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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-16-22 Correspondence - HRDC - Your Feedback is Requested -- Weekly NewsFrom:Heather GrenierTo:AgendaSubject:[MARKETING] Your Feedback is Requested --> Weekly NewsDate:Monday, September 19, 2022 9:08:37 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Weekly News - September 16, 2022 With your input and that of our neighbors across Gallatin, Park, and Meagher Counties, our purpose to build a better community is shaped and refined every three years to ensure we focus on the things that matter most. We greatly appreciate your time spent sharing your point of view with us and helping inform our strategic plan for our collective future across southwest Montana. To access the survey, please scan the QR code above or click HERE. SURVEYS MUST BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER 31ST! A TRULY INCREDIBLE PRESCHOOL! Here's to another amazing year full of new discoveries, growth and community building! Hat's off to our entire te, led by our indomitable Sara Savage, for all that they do for our program! IN THE NEWS New York Times — Child poverty in the U.S. has fallen by more than half since the early 1990s. A comprehensive new analysis shows that child poverty has fallen 59 percent since 1993, with need receding on nearly every front. Child poverty has fallen in every state, and it has fallen by about the same degree among children who are white, Black, Hispanic and Asian, living with one parent or two, and in native or immigrant households. Read Full Article Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis — Worker experience: From child care to inflation, job seekers in Montana and South Dakota must navigate a range of challenges Minneapolis Fed survey results highlight the complicated realities faced by many when pursuing occupational changes. Nearly a third of all survey respondents looking for a job or other kind of occupational change had at least one young child living at home. For unemployed job seekers, the availability and cost of child care was high on the list of barriers to employment. “Lack of reliable childcare has caused many issues in finding and keeping a good job,” shared a survey taker. Child care concerns were also an impediment for those employed, but it trailed behind insufficient wages and the need for more training and certifications More than half of job seekers lived in households with incomes below $50,000. To meet their needs, one- third said they are using credit cards and loans. A similar share was using funds from savings, selling possessions, or borrowing from family and friends. Recent inflationary pressures have strained household budgets, often requiring tough, even dire trade-offs. “Higher prices have affected my family. We don’t have enough to buy food or fuel to go to appointments, job search, schooling, stores, and so forth,” shared an unemployed health care worker. More than half of job seekers were concerned with paying for housing and utility bills, and 40 percent felt stressed about being able to secure food for themselves and their families. .Read News Article Idaho Capital Sun - As rural homelessness increases, HUD aims money at helping people without access to shelters The Department of Housing and Urban Development has opened up millions of dollars in funding for groups serving unhoused people in rural areas — an unprecedented move by the agency, say housing advocates. People living in cars, parks, and on the street at night, which the agency labels unsheltered homelessness, has increased across the nation, particularly in urban areas on the West Coast, but rural areas across the country are also being affected, a department spokesperson said. Continuums of Care, the planning bodies that address homelessness within specific regions, have until Oct. 20 to apply for a portion of $54.5 million targeted at rural homelessness. HUD could not provide an estimate for how many organizations would benefit from this funding but said that 127 of them are eligible to apply. Read News Article CNN - Older Americans miss out on billions of dollars in benefits as inflation takes a toll Millions of older adults are having trouble making ends meet, especially during these inflationary times. Yet many don’t realize help is available, and some notable programs that offer financial assistance are underused. A few examples: Nearly 14 million adults age 60 or older qualify for aid from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (also known as food stamps) but haven’t signed up, according to recent estimates. Also, more than 3 million adults 65 or older are eligible but not TONIGHT'S EVENT ON THE EMERSON LAWN IS FREE FOR ALL HRDC STAFF! Stop by the Front Desk at the Main Office to pick up tickets. You are welcome to take as many as you can use! We are excited to be the designated non- profit partner for this inaugural event! enrolled in Medicare Savings Programs, which pay for Medicare premiums and cost sharing. And 30% to 45% of older adults may be missing out on help from the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy program, which covers plan premiums and cost sharing and lowers the cost of prescription drugs. “Tens of billions of dollars of benefits are going unused every year” because older people don’t know about them, find applications too difficult to complete or feel conflicted about asking for help, said Josh Hodges, chief customer officer at the National Council on Aging, an advocacy group for older Americans that runs the National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment. Read News Article EQUITY CORNER US Child-Care Aid Would Supercharge Moms’ Employment, Study Say Subsidizing child care, a key part of President Joe Biden’s pandemic recovery legislation that has so far failed to pass into law, would increase the number of mothers in the workforce and boost wages for industry workers, among other social and economic benefits, according to a new study. For households making up to 250% of the national median income -- which is $90,657 for a family of four -- a federal program that would cover child-care costs exceeding 7% of that family’s income would boost mothers’ employment by 6 percentage points, and 10 percentage points for those working full-time. The US is an outlier among wealthy nations in not guaranteeing child-care assistance for working parents -- a problem exacerbated by the pandemic in driving up already-high facilities costs, impacting children’s preparedness for school and forcing more women out of the labor force than men. While some federal subsidy programs already exist, like Head Start, inadequate funding means they reach only a fraction of eligible children, the authors found. COMMUNITY COMMONS FUNDRAISING UPDATE Goal: $15,000,000 Total Raised: $11,106,601 Million Dollar Match: $351,869 How Can You Contribute? Continue to share the news about our future home and all of the good things to follow. Pictured above is an artist's rendering of the shopping area in Market Place. What: As a convenient service to interested staff, a general health blood screen is scheduled annually at one of our locations. When: Friday, October 7th, early morning. Please note: the screening Read more in BLOOMBERG Signature Goal: 19,000 ● Signatures Gathered: 8,000 ● Volunteers: 40 MARK YOU CALENDARS --> BLOOD SCREEN CLINIC takes approx. 5 -10 minutes to complete. Where: Main Office, 32 S. Tracy, in our conference room Who: Anyone on HRDC's medical insurance plan or anyone with private insurance Questions: Contact Sue Cook EMERGENCY SHELTER UPDATE Demand for our shelter services remains at an all-time high. $20,147 was saved in staffing costs during the past fiscal year as a result of community volunteer hours. Between last November and June of this year: Over 400 individuals had a STRATEGIES FOR A HEALTHY FALL As the days get shorter and cooler and the seasons change, use the strategies below from the CDC to help prevent chronic diseases and maintain a healthy lifestyle. warm, safe place to sleep at night. 106 guests were identified as being chronically homeless. On average, each guest stayed at our shelter for 41 nights. With the coldest months of the year on the horizon, we plan to undertake a number of fundraising activities and a supply drive. Please stay tuned for more details. We are pleased to welcome Darla Sweeney and Noel Hester to our team this week! SO MANY REWARDING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR FELLOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS! Urban Transportation District (UTD) Signature Gathering - HRDC and the UTD Steering Committee have launched a large community-focused effort to create an Urban Transportation District (UTD) in Gallatin Valley. Volunteers are needed to assist with the signature gathering component of this process. Volunteer for Public Transit Flying Signs - We are looking for volunteers to help raise money for HRDC's Warming Center to support those in our community who are experiencing homelessness. This fundraising event is perfect for small groups of 2 or 3 so gather some friends and sign up for a great cause! Or, feel free to sign up solo and we'll pair you with a partner or two. Either way, you're sure to have a good time helping out with one of our most popular fundraising events. Volunteer for This Event Gardens - Our garden season is winding down, but there is still work to do! Help us prepare our garden for the off season. If you haven't made it out for a garden volunteer shift yet, now is LUCKY YOU, LUCKY US! Amanda Jewel Floral + Design is hosting a pumpkin succulent class with 20% of ticket sales going toward our Greatest Needs Fund! The class will be on Oct. 12th at Lockhorn Cider from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Participants will go home with one completed piece of their own and will receive one glass of cider. Sign up HERE your chance! Volunteer in Our Gardens SEPTEMBER HAPPENINGS Every Monday: Find our Mighty Spork food truck serving up delicious food as an after school snack or dinner from 3:30 to 7:00 pm in Belgrade at Peace Lutheran Church at 203 Jackrabbit Lane. Every Thursday: The Mighty Spork does lunch at The Gallatin Valley Food Bank located at 602 Bond Street from noon to 4:00 pm in Bozeman. TONIGHT: Enjoy live music on the Emerson Lawn during the inaugural Alpenglow Festival. FREE TICKETS available at the front desk at the Main Office! September 20th: Help us spread the word about our next Streamline VIRTUAL Urban Transportation District Public Presentation. This is a perfect chance for community members to learn more about our current petitioning measure during our Zoom presentation and Q&A. September 21st: Can you think of a better day to let others know how much you appreciate them? It's World Gratitude Day! September 24th: We are Flying signs to fundraise for our Warming Center from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. You'll see volunteers all over town raising critical dollars and awareness for those experiencing homelessness in our community! September 25th - 27th: Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New year, is one of Judaism's holiest days and commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday, also known as the Day of Atonement. September 29th: Calling all little ones! Our ECE team is hosting a Literacy Carnival on the lawn at Bozeman Public Library from 4:00 - 7:00 pm. The annual Sunrise Rotary Bozeman Fix-Up Festival brings our community together for one day each year to provide minor repairs for our low- income neighbors, making their homes safer, more accessible, and more energy efficient. In the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors, homeowners receive labor and materials at no cost to them thanks to the contributions and support of the larger community, including individual donors and volunteers, service and community organizations, and local businesses. Learn more about the event HERE. Our friends at Sunrise Rotary sure do make us proud! AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support HRDC every time you shop, at no cost to you. You can help us with our fundraising by shopping at smile.amazon.com 1. Search for Human Resource Development Council Of District IX Inc as your charitable organization at smile.amazon.com. 2. Complete your shopping at smile.amazon.com. 3. Amazon will automatically donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to HRDC. Every dollar counts toward helping us build a better community! HRDC's Weekly News is a weekly publication designed to share all things HRDC. Our audience includes our staff, advisory council members, and board members. Thank you for reading and thank you for letting us know what content is useful to you. Please forward any items you would like to see included in future editions to Penny Johnson, HRDC Communications Manager. Share Forward MAIN OFFICE 32 S Tracy Avenue Bozeman, MT 59715 This email has been sent by HRDC. HRDC is a nonprofit Community Action Agency serving Southwest Montana. This email was sent to you because you have indicated an interest in updates regarding our work. If you do not wish to receive these any longer, please unsubscribe. Preferences | Unsubscribe