about serving as election workers, and request mail-in ballots for the upcoming election at the TESS Community Action Center.

To register to vote online, or to volunteer with the Board of Election, please visit the Board of Elections website.

TESS Outreach In the Community

TESS Community Action Center staff and service navigators attended several community events in August and September, including the Long Branch Festival (above), the East County Hub Food Expo & Community Connections, the Rolling Terrace Elementary School Open House and Community Fair, and the Mount Jezreel Baptist Church Health & Wellness Expo.

Are you holding a public event in the Silver Spring area that highlights area service providers? The TESS Community Action Center is located at 8703 Flower Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20901. Please visit our website for services, walk-in and appointment hours, and contact information.

Reminder: Stop for School Buses with Flashing Lights!

On one of the first days of the school year, a seven-year-old was injured when the driver of a car passed her stopped school bus in Montgomery Village. Please remember to follow the rules and stop for school buses that have flashing lights and a stop sign extended. Failure to do so could result in injuries and a hefty ticket. The following reminders of Maryland law are from the Montgomery County Police Department.

Montgomery County
Community Action Agency
1401 Rockville Pike, 3rd Floor
Rockville, MD 20852
240-777-1697

Registration for Pre-Kindergarten/Head Start Continues

Enrollment in 2022 - 2023 classes in-person: Families can register their children for Head Start in-person at the Rocking Horse Road Center, 4910 Macon Road, Room 141, Rockville, MD, 20852.

Online: Montgomery County Public Schools has new QR codes to link families to the application process for Head Start and Pre-kindergarten. The QR code takes the parent or guardian to a portal and they can apply directly from their phone in their preferred language. Fliers in English and Spanish direct parents and guardians to one link if they are new to MCPS, and another if they already have a child attending MCPS. Children must be three or four years old by September 1, 2022 to apply for Head Start or Pre-kindergarten. Families must meet income guidelines. The programs help children thrive in school and link their parents to resources, including parenting support.

Head Start/Pre-K registration fliers are available for download in English, Spanish, Amharic, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, French, and Portuguese.

Do you have questions about Head Start? Check out the Common Questions online.

The Montgomery County Head Start program is collecting new coats for boys and girls, sizes 4T, 5, 6, 6x, 7 and 8. Donations may be dropped off at Rocking Horse Road Center, 4910 Macon Road, Room 141, Rockville, MD, 20852. For more information, please call Lisa Conlon at 240-740-4530.

Thank you very much!

VITA Tax Filing Deadlines: October 15 for Filed Extensions; October 31 for Prior Year and Amended Return Services

Community Action's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program can help you file on time. VITA offers free tax filing services to residents with household incomes of $58,000 or less.

The deadline date for tax extension returns is October 15.

VITA's appointments for prior year (2021) and amended returns (2018 - 2020) end on October 31.

Virtual appointments are available on Mondays and Fridays, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In-person appointments are available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

VITA offers walk-in appointments on a first come, first served basis in Rockville Tuesday – Thursday, 2 – 4 pm. All in-person appointments will be at 1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 320, Rockville, MD 20852.

To schedule an appointment, please call VITA at 240-777-1123 or go to the CASHBACK website. See also our VITA fliers in: English, Spanish, Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, and Vietnamese.

VITA's Tax Tip: Relief from Late Penalties for 2019, 2020 Tax Returns

The following is excerpted from IR-2022-155:

The Internal Revenue Service recently issued Notice 2022-36, which provides penalty relief to most people and businesses who file certain 2019 or 2020 returns late. To qualify for this relief, any eligible income tax return must be filed on or before Sept. 30, 2022.

In addition, nearly 1.6 million taxpayers who already paid late penalties will automatically receive more than $1.2 billion in refunds or credits.

“Throughout the pandemic, the IRS has worked hard to support the nation and provide relief to people in many different ways,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “The penalty relief issued today is yet another way the agency is supporting people during this unprecedented time. This penalty relief will be automatic for people or businesses who qualify; there’s no need to call.”

The relief applies to the ‘failure to file’ penalty. The penalty is typically assessed at a rate of 5% per month and up to 25% of the unpaid tax when a federal income tax return is filed late.

Penalty relief is automatic. This means that eligible taxpayers need not apply for it. If already assessed, penalties will be abated. If already paid, the taxpayer will receive a credit or refund.

Visit IRS.gov/penaltyrelief for details.

Climate Action: Sustainable Clothes Shopping!

From the Montgomery County Department of Environment:

Did you know that it takes 2,000 gallons of water to make a single pair of blue jeans and 713 gallons of water to grow the cotton required for one t-shirt? Textiles can also produce a lot of waste, since they often cannot be recycled.

Purchasing items from stores or swap groups is an amazing way to both save money and be more sustainable. Many of these shopping options can be found here in Montgomery County. Learn more!

Resources:

NEW: Montgomery County has a new website to educate and inform the public about flooding issues, including frequently flooded roads, steps residents can take to prepare for potential flooding, and the availability of flood insurance to all properties in the County. Visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/flooding/ for information.

Montgomery County's Climate Action Plan.

Alert Montgomery provides accurate and immediate emergency notifications from Montgomery County to your cell, work, or home phones via text, email, or voice message about emergencies that may affect your home, workplace, child's school, or any other locations within the County. Sign up today!

Visit the OEMHS website for tips on preparing for severe storms. Do you know the difference between a National Weather Service (NWS) Watch or Warning?

Watch: Be Prepared; Conditions are right for the event to happen; May last several hours; Time to plan for the possibility of the event
Warning: The weather event is happening; Time to take immediate action; Usually limited to a short period of time (around 30 minutes).

Montgomery County information on Monkeypox, including vaccine access and frequently asked questions.

Free COVID-19 vaccines for adults and children ages six months and up: Montgomery County COVID-19 Vaccine Site

Montgomery County COVID-19 information website

Montgomery County COVID-19 hotline in English: 240-777-1755, and in Spanish: 301-270-8432

Financial Empowerment Center at WorkSource Montgomery: Free Financial Counseling.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rent Relief Round 4 are available in English, Korean, Spanish, French, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Amharic.

Assistance with mortgage payments due to COVID-19 related income loss: Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund. The Latino Economic Development Corporation and the Housing Initiatives Partnership assist County residents in applying for funds.

Ban the Box: The Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Law assists in the successful reintegration of people with criminal records into the workforce by removing barriers to employment and housing. From the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights.

Asian American Health Initiative

Latino Health Initiative

African American Health Program

Food assistance resources and information in English, Spanish, Amharic, French, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean.

Diaper distribution

Family violence prevention

CASHBACK – VITA Services, tax credit information, COVID-19 financial resources.

CFPB Your Money, Your Goals

CFPB Financial Education Tools in Multiple Languages

Protecting Immigrant Families provides information on immigrant eligibility for public programs.

Unemployment Insurance

Office of Home Energy Programs – Utilities assistance

WSSC water & sewer bill assistance in English and Spanish. Call Center Advisors: 301-206-4001.

Water bill assistance flier in English and Spanish.

The Community Action Agency is part of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Affairs.

This email was sent to you using GovDelivery, on behalf of Montgomery County, Maryland Government.
As a subscriber, you agree that we may contact you by email and use the information you submit as described in the Montgomery County Privacy Policy.

Please do not reply to this email. Replies to this email will not be responded to or read. If you have any questions or comments, please visit the MC311 Portal at www.mc311.com or call 3-1-1 (240-777-0311 if outside the County) to speak with a Customer Service Representative.

If you would like to unsubscribe from some email newsletters from Montgomery County, click Manage Preference and make updates. If you would like to unsubscribe from all email newsletters and remove your account information, click Unsubscribe. Click Help for any further information.