Contact: Carla Moreira Strickland

Canvassers will kick-off “Prosperity Miami” in Overtown, where they will talk to dozens of families about the services and opportunities being offered through the initiative

WHO: Service providers, organizers, canvassers, and Overtown residents

WHAT: Kick-off of “Prosperity Miami,” an initiative to offer services and to increase civic engagement in Miami-Dade County

WHERE: YWCA of Greater Miami, 351 NW 5th Street, Miami, FL

WHEN: Monday, September 14th from 2:00-6:00pm

MIAMI, Florida – On September 14, 2015, Catalyst Miami, a nonprofit organization helping families become prosperous and civically engaged, will officially kick-off “Prosperity Miami,” an initiative to offer direct services and increase civicengagement in Miami-Dade County. Catalyst Miami has partnered with South Florida Voices  for Working Families and New Florida Majority Education Fund to canvass ten neighborhoods to engage 8,000 families. The goal is two-fold: toprovide families with essential services and to connect them with opportunities to become civically active. The civic engagement opportunities include voter registration, U.S. citizenship  application, participation in leadership developmentprograms, and more.

Catalyst Miami will offer on-the-spot enrollment services at weekly Prosperity Miami neighborhood fairs, as well as health fairs, churches, job sites, school open houses, and back-to-school events in ten neighborhoods, includingCoconut Grove, Downtown, Florida City, Hialeah, Homestead, Liberty City, Little Haiti, Little Havana, Overtown, and Sweetwater. According to U.S. Census data, these ten neighborhoods have the  highest numbers of uninsured and underinsured children and families, families at risk of becoming uninsured, families medically underserved due to low-income/asset-limited status, and individuals and families impacted by the five-year ban on permanent residents.

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Catalyst Miami is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting families and community organizations by improving health, educational, and economic outcomes in South Florida.

New Florida Majority Education Fund is a statewide organization working to increase the voting power and influence of African Americans, Latinos, new immigrants, and working families towards a more inclusive, equitable Florida.

South Florida Voices for Working Families is a coalition of community, union and faith-based organizations working together to win improvements in the quality of life for working people in the South Florida area.