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Community Action Agency e-newsletter - December 2023

Montgomery County Maryland sent this bulletin at 12/21/2023 12:53 PM EST

E-Newsletter: December 2023

Montgomery County
Community Action Agency

Board Shares Self-Sufficiency Standard & Hygiene Equity Support with County Leaders

The Community Action Board was excited to present the findings of the 2023 Montgomery County Self-Sufficiency Standard at a special briefing session for the County Executive and County Council on December 5th. Board member Zelda Wafer-Jones shared a presentation about how the Standard is calculated, examples of the Standard for different family compositions, comparisons of the Standard to other poverty measures, and policies that can help residents move towards the Standard. Katie Medina from CountyStat led a demonstration of the new Interactive Self-Sufficiency Standard. (Ms. Medina and Ms. Wafer-Jones are fourth and fifth from the left in the above photo.) Elected officials and their staff were encouraged to consider the Self-Sufficiency Standard in their decision-making process. Learn more about the Standard.

The Board hosted the second Community Advocacy Institute workshop, Exploring the Issues, on December 9th. Always a popular session, this year’s workshop was packed with numerous presentations about key advocacy issues. Guests included Chris Stephens, CareerCatchers; Jennifer Grinnell, EveryMind; Matt Losak, Renters Alliance; Morris Klein, Commission on Aging; Larissa Johnson, Department of Environmental Protection; and Melissa Rock, Maryland Family Network. The workshop also included a small group activity led by CAI Ambassadors.

Just a few days later, Community Action Board member Lisette Orellana Engel testified on behalf of the Board in support of County Council Bill 43-23 - Health and Sanitation - Menstrual Products in Public Restrooms – Required. This bill would require public restrooms in the County to provide free menstrual hygiene products. The board’s testimony focused on "period poverty," the term used for those struggling to access menstrual hygiene products, and the challenges many lower-income people face in purchasing these necessary products. Lisette joined other bill supporters at a press conference following the hearing, highlighting the significance of access to menstrual hygiene products as a public health concern and an issue of equity. Ms. Engel is the second from the right in the below photo with Councilmember Jawando and several supporters of Bill 43-23.

Bring your passion for important community issues to the Community Action Board!

The County Executive is now accepting applications to fill five vacancies in the low-income sector and two vacancies in the private sector of the Community Action Board. The Board, which serves as the governing body for the Community Action Agency and, along with the Head Start Parents Policy Council, the Head Start Program, is one of the leading advocacy groups addressing the needs of lower-income residents in the County.

Low-income sector representatives on the Board must be democratically elected by a local group comprised of lower-income residents (i.e., PTA, tenant association, civic association, etc.). Private sector representatives must be nominated by a private organization.

Apply online by January 19, 2024. Learn more about these opportunities. Questions can be addressed to the staff liaison to the Community Action Board at Leah.Goldfine@montgomerycountymd.gov.

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 www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org and search Head Start for more details.

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.

Coat Drive for Head Start and Pre-kindergarten Students

Cold weather is here!

Coats, gift cards, and donations by check may be dropped off at Rocking Horse Road Center, 4910 Macon Road, Room 141, Rockville, MD 20852.

Coats can also be ordered online and delivered to the Rocking Horse Road Center. For more information, please see the above flier. Thank you very much!

VITA Seeking Volunteers for the Upcoming Tax Season

Community Action’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program continues to recruit volunteers for the upcoming tax season. Volunteers serve in numerous roles, including IRS-certified tax preparers, schedulers, greeters, interpreters, quality reviewers and site coordinators. VITA volunteers receive free training and volunteer opportunities are available in Rockville, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, and Wheaton.

New Dual phones at the Rockville location will facilitate more convenient interpretation services for clients. Additionally, hours for VITA services in Rockville will be expanded on Tuesdays (11 am to 5 pm) and Wednesdays (11 am to 8 pm) to meet the increasing demand for our services in the area.

Applications to be a VITA volunteer are online. Find out more about VITA services and volunteer opportunities on the CASHBACK website.

VITA Appointment Scheduling Begins January 8th

Tax Season Appointments: January 22 - April 11, 2024.

The Community Action Agency's VITA program will begin scheduling appointments for 2023 tax returns on January 8, 2024. Appointments will be available for Montgomery County residents with a combined household income of $64,000 or less.

Please check the CASHBACK website for the most up-to-date information. The schedule of appointment locations, days, and times is currently posted, as well as reminders of which documents to bring.

Partner Spotlight: FY24 Community Grants Program

Decisions regarding FY24 Community Grants continue to be pending as the Office of Grants Management leads new grant-making processes. A November letter from the Office of Grants Management included the following:

Due to the intense volume of applications and Countywide constraints, the Office of Grants Management (OGM) has faced challenges with promptly reviewing and scoring applications for the various Community Grants Non-Departmental Account (NDA) funded grant programs.

The impacted grant programs include:

FY23 Underserved Community Projects (UCP)
FY24 Community Grants
FY24 Community Projects Fund Quarter 1 and Quarter 2
FY23 Nonprofit Technical Assistance and Management Support (NTAMS)

The County Council Government Operations (GO) and Fiscal Policy Committee recently held a hearing diving into this issue in detail. Council Staff developed an extensive packet outlining challenges related to these grant programs and a video of the hearing is publicly available.

Please contact the OGM with questions about Community Grants and/or other OGM programs: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ogm/contact-us.html/.

TESS at the Long Branch Senior Center Holiday Party

Earlier this week the staff of the Takoma-East Silver Spring (TESS) Community Action Center participated in a holiday party at the Long Branch Senior Center hosted by Diana Ruiz, Community Organizer with Aging and Disability Services, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. TESS Human Services Specialist Victoria Hall is shown in the center of the above photo.

Participating seniors enjoyed live music, good food, prizes, and gifts. Several attendees were first-time visitors to the Long Branch Senior Center and new to the Long Branch area, which is along the border of Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

TESS staff also wrote and sent holiday cards to members of the ongoing TESS Senior Social Support program. The cards are especially important for those who live alone and are not able to attend community events.

The Community Action Agency wishes you a peaceful, healthy, and happy New Year!

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

Green Tip: Gift Outside the Box!

The following tips are from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection:

Celebrate your next holiday by Gifting Outside the Box!

The amount of household waste in the U.S. increases an average of 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day (EPA). Wrapping paper, decorations, packaging, and leftover food (and sometimes even the gifts we buy), often don’t last long and end up in the waste stream. Help us kick off an eco-friendly holiday season!

The Greener Gift Challenge: The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and partners challenge you to reduce waste by thinking differently about how you shop for and give gifts. Together, we can reduce waste, save energy and build a strong local economy. We encourage you to Gift Outside the Box!

1) Buy Local

2) Gift Experiences

3) Give Greener

4) Give Back

5) Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

For more information, go to: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DEP/gift-greener.html

Resources:

Self-Sufficiency Standard Report: The 2023 report is available for download on the Community Action Agency website and the new Interactive Self-Sufficiency Standard is also online. Another helpful tool is the Maryland Self-Sufficiency Standard Calculator, which was developed by the Maryland Community Action Partnership and the University of Washington. This interactive tool allows users to determine the Standard for different family compositions throughout the state.

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). Note: 311 will close at 5:00 p.m. on Dec. 22.
For medical emergencies, fires, reporting crimes, disaster response, and life-saving situations, call 911.

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

Past editions of Community Action’s monthly e-newsletter are available on the Community Action website.

African American Health Program

Asian American Health Initiative

Latino Health Initiative

Health:

Montgomery County is partnering with Access HEARS, Inc. to distribute free over-the-counter hearing aids for County residents who are ages 60 (+), have moderate to severe hearing loss, and incomes below 250% of the FPL. Find out more about how to access free hearing aids.

COVID-19 vaccines to address the current variants are distributed through pharmacies and primary care providers. https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/. Hotline in English: 240-777-1755, and in Spanish: 301-270-8432.

DHHS sexual health services: Testing for sexually transmitted infections in Silver Spring and Germantown. https://montgomerycountymd.gov/hiv/testing.html/.

Pregnant women who meet the other Medicaid enrollment requirements except for citizenship may be eligible for full Medicaid coverage, including 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 .

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.

Tips on preparing for severe storms. Four steps for Emergency Preparedness: 1) Stay informed. 2) Make a plan. 3) Make a kit. 4) Get involved. Check out the OEMHS website for emergency preparation guides, including special considerations for people with access and functional needs.

Montgomery County flooding website: 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.

The Montgomery County Family Justice Center helps people in domestic violence, child abuse, and elder abuse situations.

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:

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.

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

Montgomery County Food Council – Food Assistance Resource Map.

Greater DC Diaper Bank: Diaper distribution

Financial empowerment:

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

Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection – A – Z Consumer Advice

My Green Montgomery: How to lower your energy costs and much more!

CASHBACK – VITA Services, tax credit information, and financial education resources.

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.

Transportation: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation 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.

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

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