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March 2015Newsletter

Save the Date:

RPIC Region II Finance, Human Resource &Leadership Conference

September 17­18, 2015 DoubleTree Hotel, Binghamton, NY

Registration opening soon!

National Partner NewsOrganizational Standards Center of Excellence (COE) Releases Updated Tools forOrganizational Standards

The Organizational Standards Center of Excellence (COE) hasupdated several of its available resources to reflect the finalizedCOE­developed CSBG organizational standards in InformationMemorandum (IM) 138. The tools include:

CPE­developed Organizational Standards

Self­Assessment Tools

State Assessment Tools

Glossary of Terms

OCS Dear Colleague Letter: CSBG Model State Plan (MSP) Revision: OpenComment Period­ UPDATEOn March 10th, the Office of Community Services (OCS) distributed a Dear Colleague Letter. Ithighlighted the following:

Webinars that were held on the MSP were recorded and are available on the NASCSPwebsite.In response to requests from States, OCS provided a Microsoft Word version of the draftMSP for CSBG State agencies to use for planning and development of their FY 2016 StatePlan. Click here for the word document.A reminder to find information on how to comment on the MSP can be found in the CSBGDear Colleague Letter Model State Plan Revision: Open Comment Period; please submityour comments to infocollection@acf.hhs.gov

National Training OpportunitiesWebinar: Theory of Change: The Washington State ExperienceThursday, March 19th1:00pm ETRegister: Click here NCAF Legislative ConferenceNCAFWashington, DCMarch 24­27, 2015

Community Action Partnership Annual ConventionCAPSan Francisco, CAAugust 25­28, 2015Click here to register

Useful Information

CSBG Dear Colleague Letter FY 2016 BudgetFrom the Letter:Dear Colleagues: We in the Office of Community Services (OCS) wantto make sure you are aware of the President's 2016Budget proposals for programs you administer. Please note that appropriation levels and policyproposals are only final upon Congressional approval. OCS Director Jeannie Chaffin published a blogrecently outlining these proposals. Please see thefollowing link and share across your social mediaoutlets:http://www.acf.hhs.gov/blog/2015/02/ocs­programs­strengthening­accountability­promoting­opportunity­and­fostering­innovation For more details on these proposals andthose of other programs within theAdministration for Children and Families(ACF), please view the 2016 ACFCongressional Budget Justification (clickhere) We are excited to see what the future may hold forthese critical programs, and ultimately for ourcustomers. Thank you for the contribution you makeevery day to this work. If you have any questionsregarding these proposals, please contact yourdesignated OCS program specialist.

VirtualCAP RoundUP VirtualCAP and the Ohio Association ofCommunity Action Agencies have createdVirtualCAP RoundUp. This publicationaims to be a unique way to deliver usefulinformation to CAAs. The publication willbe available on a low­cost subscriptionbasis to help stabilize funding forVirtualCAP.

Click here for the first Issue

Click here for the second issue

Please take some time to take this briefonline survey to share your ideas andhelp VirtualCap and the Ohio Associationof Community Action Agencies create thispublication as a must­have source ofinformation for CAAs. http://www.virtualcap.org

Webinar: The Impact of Incarceration onFamilies, Communities, and Offenders

When: March 26thTime: 2:00­3:00pm EDTRegistration: Click here to register

The Self­Sufficiency Research Clearignhouse(SSRC) will host The Impact of Incarceration on Families,Communities, and Offenders Webinar, featuring SSRC Emerging Scholar Dr.Artika Tyner with Dr. Renee Wilson­Simmonsas a discussant and Dr. Kristin Anderson Mooreas Moderator. This free Webinar will focus onthe social and economic impacts ofincarceration on children, families, communities,and offenders. Dr. Tyner will discuss theCampaign for Prison Phone Justice, whichaddresses the high costs of prison phone calls,and how these financial barriers tocommunication affect incarcerated individuals,their families, and communities. Dr. Tyner willalso describe how her research findings havehelped promote community engagement andadvance policy changes.

Report: Early Implementation Findingsfrom Responsible Fatherhood ReentryProjects

This report from the Urban Institute providesearly implementation findings from a study ofsix grantees that provide soon­to­be andrecently­released fathers and their families withan array of activities and services inresponsible fatherhood/parenting, healthymarriage/relationships, and economic stability.The goals of the programs are to help stabilizethe fathers and their families, move the fatherstoward self­sufficiency, and reduce recidivism. These OFA grantees began program operationsin October 2011; this report covers programactivity through May 2013.Click here for thepublication

Action Alerts

Call Your Representatives and Ask Them ToSupport Rural Housing Funding!Dear Rural Advocates, Right now, Congress is beginning to put togethertheir 2016 budget for USDA Rural Housingprograms. Because of increased pressure onCongress to cut federal spending, it is criticalthat rural housing advocates call theirRepresentatives and urge them to supportfunding for these programs. As a constitutent,you can make a difference!Please CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES and

ask them to

Sign the Hinojosa/Duffy DearColleague Letter and

Submit an Appropriations Request forthese programs!

The deadline for Representatives to sign onhas been extended to March 10, while thedeadline to submit an Appropriations Requestis March 23. Each office can contact FernandoRuiz Fernando.Ruiz@mail.house.govto sign on.

Strengthening America's Values andEconomy (SAVE) for All Groups by signing this letter stand for 4key principles Federal budgets should:

(1) protect low­income people; (2) invest in broadly shared prosperity;(3) increase revenues; and (4) seek responsible savings from reducingwaste in the Pentagon and elsewhere.

Please sign by March 12, 2015. For more information about SAVE for All, click here

Region II WebpageInformation on RPIC Region II can be found here: http://nyscommunityaction.org/rpic/.

For materials from past Region II events, click here.

Resources:

This publication was created by the New York State Community Action Association in theperformance of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and

Families, Office of Community Services, Grant Number 90ET043801. Any opinion, findings, andconclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do notnecessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration

for Children and Families.

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