Hello, All-

Here are some NYSCAA News and Updates that may be of interest.

 NYSCAA News and Events

Tech Day- Disaster Recovery: Safeguarding Your Nonprofit’s Technology Investment.  Reminder that on Wednesday, January 31^st 9:30-10:30 NYSCAA is offering a FREE one hour webinar with additional time available if needed.  The focus of the event will be on disaster preparedness as it applies to technology.  As we have all become dependent on technology, this training has heightened applicability.  Take advantage of this no-cost, no-travel training by registering online at http://hq.nyscaaonline.org/priweb/events.aspx.

 Poverty Symposium: New York Responds to Poverty and Economic Security.  Registration is open for NYSCAA’s First Annual Poverty Symposium.  You may register online at http://hq.nyscaaonline.org/priweb/events.aspx  or by calling Kristine Speth, NYSCAA’s Program Assistant at 518-690-0941, ext. 27.

 NYSCAA Advocacy and Legislative Visit Day.  Mark your calendars for NYSCAA’s Legislative Advocacy and Legislative Visit Day on Tuesday, March 13^th at 11:30.  Registration materials will follow shortly but we encourage you to participate in what we hope will be an engaging afternoon.  Contact Denise Harlow at dharlow@nyscaaonline.org if you have any questions.

 Save the Date for the Annual Conference and Awards Dinner. The June event will be June 11-13 at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel in Poughkeepsie, NY.  Details to follow.

 Head Start/Early Head Start Phone Call.  Reminder that we are gathering by conference call today (January 29^th) at 2:00 to discuss issues related to Head Start and Early Head Start.

 Conference Calls.  There are many ways for you to get involved in framing NYSCAA positions on policy issues in preparation for the March 13^th Advocacy and Legislative Education Day and beyond.  The following are calls that are scheduled on specific topic areas.  If you haven’t already, let Denise know if you are planning on calling in at dharlow@nyscaaonline.org.

Ø       Basic Needs: Friday, February 2 at 10:00 

Ø       Immigration: Friday, February 2 at 11:30

Ø       Housing: Friday, February 2 at 2:00

Ø       Economic Development:  Monday, February 12 at 11:00

Ø       Child Care/Head Start: Monday, February 12 at 2:00.  This will go beyond Head Start/Early Head Start and will address broader child care issues and have a different focus than the meeting on the 29^th.

For all calls, please call 1-866-680-1500 and enter the participant code of 3162050# at the prompt. 

 Committee Meetings.  Just a reminder of the following committee meeting dates/times

Public Policy, Tuesday, February 13^th at 9:00 by conference call, use the call in number noted above.

Membership Development, Wednesday, February 14^th at the NYSWDA training facility in Syracuse, NY (Thank you NYSWDA for the use of your space!)

 Thank You!  Thank you to Tim Grippen, Kathleen Horner, and Craig Cashman for meeting with me recently.  I enjoyed the trip south and continue to be awed by the impact of the network.

 Community Action News

 Louisiana Road Home.  You received an email last week regarding this program of the Louisiana Association and its work in reaching folks re-located due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Contact me if you did not receive that email and would like more information.

 Heap Hearings

Just a reminder that there are two more locations for the HEAP hearings, NYC and Albany.  These hearings are next week and we encourage you to participate and offer testimony.  Contact James McGarvey at (315) 701-0440 or mcgarvey@nyswda.org   

Ø       New York, New York, Friday, February 2, 2007 from 11:30 A.M.-1:30 P.M.,  6^th floor Training Center, Room 603, 317 Lenox Avenue, New York, New York 10027.

Ø       Albany, New York, Monday, February 5, 2007, from 6:30P.M.-8:30P.M. and Tuesday, February 6, 2007 from 1:30P.M.-3:30P.M., Courtyard by Marriott, 168 Wolf Road, Albany, New York  12205

 Other News

 Federal Poverty Guidelines Announced

Notice of the 2007 HHS Annual Update of Poverty Guidelines published last week in the federal register. It's effective immediately unless an office administering a program using the guidelines specifies a different effective date for that particular program. (Be sure to confirm the effective date with your funding sources.)  The table below provides the annual income guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia.

2007 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES AND DC

Persons in Family .............................Poverty Guideline

1 .................................................. $10,210

2 .................................................. 13,690

3 .................................................. 17,170

4 .................................................. 20,650

5 .................................................. 24,130

6 .................................................. 27,610

 7 .................................................. 31,090

8 .................................................. 34,570 

For families with more than 8 persons, add $3,480 for each additional person

 Grant Opportunities

First Nations Seeks Applicants for Native Youth and Culture Fund Program

Deadline: February 14, 2007 (Letters of Intent). First Nations Development Institute (http://www.firstnations.org/), a national Native nonprofit organization established to work with Native peoples for social and economic justice, is soliciting Letters of Intent for its 2007 Native Youth and Culture Fund program. First Nations is seeking projects that focus on youth and incorporate culture and tradition to address social issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, mental health, or other social issues. Eligible entities are tribal programs or Native nonprofits in or near Indian Country. For more information or to access the Letter of Intent template, visit the First Nations Web site. RFP Link: http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10005991/firstnations. For additional RFPs in Children and Youth, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_children.jhtml

 Thanks and have a great week!

Denise

Denise Harlow
Chief Executive Officer
New York State Community Action Association
2 Charles Blvd.
Guilderland, NY  12084
(518) 690-0491, ext. 24
Fax: (518) 690-0498
www.nyscaaonline.org
 
A Member of the Community Action Partnership-Helping People.  Changing Lives
 

Check out http://hq.nyscaaonline.org/priweb/events.aspx   for infomation on upcoming NYSCAA events such as our Online Tech Day on January 31, 2007 and the New York State Symposium on Poverty and Economic Security on March 12-13, 2007.