Michael Swayze’s Rants & Raves

Tax season is upon us and free tax sites, VITA sites, have opened their doors. This year several tax credits have been expanded to help put as much as $6,000 in the pockets of low-income working families. In particular, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) are powerful resources for working people with low incomes.

In 2008, 24 million claimed over $49 billion in EITC credit. The 2009 tax year marks a new year with the American Recover and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) which created many new tax policies. Several tax credits have been increased including EITC and the CTC.

Two new credits will put more money in the hands of low-income families including the Making Work Pay Credit and the New American Opportunity Credit which helps low income workers pay for college. With new and existing tax opportunities many more people will quality for benefits than in previous years. To find out more information on EITC visit EITC Central.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites are IRS sponsored programs that offer low-income working families (joint income under $49,000) free tax preparation. VITA sites are located across the country and are available so that low-income individuals do not have to pay for tax preparation or purchase products such as Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs). RALs are high-interest loans designed to give tax filers a “quick refund.” RAL interest rates have been reported up to 500% and can ultimately cost the tax filer hundreds if not thousands of dollars. To help protect your clients from these predatory practices encourage them to have their taxes prepared for free at a local VITA site. To find the closest VITA site call: 1-800-906-9887 or visit http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=107626,00.html. New Jersey residents can also access tax assistance sites at the 2-1-1 website to get a list of free tax preparation sites.

With all of the credits available for working families it is critical to promote tax assistance. Over the next several months it is vital to inform your clients about these tax credits and free tax assistance. By visiting the National Tax Credit Outreach Campaign website you will be able to print or order free flyers, posters, handouts, and access to an outreach strategy guide.

Source: Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network

Several weeks ago the state rolled out a new employment program targeted at TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) households and New Jersey employers. It is the best program to come along in a long, long time. So if you are receiving cash assistance for yourself and your family please read on. If you work for a nonprofit read on and tell your clientele.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development has created a subsidized employment program for Work First New Jersey TANF clients. The goal of the program is to create jobs for TANF clients that may become permanent or provide work experience that will lead to an unsubsidized job with a different employer. Under the state guidelines WorkPAYS will reimburse employers 100% of the hourly wages for a period of six months. The program is time-limited. It begins March 1 and ends September 30, 2010.

TANF clients should contact their Work First New Jersey Case Manager for more details and to receive a “Dear Employer” letter which they can present to prospective employers. Interested employers would be contacted by Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) personnel.

Additional information to job seekers is available online on the LWD website.

Work pays.

The application period to apply for home heating assistance is now half over as the application period is November 1 through April 30, 2010. There have been a few things that should have been presented earlier but better late than never. Let me try to keep this short and to the point. Here are a few things you probably didn’t know.

1. Instead of calling the local application agency to inquire about a LIHEAP application (for example in Union County the local agency is PROCEED) there is a statewide LIHEAP hotline number that applicants and food stamp clients can call instead of calling the local agency which just makes them take time out from processing hundreds of applications. The hotline number - which by the way is open on SATURDAY’s - is 800-510-3102.
2. USF portability is probably a term you never heard about. Portable can be defined as carried or moved with ease. In energy assistance terms, when a utility customer who is receiving USF benefits moves to a new address, their USF eligibility can be re-evaluated by a phone call to the utility. The customer tells the customer service rep they are receiving USF benefits but they are moving to a new address. The company will evaluate the energy usage at the new address and then the state of New Jersey will determine eligibility for USF at their new location. A simple phone call. Portability.
3. Every year the staff at NJ211 compile an energy guide. The 36 page 2009-2010 publication titled New Jersey Guide to Meeting Basic Utility Needs gives useful information on programs and agencies.

You can also access the New Jersey Community Resources energy assistance programs webpage which contains an eligibility chart of various programs and links to forms. If you have other useful energy assistance tips or information let me know.

This morning while eating breakfast I was reading through a newsletter and came across an article titled, “Beverly Hills Man Wins Drive Smarter Challenge Video Contest”. Obviously I was interested. The next thing I did, after finishing my cereal and coffee, was to go visit the
Drive the Smarter Challenge website and watch the winning video submitted by David Markus of Beverly Hills. Check it out. The video is both educational and entertaining.

The video contest was sponsored by the Alliance to Save Energy along with a number of other partners. There are some other interesting things on the Drive the Smarter Challenge site too.

A few days ago I received an email from the G.I. Go Fund, announcing a Veteran and Spouse Career Fair. It will be held at the Teaneck Armory, 1779 Teaneck Road in Teaneck, New Jersey on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 from 10am - 2pm.

Veterans and family members can register online by going to
http://gigofund.org/exposignup.html and filling out the registration form. For additional information contact Alex Manis at the G.I. Go Veterans Transition Center of Newark, 973-802-1614 (phone) or 732-377-8032 (fax).

The Trenton based nonprofit Homeless To Independence is conducting their 4th Annual Statewide Winter Outerwear Clothing Drive. Although collection activities ended in north Jersey about November 15, clothing collection efforts continue in central and southern New Jersey through December 13.

The information about their clothing drive is contained in their November newsletter which reads as follows:

Hello Everyone In New Jersey!

HOMELESS TO INDEPENDENCE’S 4TH ANNUAL WINTER OUTERWEAR CLOTHING DRIVE
IS NOW ON!!! WE NEED CHILDRENS COATS OF ALL SIZES!!!

We are collecting coats/jackets, hats, scarves, gloves/mittens and blankets for women, children and men that are homeless, working poor, our veterans and those have just lost their belongings due to fires (manmade) and natural disasters and have been transplanted here in New Jersey. Our Northern New Jersey dates run from now through November 15th. Our Central and Southern New Jersey dates run now through December 13th – anywhere in the State of New Jersey call me for your items to be picked up. Some counties will offer drop off location dates and times also for your convenience. Please call me at: 1-609-575-8048 or email me at: ann@homelesstoindependence.org. ALL items will be given away freely – we DO NOT charge anyone for anything that is donated. Any houses of worship or organizations that would like to make your location either a drop off or distribution site contact me ASAP! Let’s work together!!!

For those not familiar with Homeless To Independence let me give you a brief rundown. The Founder and Executive Director is Ann Martin-Frey. I became aware of her work several years ago when I read a newsarticle somewhere. A recent Trenton Times article (October 2, 2009 by Matt Fair, Staff Writer) provided the following: “With Homeless to Independence, Frey, 48, works day-in and day-out through a thickly woven network of contacts developed over the course of her life on the road gathering information on employment agencies, local job openings, government programs, food banks, shelters, or any other resources the homeless can take advantage of, and disseminating it all into the homeless community.”

Ann is a true grassroots activist and my hat goes off to her. If you want to contribute to the winter clothing drive you can contact her at 609-575-8048. Homeless to Independence can also be reached at PO Box 22124, Trenton, NJ 08607. Checkout the website which has the feel of a community bulletin board. You can also join her on Facebook by looking for Ann MartinFrey.

As a person who may or may not be a New Jersey SHARES
supporter, you have the opportunity of purchasing NJ Devils tickets at a discount. The NJ Devils will share the warmth as they take the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, January 29, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Information recently received from the Devils reveal that the Devils will be offering discounted tickets in cooperation with New Jersey SHARES Night. Lower level seats, usual costing $79 will be offered at $65. Mezzanine/balcony seats are $35, regularly $56. Tickets will make a great holiday gift AND help New Jersey’s vulnerable families stay warm this winter. To purchase tickets call Tom Stocky at 973-757-6250 by using the promotion code: njSHARES012910.

This information was reprinted with permission from NJ SHARES. For authentication see their
Discounted NJ Devils Tickets page. You can also download the Devils printable order form. Make sure you contact Devils Group Sales at 973-757-6250 and use the promotion code “njSHARES012910″. See you at the game.

In the past week newsarticles have reported that nearly 33,000 New Jersey workers are exhausting their extended unemployment benefits. Although we are also hearing about a few positive economic indicators, one of the last one’s to improve is the unemployment rate. The state estimates an additional 3500 to 4000 individuals will be losing their unemployment benefits every week for the balance of 2009.

Where can these individuals and families turn to so they can feed their children or get aid so their utilities don’t get cut off? Aside from temporary assistance programs (medicaid, food stamps, cash assistance, etc. available at county welfare agencies or job seeking services at local One Stop Career Centers which are co-located with the state Employment Service, there are a few other resources or tools that many still don’t know about.

Two valuable but underutilized tools or resources are: 2-1-1 and NJHelps.

2-1-1 is both a telephone number and a statewide database maintained by a partnership of United Way agencies and the state of New Jersey. The system went statewide in 1995 after being piloted in a few counties in 2002. Their website has been supplying information since 1996. Many of us in the social service field are aware that not knowing who or where to turn to can be a very frustrating and emotional experience. 2-1-1 helps to navigate the complexities of the health and social services network. Give them a call or check their website at http://www.nj211.org.

NJHelps is a state run website located at www.njhelps.org that is a self-screening tool for about 28 state and federal programs. It has the potential for assessing -but not actually approving - eligibility for such programs as food stamps, FamilyCare, energy assistance, and cash assistance. It provides additional information in such areas as addiction, child and family programs, employment, food and nutrition, health services, housing, mental health services, and services for the disabled and seniors. Again, the screening tool does not determined eligibility but it can certainly point an individual or family in the right direction.

These tools and programs have been publicized on the New Jersey Community Resources website for a number of years. This website tries to put everything under an easy to navigate roof. For example, on the community resources page is a section known as the Public Benefits Corner which have application forms for many programs all in one place.

Other useful pages on the New Jersey Community Resources website include the following: information on all the state energy assistance programs, how to avoid a utility shutoff, or knowing who is protected under the Winter Termination Program. Other pages help to locate the address or website of their state legislator or members of Congress. It never hurts to let representatives know what is going on.

The Department of Human Services, in an effort to assist the thousands of families who will be seeking help very shortly, has compiled a Quick Reference Guide to Social Services and Housing Resources. Feel free to distribute and circulate this very useful sheet.

For additional information, send an email to: info”at”njcommunityresources.info. (Substitute “@” for “at”.)

While vacationing recently in Camden, Maine, I picked up a copy of the local newspaper, The Working Waterfront. An article caught my attention about island post offices and their possible demise as local social and economic institutions. To promote their continued existence it was suggested mainland postal patrons purchase stamps from island post offices rather than online. In my opinion, this makes perfect sense as a way to maintain the social fabric of island communities. Here is the article from their September, 2009 edition and an order form to send to an island post office of your choice:

Below you find a form ready to fill out, clip and mail to one of Maine’s small island post offices. Regular readers know (from stories we’ve run in the past) that small island post offices are constantly in danger of being closed down by the U.S. Postal Service, because their volume is small. Selling stamps by mail is one way these important community institutions can keep up their volume, and stay in business to serve island communities.

Island Post Offices & Zip Codes:
Cliff Island…04019
Long Island…04050
Chebeague…04017
North Haven…04853
Swan’s Island…04685
Cranberry Isles…04625
Isle au Haut…04645
Islesford…04646
Islesboro…04848
Matinicus…04851
Monhegan…04852
Peaks Island…04108
Frenchboro…04635

Thank you. Other items available upon request. Please do not send cash. Enclose this order form plus check or money order payable to U.S. Postal Service. Orders of $200 or more will be sent by Certified Mail and must be signed for on delivery.

You can printout the order form here. You can also get a better understanding of the concerns of island and rural communities by reading The Working Waterfront article titled “Maine island post offices fight for survival”. (The above article is reprinted with permission of Island Institute, a membership-based community development organization).

Less than two months ago New Jersey welcomed back from Iraq the National Guard’s 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team with a parade in Trenton and accompanying political hoopla. Little did some of our servicemen and women know that the world had changed during the 10 months spent thousands of miles away from their friends and families. Too many are now looking for a job since jobs have been erased in their absence.

A Veteran Career/Education/Service Expo, hosted by the state of New Jersey and The G.I. Go Fund, will be held on Sunday, August 16th from 9am - 5pm and Monday, August 17th from 8am - 11:50am at the Atlantic City Convention Center, 1 Convention Boulevard, Atlantic City.

The state is hosting the job fair for the almost 3000 New Jersey National Guard members (August 16) and for all other veterans (August 17). All employers, veteran organizations, college/trade schools, social service providers, and other organizations or agencies that benefit veterans are invited to attend. There is no charges or fees.

An exhibitor registration form is available online or by printing the form on the G.I. Go Fund website. It can be faxed to them at 732-377-8032 or via email to Alex Manis at manis@gigofund.org. For more information call their Veterans Transition Center at 973-802-1614.

To assist returning Guard members, other online resources include:
NJ Civil Service Commission Job Announcements, a listing of other job fairs, plus the location listing for employment service offices at the state’s One Stop Career Centers. Feel free to add your comments or other available resources.