Economic Stimulus- What you need to Know
March 19th Catholic Charities USA hosted a webinar on the Economic Stimulus with Amelia Dalton from the IRS. In case you missed it, you can watch the webinar by clicking here
Economic Security
EITC Webinar
January 31st CCUSA held a webinar on the Earned Income Tax Credit
The powerpoint from that webinar is below. We apologize that the audio did not record.
Click here to Download
The powerpoint from that webinar is below. We apologize that the audio did not record.
Click here to Download
Catholic Charities USA: the Earned Income Tax Credit- Information and Outreach
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This December Make the Campaign to Reduce Poverty Personal
December brings about a season of giving. With the average cost of a gallon of gas at $3.00 and winter weather necessitating higher energy bills, families across the country must choose between buying food and paying bills or trying to buy Christmas presents for their children. As we begin this season of giving, let us not forget the 36.5 million people living in poverty in this nation. Millions of who are working in full time jobs that do not pay enough to raise them above the poverty line.
This month as part of the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America, learn more about a livable wage by participating in one or more of the following activities.
Did you know that the federal minimum wage is $5.85 an hour? If you are lucky enough to earn more than the minimum wage, consider doing one of the following activities:
- Research the minimum wage in your county and compare that the average living wage needed: State Minimum Wage and the Living Wage Calculator.
- Learn more about the Earned Income Tax Credit, which can help low-income workers increase their earnings.
- Calculate what you earn for one day's work in you current job. An 8 hour day at the federal minimum wage is $46.80 (pre-tax). Donate the difference to your local Catholic Charities Agency
- Volunteer at your local Catholic Charities agency
- Donate to and/or volunteer at programs that help low-wage workers receive job-training
- Take the Food Stamp Challenge. Many low-wage workers depend on food stamps to supplement their incomes.
Christmas giving ideas:
Instead of a gift, donate 46.80 in the name of the person for whom you are shopping
Have each member of your family pick an ornament from a giving tree or donate a present to a toy drive
- Purchase socially just presents, fair trade items or alternative gifts. Support programs that offer fair wages, job and skills training through your gift purchases, such as these:
http://www.crsfairtrade.org/crafts/
http://www.usccb.org/cchd/edshopping.shtml
http://www.tomorrowproject.org/
http://www.alternativegifts.org/
Other News from the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America
Did you know that Catholic Charities agencies serve one in every 10 people living in poverty?
Read Poverty in America: Beyond the Numbers, a report based on data from Catholic Charities agencies replies to our annual survey.
Who do I contact for more information? Please contact Monica Maggiano, Senior Campaign Manager, mmaggiano@catholiccharitiesusa.org
Living Wage?
Do you know what the "livable wage" is in your community?
Check out this tool, part of the Livable wage project at Penn State. It allows you to search by state and municipality. From the website:
In many American communities, families working in low-wage jobs make insufficient income to live locally given the local cost of living. Recently, in a number of high-cost communities, community organizers and citizens have successfully argued that the prevailing wage offered by the public sector and key businesses should reflect a wage rate required to meet minimum standards of living. Therefore we have developed a living wage calculator to estimate the cost of living in your community or region. The Calculator lists typical expenses, the living wage and typical wages in the location you have selected.
Reaching Children through the Parents, and Reaching Parents through the Children
Catholic Charities of St. Paul & Minneapolis offers many opportunities and supports for fathers through the Parenting Services program. The motto of our services is “Reaching Children through the Parents, and Reaching Parents through the Children.” Our philosophy is one of relationship. We partner with families to support them through life’s transitions. There are four primary components of our services for fathers
Young Men In Transition (YMIT) – Support for Teen Dads through groups, activities and individual mentorship. Most of the outreach and groups are conducted directly in the St Paul High Schools. The focus is to support the young dads as they engage with their children and continue their education.
Positive Alternatives – A state grant that promotes “positive alternatives to abortions.” We offer services to new and expecting fathers that include birth ed classes, support groups, law clinics and home visits.
Dads Connection – The target population is low-income, non-custodial fathers. These men are recognized as fathers and treated with the respect they deserve
Family Formation Project – A partnership with the University of Minnesota on their new research project. The goal is to partner Mentor Couples with young, unmarried couples who have a child together and could benefit from the involvement of role-models in their lives who have a positive view of marriage.
Learn more about Catholic Charities of St. Paul & Minneapolis
Post Submitted by Nate Rauschendorfer, MSW, LGSW
Through Counseling and Personal Development, Men Learn to Be Fathers
Supporting Low-Income Dads is Key to Reducing Long-term Poverty, says Catholic Charities USA
Many children in our country grow up not just in income poverty, but also in the poverty of absent fathers. With numerous studies showing how important fathers are to their child’s development and sense of self-worth, many local Catholic Charities nationwide are offering programs to help low-income fathers become and stay engaged in the lives of their children.
There’s no question that children are better off when both parents are involved in their lives, but this is too often not the case, as nearly 14 million children under age 15 live with a single mother. And sadly, millions of these children have fallen into poverty as a result,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA. “By helping low-income dads, these local Catholic Charities programs are reducing many of the challenges that cause families to fall apart and children to fall into poverty.”
One example of a local program that strives to improve the economic stability of fathers and promote the positive involvement of fathers with their children is the Catholic Family Services’ Fatherhood Initiative in St. Louis. The program provides group counseling and education sessions to help fathers develop personally and socially so that they can positively affect the lives of their children.
The St. Louis program’s six-week intensive course, which meets for several hours daily, helps men learn how to engage with their children in positive ways and take on the responsibilities of fatherhood. The program also provides education on job search and interviewing skills, healthy behaviors and lifestyles, anger management, life skills, money management, substance abuse, parenting, and violence prevention. In addition, the men are able to get a physical exam and routine health care, an important support since many of the men have been using drugs and eating poorly for many years.
Father's Day is Sunday, June 17th
Building Strong Family Connections is vital to reducing poverty
If we truly want cut poverty in half by 2020, building strong family connections—especially through providing more support for low-income fathers—must be part of the solution. Our nation’s public policies and programs have often left fathers out of the resources that have been made available to children.
By supporting low-income men and fathers in a more comprehensive way, we can reduce many of the challenges that cause families to fall apart and children to fall into poverty.
This June, Catholic Charities USA will leverage Father’s Day to reignite a national dialogue in our country about the importance fathers play in helping their children grow up in safe and supportive families. Creating strong family connections is critical in ultimately reducing poverty.
Within the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America and this framework, we will:
- advocate for more effective public policies and strategies to help low-income fathers become more active and engaged in the lives of their children.
- engage local Catholic Charities and the communities they serve in joining in this dialogue as well as help them create, share, or improve their existing programs that support dads and families.
- create more awareness in the wider community on the importance of this issue and what they can do to support fathers in reducing poverty.
Father's Day is coming soon- Write your Local Editors Today
This June, support the Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America by sending letters to the editors of your local newspapers about fatherhood and the importance of strengthening family connections.
Legislation may soon be introduced in Congress that would strengthen low-income families by eliminating government barriers to healthy relationships and strong family connections. This legislation would focus on improving economic stability and cooperative parenting skills among low-income parents. It will also provide incentives to non-custodial parents to fulfill financial and emotional support responsibilities, and increase opportunities for incarcerated parents to be reintegrated with their children and families
We need your help to spread the word!
ACTION NEEDED: Click on Take Action and enter your zip code to find contact information for your local media outlets and a sample letter to the editor to get you started. We strongly encourage you to personalize this letter to paint a picture of issues in your community and what you may be doing to help.
BACKGROUND: Improving public policies that strengthen the economic security families is a key issue area of Catholic Charities USA’s Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America.
For more tips on writing letters to the editor and working with the media, check out our advocacy manual, Taking Action, Catholic Charities USA’s Guide to Effective Advocacy.
Thank you - you efforts make a difference
Catholic Charities of Baltimore Dedicates Innovative Center to help People Escape Poverty
“We are writing the ultimate turnaround story here. Those who are supporting us in this bold effort recognize that providing opportunities for people to turn from lives mired in chronic poverty to lives of self reliance through employment and stable housing is worth this investment in people and in the economic impact they will make on Baltimore,” said Harold A. Smith, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Baltimore of his agency’s new Our Daily Bread Employment Center. 
Today, with the help of William Henry Cardinal Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore; Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley; and other city dignitaries, Smith’s agency dedicated Our Daily Bread Employment Center—the city’s first comprehensive resource center designed to help people and their families escape the impact of poverty by providing a centralized array of vital services.
ODBEC houses three existing Catholic Charities programs:
- Our Daily Bread daily hot meal program;
- Christopher Place Employment Academy, a residential program for formerly homeless men aimed at employment and permanent housing; and
- Maryland Re-entry Partnership, a program that enables formerly incarcerated men to successfully reintegrate into the community.
The Center also provides case management and an array of services by Catholic Charities as well as partner providers. These services include eviction prevention services, emergency and referral services, job-readiness assistance, job referral services, job placement, job retention and follow up, adult basic education, medical services (limited), recovery support, assistance with criminal background issues, access to computers and telephones, mail distribution, and workshops on home ownership, financial literacy and healthy relationships.
Through the employment opportunities offered at ODBEC, the Agency expects 350 people to be employed every year. By the end of their first year of work, annual wages of over $6.5 million will have been put back into the community.
“This comprehensive program is exactly what is needed to help break the cycle of poverty that holds back so many people in our nation,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, which recently launched a campaign to cut poverty rates in half by 2020. “The fact is that families struggling in poverty often need assistance in several areas – including job services, food, housing and health care, and this program is a model for providing a one-stop center to address all of these needs.”
To learn more, read The Baltimore Sun’s article—“Soup kitchen becomes a depot for change; Catholic Charities building is a place of transition - offering hope and positive direction for life journeys”
