E-Newsletter: September 2023

Montgomery County
Community Action Agency

Community Action Sends Team to Data Conference

Community Action recently sent three staff members to the the National Community Association Partnership (NCAP) Data Convening in Denver, Colorado. The event combined content with practice, giving participants an opportunity to learn, as well as to connect with peers from around the country who work with data. Mellina Stoney of Code for America Inc., delivered a keynote address on leveraging data, design, and technology to create positive change in government and communities. Pictured above is Maribeth Schneber-Rhemrev, NCAP Director of Organizational Capacity Building. 

Aizat Oladapo, Program Manager for Contracts; Monica Rivera-Goldberg, Program Manager for the Navigation Team and the Takoma-East Silver Spring Community Action Center; and Eduardo Mendes, Program Specialist for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program (pictured at left) took part in their first data walk. The facilitated exercise began with reviewing several pieces of data from the partner Community Action agencies. In groups, the reviewers discussed the data's challenges and identified priorities for a stronger data culture within the networks. A workshop on "Data Equity: Beyond checking the box" brought forth discussion about equity in aspects of data collection, analysis, use, and dissemination.

Head Start: It’s not too late!

If your child was four (4) years old on or before September 1, 2023, it’s not too late to apply for this school year for free pre-kindergarten and Head Start programs in the public schools for low-income families who qualify. Call 240-740-4530 or go to https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/dtecps/earlychildhood/prek/ for more information about how to apply. Head Start/Pre-K registration fliers are available in: English, Spanish, Amharic, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese,  French, and Portuguese. 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. Applications are accepted online via https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org and in-person at Rocking Horse Road Center, 4910 Macon Road, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Do you have questions about Head Start? Check out the Common Questions online.

Children's Opportunity Alliance Listening Sessions

Montgomery County is starting up a new Early Care and Education Coordinating Entity, the Children's Opportunity Alliance, which is focused on building a more equitable system of high-quality, affordable, accessible early childhood education programs and services in our community.

Your voice is critical to ensuring that we are building a system that works for everyone. Please consider attending one of the upcoming listening sessions to share about what's working and not working for families with young children. There will be a small gift card made available to parents who attend one of these sessions. Child care providers who attend will receive one professional activity unit. Both sessions will have a Spanish option. Register here:

• Tuesday, October 3, 1-2pm, DHHS Offices at 1401 Rockville Pike
• Wednesday, October 4, 7-8pm, Wheaton Rec Center at 11701 Georgia Ave

VITA's Monthly Tax Tip: Beware of Scammers Posing as the IRS

The following is from IRS Tax Tip 2023-122, 9/19/2023. 

When scammers pose as the IRS it means trouble for taxpayers. Identity thieves may contact taxpayers through fraudulent calls, emails, texts or social media messages pretending to be the IRS. Here are tips to help taxpayers know when the IRS is contacting them.

Letters and notices: A letter or notice is usually the first way the IRS will contact a taxpayer. When a taxpayer receives a suspicious letter or notice, they can check to see if it's really the IRS:

• Log in to their secure IRS Online Account to see if a copy of the notice or letter is in their file. 
• Review common IRS letters and notices at the Understanding Your IRS Notice or Letter page on IRS.gov.
• Contact IRS customer service directly to authenticate it, if they weren't able to authenticate in their online account.
• Verify that any collection notice from a private collection agency has the same Taxpayer Authentication Number as the Notice CP40 the taxpayer received from the IRS. Taxpayers can visit Private Debt Collection Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about verifying a private collection agency.

Phone calls: After first mailing a notice or letter to a taxpayer, IRS agents may call to confirm an appointment or discuss items for a scheduled audit. Taxpayers should know that:

• The IRS doesn't leave pre-recorded, urgent or threatening messages. Scammers will tell victims that if they do not call back, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. Anyone making threats is a scammer.
• Private collection agencies contracted by the IRS may call taxpayers to collect certain outstanding inactive tax liabilities, but only after the taxpayer and their representative have received written notice.
• The IRS and its authorized private collection agencies will never ask a taxpayer to pay using any form of pre-paid card, store or online gift card. Taxpayers can review the IRS payments page at IRS.gov/payments for all legitimate ways to make a payment.

Email, text and social media: The IRS doesn't first contact taxpayers by email, text message or social media channels to request personal or financial information. Some common electronic scams that thieves use are:

• Sending phishing emails to taxpayers.
• Posing as an IRS social media account to contact taxpayers about a fake bill or refund.
• Texting taxpayers about fake "tax credits" or "stimulus payments."

These messages will often direct taxpayers to click fraudulent links they claim are IRS websites or other online tools. Again, the IRS will mail a letter or notice before calling or emailing, and it will never contact a taxpayer by social media or text message.

In person visits: The IRS recently ended most unannounced visits to taxpayers by agency revenue officers. Ending these unannounced visits to taxpayers will improve overall safety for taxpayers and IRS employees.

Community Action Hosts Board of Elections Staff

In celebration of National Voter Registration Day on September 19th, Community Action welcomed Dr. Gilberto Zelaya, Community Engagement/Public Relations Officer for the Board of Elections, to the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center. Dr. Zelaya answered residents’ questions and shared information about voter registration, serving as an election judge, and volunteer opportunities for youth during the upcoming election season. To register to vote and to learn more about these paid and volunteer opportunities, please visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/elections/ .

For information on TESS Community Action Center services, please visit the TESS website.  

Community Action Participates in Forum on Hate Bias Reporting 

On September 19, representatives of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Affairs, attended a Hate Bias Reporting  Forum at Montgomery College's Germantown campus. The forum was hosted by the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights together with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, Howard County Office of Human Rights and Equity, and Prince George's County Office of Human Rights.

Representing the Office of Community Affairs were (above, left to right), Samikshya (Sami) Sapkota, Behavioral Health Coordinator of the Asian American Health Initiative; Aizat Oladapo, Program Manager in the Community Action Agency; and Karen Gutierrez, OCA Planning Specialist.

James L. Stowe is the Director of the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights. Mr. Stowe is pictured at left with Aizat Oladapo of Community Action.

Celebrating Sharon Strauss's Retirement

On August 31, Community Action celebrated Sharon Strauss's retirement from Montgomery County Government, where she has served the community for over thirty years, including the last ten as Community Action's Executive Director. Celebrating with Sharon were numerous past and present CAA staff members, Community Action Board members, and DHHS colleagues, including those pictured above and below.

At left is Sharon Strauss with Betty Lam, Chief of the Office of Community Affairs, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Betty oversees Community Action as well as the Asian American Health Initiative, the African American Health Program, the Latino Health Initiative, and the Equity program.

From left to right, Charlene Muhammad, Community Action's Acting Executive Director and Program Manager for Head Start, Verna Washington, Program Administer for Head Start/Pre-kindergarten programs, and Sharon.

Angela Martin, Executive Director of the Maryland Community Action Partnership (MCAP), spoke of Sharon's term as Chair of the MCAP Board.

Erika Conner, at-large member of the Executive Committee of the Community Action Board, spoke of the opportunities for advocacy that she has learned while serving on the Board.

Dr. James Bridgers, Director of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services,  joined the festivities to honor Sharon for over thirty years of service to Montgomery County.

County Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles began her career in advocacy and public service as a Community Action Board member. Altogether, we wish Sharon a vibrant  retirement!

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

• Website
• Facebook
• Contact 

Spotlight on Partners: A Season of Change

Community Action works with twenty-nine non-profit organizations via County contracts, grants, and agreements. Several of our partnering organizations are welcoming new leadership this Fall. Chris Beard is the new Executive Director of IMPACT Silver Spring; Andrea Kempner Wink is the Acting Executive Director of Community Reach of Montgomery County; and at Interfaith Works, Elena Mongello is the Interim Director of the Essential Needs Center, which includes the IW Clothing Center, food distribution, and emergency services. Community Action is excited to work with new leaders and program staff to provide human services to low-income families in Montgomery County.

As a best practice to strengthen our partnerships, each Fall the Community Action Agency contracts and grants team hosts the annual partners' meeting. In November, the partners will once again gather with the Community Action staff and Board to share updates and resources and to network. This year’s meeting will include updates from the County’s Office of Grants Management.

We look forward to continuing our partnerships through Fiscal Year 2024!

VITA: Off-Season Services through October

The Community Action Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is offering appointments to prepare new and amended 2020, 2021, and 2022 federal and state tax returns through late October. Appointments are available for Montgomery County residents with household incomes of $60,000 or less. Fliers are available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese, and Amharic.

Virtual appointments are available on Mondays, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, in-person appointments are available at 1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 320, Rockville, MD 20852, from 11:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.

To schedule an appointment, please visit: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/cashback/schedule.html

or call 240-777-1123.

Do you need information about your refund?

• For questions about your federal tax refund, please visit the IRS websiteor call 1-800-829-1040. 
• For questions about your Maryland refund, please visit the Online Services websiteor call 1-800-218-8160.

If you already had an appointment with Community Action VITA and need more information, please call 240-777-1123 or send email to VITA@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage and the Environment with Live Music & More!

The following is an excerpt from a full press release (in English and Spanish) from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, join the Department of Environmental Protection every Friday through October 13 at the Marian Fryer Town Plaza from 5pm to 8pm.

Join us each Friday for live music – popular local Latin bands and artists, environmental demonstrations, giveaways, games, local artisan vendors, and cocktails and drinks!

Encore edition of the Wheaton TGIF Concert Series featuring Hispanic American performers!

Activities include a DJ at 5:00 p.m., a discussion of the day’s theme at 5:30 p.m., and live music from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. More information about featured bands by date, please visit the Wheaton Urban District.

Resources:

Help Is Within Reach – The attached flier shows where to call for help. For a mental health crisis and listening support, call 988. The Montgomery County Crisis Center is available for call in, walk in, mobile outreach, community referrals, and substance use assessment and referrals (240-777-4000). 311 provides weekday assistance, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., for health and human services, housing, transportation, and food assistance (311 for local numbers, or 240-777-0311). For medical emergencies, fires, reporting crimes, disaster response, and life-saving situations, call 911.

The ongoing Ride On Reimagined Study is a full-scale re-assessment of how the Montgomery County public transit network including Ride On, Metro Bus and rail and the future Purple Line, will operate in Montgomery County, with the goal of creating a future-focused public transportation system. MCDOT will also hold multiple pop-up events throughout October to share proposed changes to individual routes:

• Monday, Oct. 2, 7 – 10 a.m. at Germantown Transit Center
• Thursday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Rockville Metro Station
• Tuesday, Oct. 10, 7 – 10 a.m. at Bethesda Metro Station
• Wednesday, Oct. 11, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Shady Grove Metro
• Tuesday, October 17, 7 – 10 a.m., at Silver Spring Transit Station                        
• Thursday, October 19, 3 – 6 p.m., at Wheaton Metro Station
• Monday, October 23, 3 – 6 p.m., at Lakeforest Transit Center
• Wednesday, October 25, 7 – 10 a.m., at White Oak Transit Center                     

Office of Community Affairs, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services:

Community Action Agency’s combined FY20 and FY21 annual report

Past editions of Community Action’s monthly e-newsletter are available on the Community Action website (montgomerycountymd.gov/communityaction).

African American Health Program

Asian American Health Initiative

Latino Health Initiative

Health:

NEW: New COVID-19 vaccines to address the current variants are distributed through pharmacies and primary care providers. Montgomery Cares clinics are providing the vaccine to uninsured County residents. More information on how to access a vaccination is in the following press release. https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/

NEW: DHHS is opening a satellite office for sexual health services in Germantown in October. Use the following link to learn more. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDMONTGOMERY/bulletins/3714bc3?reqfrom=share

Non-citizen pregnant Marylanders who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid but for their immigration status may now be eligible for coverage. This means that pregnant women who meet the other Medicaid enrollment requirements except for citizenship will be eligible for full Medicaid coverage. This includes those who are undocumented or are on visas that would otherwise not allow them to apply for Medicaid. For more information, please visit health.maryland.gov/healthybabies .

Montgomery County COVID-19 information: Vaccines for adults and children ages six months and up.

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

Resource Directories:

Get Help page, Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center, Montgomery County, MD  https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/gilchrist/get-help/

WorkSource Montgomery’s Community Assets Map

Housing – Repairs, eviction prevention, evictions:

For low-income households, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has home repair loans that can assist with paying for radon abatement and other repairs: https://dhcd.maryland.gov/Residents/Pages/SpecialLoans.aspx.

Rebuilding Together Montgomery County – repairs, aging in place modifications to homes: https://rebuildingtogethermc.org/

Landlord-Tenant Affairs, Department of Housing and Community Affairs: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/DHCA/housing/landlordtenant/evictions.html

Sheriff’s Office, Evictions office: 240-777-7130 https://montgomerycountymd.gov/sheriff/sections/eviction-section.html

Montgomery County Renters Alliance – advocacy, education on tenants’ rights: https://www.rentersalliance.org/

Safety and Emergency Preparedness:

Use the following QR code to sign up for Alert Montgomery! Sign up to receive accurate and immediate notifications about emergencies that may affect your home, workplace, child's school, or any other Montgomery County locations. Alerts can be sent via text, email, or voice message. 

Montgomery County flooding website: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/flooding/. Information on frequently flooded roads, steps residents can take to prepare for potential flooding, and the availability of Flood Insurance available to all properties in the County and a survey on flooding in your neighborhood.

The Maryland Insurance Administration also has a flood insurance information page.

OEMHS website: Tips on preparing for severe storms. 

The Montgomery County Family Justice Center helps people in domestic violence, child abuse, and elder abuse situations. https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/fjc/

Montgomery County Family Violence Awareness and Prevention 

The Montgomery County Crisis Center specializes in serving people with behavioral health (mental health) crises. Information about the Crisis Center and other crisis intervention services:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/hhs/programindex/crisisservicesindex.html

Food and Household items:

If you are a victim of SNAP fraud/EBT skimming, go to: https://mocofoodcouncil.org/snapoutreach/.

How to protect SNAP benefits from fraud: Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Fraud - Maryland Department of Human Services

Information the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: https://dhs.maryland.gov/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program/

Food assistance resources and programs (information available in English, Spanish, Amharic, French, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean)

Food Assistance Resource Map - https://mocofoodcouncil.org/map/

Diaper distribution

Financial empowerment:

What does it cost to live in Maryland? 2023 Maryland Self-Sufficiency Standard

Office of Consumer Protection – A – Z Consumer Advice

My Green Montgomery: How to lower your energy costs and much more! https://mygreenmontgomery.org/projects/energy/

CASHBACK – VITA Services and tax credit information

Free Financial Counseling: Financial Empowerment Center at WorkSource Montgomery and in Gaithersburg: https://montgomerycountymd.gov/Cashback/fin_education.html.

Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund: Assistance with mortgage payments or other housing costs due to COVID-19 related financial hardships. MHAF application assistance: Latino Economic Development Corporation and Housing Initiatives Partnership.

Ban the Box, or 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. Find out more from the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights.

CFPB Your Money, Your Goals

CFPB Financial Education Tools in Multiple Languages

Protecting Immigrant Families: 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.