|
|
CAFCA's
2005 Legislative Agenda
is available on-line. Click
here.
National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies
Evaluating Two Approaches to Case Management:
Click here for the Executive Summary.
Click here for the full report.
Hardships
in America
The Real Story of Working Families
A new report out from the Economic Policy Institute which documents that 29% of working families in the United States with as many as three children under age 12 do not earn enough income to afford basic necessities. EPI's latest book, Hardships in America: The Real Story of Working Families, examines the cost of living in every community nationwide and determines separate "basic family budgets" -- the amount a family would need to earn to afford food, housing, child care, health insurance, transportation, and utilities -- for each community. An online supplement, the Family Budgets Calculator, generates an itemized budget for over 400 metropolitan areas by various family types.
TANF Reauthorization and Welfare Reform Phase 2
There are many national and grassroots organizations that are involved in the TANF Reauthorization debate. These organizations can provide ways for you to become better informed or as ways for your customers to become involved in issues that will effect their every-day lives. Click on the name to visit their website.
Welfare Made A Difference National Campaign
This is a coalition of organizations and individuals coordinated by the Community Food Resource Center, Church of Women United and the Hunger Action Network of New York. This project began as an effort to collect stories of success and failure from former and current welfare recipients and the campaign seeks to highlight the "hidden stories" about the importance of welfare as a life line and to challenge the public and policymaker's misconceptions about welfare and welfare dependency.
GROWL/Grass Roots Organizing for Welfare Leadership
This is a national movement of welfare rights and economic justice organizations that are challenging the dominant framework around welfare reform from a grassroots perspective.
NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund
In 1999, the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund established the Building Opportunities Beyond (BOB) Coalition to develop an agenda to end women's poverty. Their mission is to enhance the visibility and promote progressive solutions to women's poverty in the national welfare reauthorization debate.
More than Bit Players: How Information Technology Will Change the Ways Nonprofits and Foundations Work and Thrive in the Information Age
A new report from the Surdna Foundation
by Andrew Blau
Visit them at http://www.surdna.org/
to download the report.
Effects of Welfare and Employment Policies on Children
The Research Forum on Children, Families, and the New Federalism, co-hosted by National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), Columbia School of Public Health studies the effects of the new federalism on poor and vulnerable populations. The Next Generation project is a new research partnership aimed at informing policymakers, practitioners, and researchers about how welfare and employment policies affect the outcomes of children. Their research partners include MDRC (Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation), the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), and several universities. They have assembled some of their finding on the effects of welfare and employment policies on young children in the following brief:
[home]
Welfare Research Perspectives
The Research Forum has also assembled a report on key issues related to recent and emerging research findings, research methodology, and PRWORA reauthorization. This working paper is designed to examine what has been learned since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) PRWORA makes $16.8 billion available to states each year through 2002 to help them achieve TANF goals. The Research Forum contends that it is important for researchers to be monitoring states' uses of TANF funds carefully. The Forum has issued a report titled Monitoring the Effects of Pre- and Post-TANF Welfare Reform Initiatives.
For more information on the Research Forum, click here.
Welfare Research Perspectives: Past, Present, and Future, 2000 Edition
[home]
United Way State of Caring Index
The United Way of America has developed the State of Caring Index™, an annual report designed to measure the health and well being of our nation. The index may be useful to explore a variety of CT's social and economic issues. It analyzes 32 leading social and economic indicators at the state and national levels that analysts considered indicative of overall well being including Economic and Financial Well Being, Education, Health, Voluntarism/Charity/Civic Engagement, Safety, Natural Environment.
United Way State of Caring Index
[home]
Nonprofit Resource Center
Check out this site from the Government Accounting Standards Board, designed to help nonprofits sort out Accounting Standards and Government Regulations.
[home]
OMB Cost Principles
Check out this site for quick reference for OMB Cost Principles.
Online Reference for OMB Cost Principles
[home]
Discounted Computer Software for Nonprofits
Popular Microsoft and Lotus software titles are available at deep discounts to 501(c)3 organizations through CompuMentor. All software is donated by Microsoft and Lotus. Check out this website for Eligibility Requirements, List of Software Titles, and Ordering Information. For more information on how to Choose Software That Fits Your Needs, click here.
[home]
The Development Report Card (DRC) is now available from the Corporation for Enterprise Development. It compares over 70 indicators including economic performance, business vitality, and development capacity in all 50 states. It includes downloadable spreadsheets of data sets and rankings, customized queries, regional profiles, and Honor Roll states.
Connecticut made the Honor Roll, ranking 7th in the US due to its highest average annual pay in the nation, improved income distribution, and strongly competitive existing businesses. However, CT struggles with long term employment growth, ranking 50th overall. CT also ranked very poorly in Financial Resources, ranking last in commercial loan deposits and commercial and industrial loans.
[home]
Nonprofit Job and Career Opportunities
Opportunity NOCs is an online source for nonprofit jobs and career opportunities. To find your perfect job, do a quick keyword search or use our Advanced Search to see job listings by city, state, or organization or position type.
[home]
Effective State Legislative Lobbying
Recommends ways for political organizations to maximize their resources to more effectively advocate issues before the state legislature.
Effective State Legislative Lobbying: The Book and Seminar
Also, check out Worry-Free Lobbying for Nonprofits from the Alliance for Justice.
[home]
What Policymakers Need to Know
Check out the November/December 2000 Issue of Poverty Research News from the Joint Center for Policy Research. They invited federal and state policymakers to spell out poverty-related policy questions that they wished academics would address.
[home]
Outcome Measurement Resource Network
From the United Way of America, the Resource Network's purpose is to provide technical assistance to organizations working on outcome measurement initiatives. Includes an online resource library of Outcome Measurement tools.
Outcome Measurement Resource Network
[home]
The Society for Nonprofit Organizations
Serves as a resource for Board members, paid staff, and volunteers who lead or help nonprofit organizations all around the world. Publishes a bi-monthly magazine on relevant nonprofit issues and a monthly report on funding opportunities for nonprofits. Offers substantial discounts on books, audiotapes, and videotapes geared specifically to nonprofits.
The Society for Nonprofit Organizations
[home]
CT CAPs On-Line Newsletter
The Fall 2000 issue of CAFCA's Newsletter CT CAPs is available on-line.
[home]
Effect of Welfare Reform on the Economy
A new Issue Brief by the Urban Institute examines the effect of the entrance of welfare recipients into the labor market on the well-being of all low-skill workers. The Brief states concern that the increase in jobs for welfare recipients have come at the expense of jobs for other low skill workers and that wages for all low skill workers have been depressed.
Did Metropolitan Areas Absorb Welfare Recipients without Displacing Other Workers?
[home]
Non-Profits and Advocacy
This report, by Elizabeth J. Reid of the Urban Institute examines different types of advocacy organizations and their role in the political system. The paper discusses "advocacy" as a concept, activities and practices of nonprofit organizations, political regulation and controversial policies of nonprofit organizations, and the relationship of nonprofits with political parties.
Structuring the Inquiry into Advocacy
[home]
Progressive Organization Directory
The Center for Policy Alternative's Progressive Directory contains progressive resources for all fifty states! Search by state, organization type, or issue focus.
[home]
"Corruption Perception" Index
Biweekly report from Public Campaign: Clean Money Clean Elections on money in politics and how it hurts our average citizens and our democracy as a whole.
[home]
2000 Advocates' Guide to Housing and Community Development Policy
National Low Income Housing Coalition's guide to help keep advocates current on a wide range of issues, programs and tools available in housing policy.
[home]
Foodshare Holiday Goals
Foodshare provides food for hungry people throughout greater
Hartford and Tolland counties by linking surplus and donated food with programs
that feed people in need.
The food is then distributed to over 230 area charitable feeding programs.
Click here to see how far long Foodshare has come in meeting their goals for
Thanksgiving 2000. For more information on holiday donations, please
contact Foodshare at (860) 688-6500 or info@foodshare.org.
[home]
State of the Child, New Britain
Dr. Penny Canny, Director of Research for CT Voices for Children has prepared a data book on the state of the child in New Britain in 2000.
State of the Child - New Britain Children and Youth 2000
[home]
CT Voices for Children School and Workforce Readiness Presentation
"School and Workforce Readiness: Two Sides of the Coin", a Power Point presentation prepared by CT Voices for Children, is available for on-line viewing or download.
[home]
NGA Center for Best
Practices
Welfare Reform
The National Governor's Association Center for Best Practices offers loads of useful information on welfare reform policy, including general background, issue briefs, and useful resources on creating policy. The website offers information on a variety of other hot policy issues as well.
[home]
Workforce Development in CT and across the Country
Click here for a comprehensive look at state funded, employer focused job training programs happening across the country.
[home]
Help with Your Heating Bills This Winter
Several programs are available that provide help in paying for heating and related costs (though they will not pay the whole bill). You may be eligible even if heat is included in your rent. The programs help low-income households, for example, one person with gross income up to $1,963 a month or a family of 3 with gross income up to $3,172 a month. These income limits are higher than last year. Call your Community Action Agency, INFOLINE by dialing 2-1-1, or the DSS Energy Line at 1-800-842-1132 to find out where you can apply. Income guidelines for the 2000-2001 weatherization assistance program is 150% of the federal poverty level. If you need additional assistance, you can contact DSS at 1-800-842-1132.
[home]
Call for Model Programs
CT Voices for Children in partnership with a broad coalition of
organizational partners has begun planning for the 2nd part of the Forum on
“Shared Prosperity” in the New Economy. The first forum, held October
12, highlighted national and state-level trends; the next forum, scheduled to be
held on January 11, will showcase “best practices” programs in
Connecticut. CT Voices for Children is seeking nominations of
Connecticut-based programs to showcase on January 11 that: (a) help promote the
economic well-being of the state’s lower wage, lower skill families and/or (b)
have strong, positive educational and employability outcomes for CT’s at-risk
youth.
Specific types of innovative programs for which nominations are sought are
included on the nomination form. To receive the form, email to Rose at – rose@ctkidslink.org.
[home]
Campaign to Fight Poverty and Build Economic Security to Focus Efforts on CT's Spending Cap
From E-Notes (CT Voices for Children): Participating organizations in the Campaign to Fight Poverty and Build Economic Security have identified five priority policy areas for attention over the next 18 months:
Affordable, secure housing
Quality education, from preschool through adulthood
Health care for all, including the 240,000 CT residents without it now
Good jobs and economic security
Effective democracy based on citizen and community participation.
The Campaign held a learning forum on CT’s spending cap on October 25th at 3:30. Speakers included Elizabeth McNichol, Director, State Fiscal Project, and Chris Hoene, Policy Analyst, both from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, DC. It was very clear, following this forum, that there is both great need and great interest in exploring potential adjustments to both the structure and annual implementation of CT’s spending cap. For more information on CT's Spending Cap, see this report from CT Voices for Children.
[home]
State CAA Association Website Links
Click here for contact information to other CAA Associations across the country. Check out the website links to learn about the work being done by CAAs across the country to improve the well-being of low income Americans.
[CAA State Association Directory]
[home]
Multi-City Study of
Urban Inequality
The Russell Sage Foundation conducted the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, a survey of over 8,600 African American, Hispanic, Asian, and white household members, and 3,200 employers in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, and Los Angeles. Information was collected on housing and workplace issues, as well as racial attitudes and experiences with discrimination.
[Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality]
[home]
The American Prospect On-line: Common Wealth
Visit this new site from The American Prospect to access articles from past issues, important reports on issues affecting nonprofits and philanthropies, original articles written just for this site, and links to the Web sites of other organizations. Updated weekly.
[home]
How EITCs Help Reduce Poverty
This report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities details how EITCs help reduce poverty.
[State EITC's Help Working Families]
[home]
Analysis of CT's Spending Cap
Check out this informative analysis of CT's spending cap by Shelley Geballe, of CT Voices for Children, detailing how it restricts state growth in this time of great economic prosperity.
[home]
CT Children's Health Council
Check out the new website from the Council. The Children's Health Council (CHC) and Connecticut Children's Health Project (CCHP) work to reduce the number of uninsured children in the state and to ensure that children receive the health care services available to them in the HUSKY health insurance program.
www.childrenshealthcouncil.org
[home]
Census Data Shows Poor are Growing Poorer, Especially Among Children
From the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities: Census data shows poverty declined to 11.8 percent in 1999, the lowest poverty rate since 1979. However, the data indicates that children in female-headed households, as well as African American and Hispanic households, have grown poorer. Additionally, the poverty gap, which measures the extent and depth of poverty has failed to decline in spite of the decrease in the extent of poverty because those who are poor have fallen further into poverty.
[Click here to read the full analysis]
[home]
Incomes up in 1999
Growth at top outpaced middle and bottom
A report released this month by the Economic Policy Institute shows incomes went up in 1999, especially at the top. Income growth at the top outpaced growth at the middle and bottom, where increased work hours - not real wage growth - were the cause of the raise in income.
[home]
For previous items, check out CAFCA's Archives