It's not just the Economy...

The beat goes on…the State budget deficit now looks to be over 2 billion dollars and counting. Every revenue hearing produces a bigger number, while the adjusted projections from the last hearing lay on the floor. Where will the deficit end up? How much red-ink will there be. No one seems to know…

Many of our elected officials feel the best way to resolve this issue is cut, cut, cut. While it is reasonable to review each expenditure and be sure we are getting the best value for the investment of our tax dollars, there comes a time, when we have to ask…where’s the revenue?

Michigan is facing a “structural” deficit. The things we tax, the amounts we tax and the way we tax does not provide what is necessary for the state to operate. While we may have bigger problems because of the down-turn in our auto industry dependant economy, we would still face budget problems if GM, Ford and Chrysler were still doing well. It is too easy to blame our lack of revenue on this global economic adjustment.

So where’s the money? How do we increase revenue in a fair and equitable way, keep Michigan competitive, and be sure we are in line with the other 49 states? We do not want to be the outliers, the only ones who tax this or that service, or have exorbitant rates. This makes no sense, when we want to encourage more business and jobs in the state.

The Michigan League for Human Services testified earlier this summer at a hearing in Lansing and offered some excellent options. We may or may not all agree on these options, but they need to be considered. You can learn more by following the link below…if you like some of these ideas, advocate for them with your legislator, and do it now!

http://www.milhs.org/Media/EDocs/BudgetDeficitsWEB.doc

Will preschools make the cut? Families await fate of early education

A decision of whether or not to fund pre-school programs by the state is putting many programs on hold in Southwest Michigan.

"Nine local districts -- Burr Oak, Comstock, Decatur, Lawrence, Marcellus, Portage, Paw Paw, Vicksburg, and White Pigeon -- say their preschool programs are on hold until they get some kind of funding commitment. Several other districts, including the two that run the largest state-funded preschools in the region -- Kalamazoo Public Schools and Allegan Area Educational Service Agency -- say they'll start preschool on schedule but may end the program midyear if funding doesn't come through."

For programs still planning to start, the prospect of "free" education is becoming less and less likely.

"The uncertainty affects only state-funded preschool programs. In addition to the state-funded program some districts, including Portage, have preschool programs for which they charge tuition.

Delton-Kellogg is planning to charge tuition for its preschool for the first time. Bloomingdale may run preschool two full days a week instead of four half-days, to save on transportation costs. Three Rivers will offer bus service to preschoolers at the beginning and end of the school day, but there won't be a noon bus run -- children in the morning session will have to be picked up by parents, and children in the afternoon session will have to be dropped off."

Do you have a child in preschool that will be affected by the cuts? Contact Kevin Lignell at Klignell@haltpoverty.org.

Upcoming Events Focused on Kalamazoo's Homeless Residents

Two upcoming events will provide support services and create awareness around the population of residents who are homeless in Kalamazoo.

Day of Dignity with the Homeless: A One Day Community Fair (3rd annual)

September 12, 2009 from 11:00am - 3:00pm
Martin Luther King Park (N. Rose St. by the Transit Center)

Hosted by the Islamic Relief, Kalamazoo Lend a Hand, Bilal Islamic Center, Kalamazoo Islamic Center, Muslim Student Association & Others. Organizations will be giving away free products including: hygiene packs, new clothing, hot meals, children's toys, school supplies and job information.

Donations are needed to purchase clothing, food & children's items. Make checks payable to Kalamazoo Lend a Hand, 501(c)3 non-profit, or donate online at www.kalamazoolendahand.org. Also accepting item donations such as school supplies, children's toys and backpacks.

For More Info:
269-547-8178
rso.msa@gmail.com
www.kalamazoolendahand.org

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

An update from Michelle Schneider at LISC:

The week of November 15-21, 2009 is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. This is a time where we look to bring awareness to the issues of hunger and homelessness in our community. It is a time to highlight the work that is being done throughout the year to combat these issues and to bring to the attention of the community that despite our efforts, there isn’t enough being done.

During this week, shelters will hold tours of their facilities, there will be a Poverty Simulation, volunteer activities, neighborhood meetings, speakers at Rotary Clubs, Food Pantry Collection Days, Habitat builds, a showing of “Where God Left His Shoes”, and a donation day where donations can be dropped off at numerous local shelters.

We know that many of your organizations do good work throughout the year to end homelessness and hunger in our community. If you will be hosting an activity such as a food pantry collection day, a film viewing/discussion, group volunteer day, or similar activity during the month of November, we would urge you to consider holding it during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

Please let us know about your events! We will be marketing all of the events together through press releases, flyers, and posters to generate as much momentum around your events as possible. On behalf of those that are hungry and homeless, we must speak up and make this issue known.

Contact Michelle Schneider at mschneider@lisc.org or 269-343-5472 x 6 to have your event listed as part of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

Poverty Reduction Initiative
www.haltpoverty.org

Kalamazoo Eastside Block Party a Hit

Last Sunday, I was able to join community residents and leaders for a block party on the Kalamazoo Eastside Neighborhood called "Changing the Face of the Neighborhood." Hosted by the Bilal Islamic Center, the event featured free food and drinks, as well as guest speakers from the Bilal Islamic Center, ISAAC, the Eastside Neighborhood Association, and the Poverty Reduction Initiative.

The speakers expressed their views about building leadership in the community, reaching out to residents, and bringing more resources to the neighborhood. The party will ideally be the first of many upcoming events to be highlighted on the Eastside Neighborhood.

The leaders have many ideas for improving the neighborhood and are looking to engage other empathetic community residents who would like to see more prosperity throughout the community.

The food was delicious and the guests were exceptionally kind, smart and knowledgeable. To summarize, it was great to be a part of this event and I look forward to enjoying similar ones in the future.

Here are some of the pictures from the event thanks to Holly Lantz of ISAAC:

Upcoming Community Events in Kalamazoo

This week features two community events that are certain to impact the residents of Kalamazoo:

Changing the Face of the Neighborhood

Sunday, August 9th, 2009 from 11am - 6pm

Hosted by the Balil Islamic Center
Block Party at East Main/Tremble Intersection (Fish Dock)

Join the Islamic center for a block party on Tremble. There will be food, prayer, and speakers from various organizations talking about issues on the Eastside and their organizations.

Event Schedule:

• 11am-Noon Breakfast
• 12pm-2pm Dawah: Door to Door invitations to Community Residents
• 2pm Dhur salat (noon prayer)
• 2:15pm - 3:00pm Tour of the Peace House and Balil Islamic Center
  
• 3pm - 3:30pm Speakers from various organizations
• 3:30pm - 4pm Keynote address
• 4pm - 6pm Food and Fellowship
• 6pm - 6:30pm Asr salat (Evening prayer)

Kalamazoo Neighborhood Public Meeting
Thursday, August 13th 7pm-8:30pm
The River Church on Bronson Park
302 Academy St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Hosted by ISAAC

The success of the Eastside, Northside & Edison is vital to the prosperity of Kalamazoo. Discuss concerns, desires, winnable solutions and commit to improving the neighborhoods.

More counties to follow PRI's lead after Region 3 meeting in Grand Rapids

The meeting last Friday in Grand Rapids determined one certainty in the ongoing regional campaign to reduce poverty in Michigan: It assured that the leadership of the Poverty Reduction Initiative and WMU's Lewis Walker Institute will continue to assist region 3 in a their efforts to reduce poverty in their 11 county district.

What started out as a 9 county coalition in Southwest Michigan is now a 20 county effort that extends from Berrien County in the Southwest corner, all the way to Osceola on the Northeast border. Though the two regions will have different leadership, objectives, and resources, they now will have a greater advantage to share information and work cohesively to reduce poverty on a greater scale.

On Friday, the PRI and Lewis Walker presented to the regions a framework of how to successful organize and implement a strategy for poverty reduction on a large scale. Lewis Walker Director Tim Ready gave a presentation on the poverty issues in West Michigan and presented a model of how to better analyze, combat and eventually reduce poverty in a way that works across county bounders. PRI's Jeff Brown gave the region a vision of how bring together major organizations and use their resources to press for resources towards improving the lives of the impoverished.

Leaders from close to thirty organizations who represented the region voted unanimously to continue working with the PRI and Lewis Walker by using their framework as a model to adapt to their region. Additionally, 4 participants volunteered to be regional leaders and will be responsible for directing the region towards fulfilling its objectives.

Region 3 identified these objectives as the highest priorities in reducing poverty for their counties:

• Expand access to early childhood education
• Increase Jobs
  
• Reduce homelessness and increase housing security

Region 3 is faced with a similar challenge as region 6 because it must navigate across a diverse collection of counties with very distinct and unique problems. Counties such as Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon are heavily urban, while others such as Lake and Osceola are undeniably rural.
In the past, these differences would have been so polarizing that it would have been a rarity for a church in Lake County to open dialogue with the Kent County Department of Human Services. The regional poverty reduction work is changing all of that - it is bringing together organizations that wouldn't normally communicate and creating a "big picture" summary of poverty in the region.

If the leaders from region 3 are willing to put their time and effort into the cause, if they lend their ears to other positive work, they will discover a variety of ideas aimed at improving the lives of all Michigan residents.

The message of One Community has expanded. Now 20 counties will echo this message:

That we are one people and our prosperity and quality of life depend on all residents contributing fully to the economic, social and cultural life of our communities and our state.

We will not stand for anything less.

84 Reasons Not to Stereotype Poor People

As a volunteer preparing income taxes for low income people, serving lunches a few times a year at the Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen, or helping elderly folks carry a bag of groceries upstairs from my church's basement food bank in Benton Township, I have had my eyes opened wide as to the variety of poor people. There are young or old, men and women, veterans, hard working (some work more than one part time, low paying jobs.) Some are disabled.

I have met highly intelligent poor people. One of my favorite tax clients at the EITC Coalition is a fellow who is writing a book while working as a janitor at a church. Other folks are learning disabled, receive SSI, and may work menial jobs because it provides them dignity and respect.

On occasion, one of my fellow volunteers will wonder out loud: Do some of these people "scam" the system? Are they simply here to "get a hand out?" Are they just "lazy?" (That is like asking: "Do all rich people cheat on their taxes?" In my estimation, these stereotypes pigeon hole people. It seems to me, the truth is much more varied.)

Please allow me to introduce you to a young African American man who I met about a year ago at my church's food bank. In a brief conversation, the young man told me he drives several times a week to a truck driving job in the Chicago area. He was one of 84 families present that day:

84

Nearly end of the month
the benefit and other funds are running low
so 84 families wait in pews
to be called by number
to the church basement
for a meager bag of groceries
to help them be less hungry
for the next week or so.

(Don't they have names?
Or do we have to give them numbers?)

84 families,
different stories each.
Some old and finding it difficult to maneuver the stairs.
Some with little babies strapped to their breasts.

A dad with his three year old
waiting patiently just as he waits
for a truck driving job with benefits to open locally
so that he can spend more time with a little girl
and less time commuting six hours daily,
four times a week.

(Me screaming inside,
Don't tell me that all poor people are lazy!)

His little girl's smile
is all the blessing I need today.
But then I look up and see
83 more.

Another region to meet and discuss strategies for poverty reduction

After a successfully beginning to regional planning efforts by the Poverty Reduction Initiative and Lewis Walker Institute, they will now be asked to provide organizational and technical assistant to another Michigan region. Today Region 3 will convene in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the first time, bringing together over 30 representatives to discuss poverty reduction methods.

Region 3 includes the counties of >Kent, Lake, Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa, Montcalm, Ionia, Mecosta, and Osceol. Over 30 organization representatives have RSVPed to become engaged in poverty reduction efforts originally initiated by the Voices for Action Poverty Summit in November, 2008.

As they accomplished in Region 6 (SW Michigan), the PRI will create an organizational structure so that participants from this region can communicate effectively and create common goals for poverty reduction they can address as a larger whole.

Region 3 is led by Beverly Drake, Community Action Director, and James McCormick, the Director of the Newaygo DHS. Stayed tuned to learn more about developments in the area.

Youth continue to struggle in Calhoun County

According the Battle Creek Enquirer yesterday;

"Poverty has put more children at risk than any other factor recently, according to a national survey on children's health and well-being, whose results were released Tuesday.

The annual Kids Count state-by-state survey by the Annie E. Casey Foundation says 26 percent of children in Calhoun County lived in poverty between 2005 and 2007. The rate of children countywide eating government-subsidized lunches nearly doubled from 25.7 percent in 1990 to 45.3 percent in 2007."

Calhoun's youth are going through a lot of pain right now, with high risk statistics in several categories including:

• Teen pregnancies
• Teen Drop-outs
• Unemployment among dropouts

"Calhoun County had the highest percentage of high school dropouts between 2005 and 2007 -- 11 percent annually -- with the next closest counties reporting 8 percent of students ages 16 to 19 dropping out."

The Community Indicator System in development by PRI and the Lewis Walker Institute will give a better mapping of the services in the county, as well as the areas where teens are struggling most. It is important that we understand the areas in which they needs are highest before we begin trying to fix them.

Programs like the Kalamazoo Promise won't be able to succeed unless we give families the sufficient support they need to support youth education. Only then will we see a reduction in poverty substantial enough to affect the community as a whole.

Despite Postponement, Eastside Stands Strong Makes Steady Progress

Eastside Stands Strong had the promise to be an event which raised awareness, inspired leadership, and brought resources to the Eastside Neighborhood Community.

It will just have to wait another year until that promise is realized.

Choosing to coordinate their efforts with the campaign for a youth/community center on the Eastside, the walk leaders decided best to postpone the event until next fall, when it is likely the center will be in a full push for a capital campaign.

What the event planners accomplished, however, was no small task. Though a year is a long time to wait, the meetings established a sense of cohesiveness and leadership that will develop positive changes in the neighborhood in the future. The meetings also established a name, logo, and planned a route of which to center the event.

When it is time to reconvene for the event next fall, our committee will be substantially more prepared to create a momentous event. We can the support of the community center developers, as they will look to garner support throughout the greater community of Kalamazoo.

We can look forward to seeing a substantial event next year which surely will raise awareness and bring resources to the Eastside Neighborhood of Kalamazoo