FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2015

Press Contact
Carla Moreira Strickland
[email protected]
(786) 414-1292

Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment begins on November 1, 2015

Catalyst Miami’s community health workers will help individuals interested in finding coverage in the Marketplace starting on November 1, 2015 and ending on January 31, 2016

MIAMI, Florida – Sunday, November 1, 2015 marks the first day of Open Enrollment under the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. To assist individuals interested in attaining coverage through the Marketplace, Catalyst Miami’s several community health workers will be providing navigation services in our offices and at off-site locations from November 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the U.S. health and human services secretary, said the federal government is targeting Florida and three other states in an effort to enroll the uninsured. Catalyst Miami is one of the main organizations leading that effort locally. We aim to ensure that all residents have access to quality, affordable healthcare.

To be eligible for health coverage through the Marketplace, one must live in the United States, be a United States citizen or national, and not be incarcerated.

Important dates for 2016 enrollment:
November 1, 2015: Open Enrollment starts — first day you can enroll in a 2016 Marketplace plan. Coverage can start as soon as January 1, 2016.
December 15, 2015: Last day to enroll in or change plans for new coverage to start January 1, 2016.
January 1, 2016: 2016 coverage starts for those who enroll or change plans by December 15.
January 15, 2016: Last day to enroll in or change plans for new coverage to start February 1, 2016
January 31, 2016: 2016 Open Enrollment ends. Enrollments or changes between January 16 and January 31 take effect March 1, 2016.

If you don’t enroll in a 2016 plan by January 31, 2016, you can’t enroll in a health insurance plan for 2016 unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period. Individuals should also note that this year’s penalties for not having healthcare coverage are higher then last year. To learn more, contact us at (305) 576-5001 or check out our informational post at http://bit.ly/Marketplace101.

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Catalyst Miami is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting families and community organizations by improving health, education, and economic outcomes in South Florida. Follow our Twitter handle @CatalystmiMiami or like us on Facebook at facebook.com/CatalystMiami. You can check out our website at www.catalystmiami.org.

By: Caroline Lewis

The urgency of climate change demands an informed and engaged public. As director of the CLEO Institute, I keep up with current data and findings as our non-profit simplifies climate science, seriousness and solutions for a lay public. The work is rewarding, but the science is utterly depressing. There are days when I just want to go sit in a corner and rock quietly. I am not alone.

Report after report confirms: There is consensus — climate change is real; it is human-caused; it is serious; and what we do matters. The rate of change is feeding anxiety that we are not moving fast enough; we are creating a hostile world where humanity and biodiversity cannot thrive; and the most vulnerable among us are the most affected. Our elected and economic leaders must act, and an engaged public must speak up.

Current climate change is largely because of the burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) releasing excessive amounts of heat-trapping greenhouse gases such as CO2 into the atmosphere. Rapidly increasing amounts of these gases means we are trapping more heat than the Earth can handle. This human-caused or anthropogenic global warming results in disruptions, including extreme weather events, warming oceans, increased ice melt, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, prolonged heat waves and the vulnerability of our food, water, health and biodiversity.

Taking action means mitigating the causes of global warming (by reducing fossil-fuel use and increasing renewable energy) and adapting to the effects already in place (by building resilient coastlines, elevating roads, hardening infrastructure, etc.)

During the past five years The CLEO Institute and our partners — scientists, educators, communicators, business and community leaders — have hosted countless formal and informal learning opportunities on the topic. We’ve engaged more than 25,000 people, and our social-media span exceeds 130,000. It is something, but not nearly enough — not when southeast Florida alone has a population close to 6 million —more than most states — and the governor doesn’t tend to act on science or in the public’s interest.

But on Oct. 14, something changed in Miami — and perhaps in all of South Florida. It felt like a million people — all ages, colors and cultures — as far as the eye could see, marching from the Stephen P. Clark Center to the Torch of Freedom on Biscayne Boulevard. They showed up with signs, banners, music, chants and messages for our leaders: No more talk, it is time to act on climate. I was moved beyond words as I applauded the bullhorn appeals tochant: “The seas are rising — and so are we!”

The number was not in the millions; it just seemed that way through my tear-filled eyes. There were about 2,000 people at the march. I’ve long wanted to see this degree of civic engagement on this crucial issue.

A handful of climate-engaged elected leaders was present, and we publicly acknowledged them. We had hoped for many more. We need leadership at all levels to tackle solutions and act in the public’s interest. Soon climate denial will become a major liability for every candidate running for election or re-election.

CLEO was proud to work with the New Florida Majority, Catalyst Miami, the League of Women Voters, Sustainable Miami, NextGen Climate, US Climate Action Network, 350.orgSFL, Urban Paradise Guild, Florida International University, Miami Dade College and about 50 other organizations to coordinate this event. The innovative planning skills and tremendous range of insights of these diverse groups were apparent at our weekly meetings. We became friends and creative problem-solvers. We went into the nooks and crannies of our county and region and invited everyone to the table. We scheduled “art builds” and press releases and crowd funding efforts. And we had a common agenda: that Miami stand and be counted that day, the National Climate Day of Action.

And the people turned out: frontline communities, artists, performers, musicians, social-justice leaders, cultural groups, parents, children, elected leaders and concerned citizens. Some came from as far away as Delray Beach, Palm Beach, Naples, and Tallahassee.

I haven’t wanted to sit in a corner and rock quietly since.

By Joey Francilus

About 1,000 protesters gathered in the streets of downtown Miami on Wednesday to advocate for more local efforts to combat climate change and for enhanced sustainability efforts across Miami.

The rally came just two weeks after autumnal high tides inundated Miami River communities near downtown Miami, and mid-beach neighborhoods in Miami Beach, which also coincided with a climate change summit hosted by former vice president Al Gore.

"This event is all about raising awareness about [the] South Florida population and how we are going to be affected by climate change," said Sierra Club Miami vice-chairman Noel Cleland, one of 50 organizations that was a part of the march. "We're at ground zero for sea level rise, not to mention the storm surge from hurricanes, and as the water gets warmer and hurricanes become more intense, our lifestyle is in jeopardy."

A group of local activists that included environmental groups, petitioners from Floridians for Solar Choice, and Miami-Dade County commission members, gathered at the Stephen P. Clark Miami-Dade County administration building in northwest downtown Miami and marched eastward to the Torch of Friendship monument along busy Biscayne Boulevard as the sunlight dimmed to dusk.

"If there is any place on the planet that needs attention, it is Miami," said state Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, who joined the crowds at the rally. "Too little has happened at the local level. Zero — absolutely zero — is happening at the state level, and there's a coalition of us trying to change that, and too little is happening at the federal level. We're here to demand change on every level. We need it, it needs to start happening yesterday to adapt to the changes that are already happening and make sure that those who are most impacted by all that is happening are not left out in the cold."

Rally-goers focused on the need to make climate change a priority at the local level. The Miami-Dade County Commission only recently allocated $300,000 in funds toward creating a position at Miami-Dade county hall to focus on investigating sustainability and mitigation efforts to combat the growing environmental threat.

"We're in a better position than we were a year or two ago," said Miami-Dade County Commission chairman Jean Monestime. "This is an issue that has taken a good portion of the time at commission meetings in September. The county commission has taken a lead roll on this and the [county] administration has begun to listen and work with us."

The crowd swelled as it wound through busy downtown streets, delaying the evening rush hour commutes of drivers along U.S. Highway 1 as demonstrators chanted, "What do we want? Climate justice. When do we want it? Now."

Supporters of the Floridians for Solar Choice ballot initiative carried signs and gathered signatures in support of a ballot measure that would allow Floridians to install solar panels not derived from state electric companies and to allow for private consumers to resell the surplus generated energy.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/florida/2015/10/8579740/miami-rally-calls-more-local-action-climate-change

By David Smiley

On the heels of an international climate conference and a confluence of natural events that flooded parts of Miami Beach for days, hundreds marched through downtown Miami Wednesday evening in an eclectic call to action on climate change.

Hippies and hipsters, toddlers and teenagers, and environmentalists and politicians gathered at the Stephen P. Clarke Center and then walked several blocks down to the Torch of Friendship on Biscayne Boulevard. Along the way, a crowd of hundreds chanted with megaphones, stenciled warnings of sea level rise on the asphalt, and mimed South Beach sinking into the sea.

Angelica Ramirez, a flower in her hair, walked with her 14-month-old son, Julio Gabriel Morales, swaddled in a baby sling.

“It’s not just my world I’m saving,” said Ramirez, 28. “It’s also his.”

The march, organized by many of the same activists who pressured Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez into placing money in the county’s budget to address sea level rise, said they drew 1,100 to the march, by a modest count. It was a notable crowd by Miami standards, and was just one among dozens of People’s Climate Movement marches in cities around the country.

The march held significance, given that Miami, and in particular flood-prone Miami Beach, have become international symbols for sea level rise. In 2013, the World Bank penned a study that found that no city in the U.S. was more at risk from climate change than Miami, a reality that drew organizations from wide-ranging backgrounds to Wednesday’s march.

“Whenever there’s a natural disaster, whether in Haiti, Chili or around the world, the low income families are the first impacted,” said Marleine Bastien, a prominent activist in Miami’s Haitian community and the executive director of Fanm Ayisyen nan Miyami. “The time for local officials to invest in climate justice, and invest in research to have a strategic plan to address climate change issues and rising sea level is now.”

The participants demanded action on climate change and sea level rise. At the very least, they attracted the attention of local politicians, including several county commissioners. One of them, Daniella Levine Cava, said Miami-Dade County is actively seeking solutions, working with various public entities, like the South Florida Water Management District, and pushing the state to be more proactive.

James Murley, Miami-Dade’s soon-to-be chief of resiliency, said Mayor Gimenez and the county commission are committed to making a difference. He said South Florida already has a significant network of organizations, resources and local government agencies working on the issue, so the county isn’t starting from scratch. He said they’re seeking as much cooperation as possible, and from the look of Wednesday’s march, they’ll have willing partners.

“We’re one county. We can’t work alone. It’s a large system,” he said. “I’m going to do a lot of listening.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article39232704.html#storylink=cpy

By Elizabeth Fernandez

The news seems grim, and getting grimmer. Just this week, a new report warned that Miami could see more than half the city disappear below the waves even if the world took notice and instituted severe cuts to carbon emissions. And without the cuts, there won’t be anything of South Florida left at all, with everything from Key West to Stuart submerged beneath the rising seas.

Our whole way of life destined to vanish. Miami as Atlantis.

As study coauthor Dr. Benjamin Straus told Miami New Times, “Every human being is mortal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live a meaningful life. The same is true of cities.”

While the lifespan of Miami may be a couple centuries, or a couple thousand years, it’s undeniable that we are already feeling the affects. And cities like Miami Beach have been left with no choice but to innovate, with a $400 million program of installing pumps to keep the ocean at bay that’s still a work in progress, and has definitely had both successes and setbacks.

Meanwhile, on the county level, the original proposed budget didn’t have a single penny set aside for sea level rise resilience. But a coalition of 35 different community groups, led by five high school students, made the Board of County Commissioners change their minds, securing an admittedly modest $375,000 that included funds to hire a climate change resilience officer.

“The fact that I won’t be able to raise my kids here is devastating — I love it here,” said Miranda Pertierra, a Miami native and senior at Coral Reef High School who spoke at the commission meeting. “What really gets me angry is the fact that our political leaders don’t care. They are not going to see the consequences. It’s going to be their grandkids living though it.”

While securing what’s basically the cost of a single-family home in Miami-Dade to combat a threat to the county’s very existence may seem like a small place to start, it’s still a win, and it’s part of a greater strategy to bring together community members and organizations beyond the usual coalition of environmental activists.

According to David McDougal, cofounder of Engage Miami and organizer of this years People’s Climate March in Miami, they’ve been able to get the support of more than 50 organizations in demanding that local government do more to tackle the looming crisis. “It’s a real diverse mix,” he explained, “with many organizations that have never addressed climate change, but are seeing climate change increasingly as an issue they need to address as they take on their core missions.”

For him, the People’s Climate March, happening not just in Miami but in nearly 200 cities across the country, was a chance to bring some of these new groups together. As he put it, “This march is very much a celebration of that forward movement, and the citizens and residents standing up for our needs and getting results. … The tent is getting wider and we’re finding ever more intriguing and interactive ways to engage the public.”

And it was definitely a wide tent. They expected 800 people, but it’s estimated more than 2,000 showed up.

Sam Van Leer, founder and president of Urban Paradise Guild, launched the original Miami march last year. “To solve everything, we need everyone — it’s absolutely true,” he said. “We need everybody to be a part of it, so it’s great to have all this energy, and great to have all these new ideas. Everybody has their own perspectives, and they’re all relevant, and they’re all essential.”

Kamalah Fletcher, senior director of community engagement for Catalyst Miami, was part of that new wave of local groups fighting for action against climate change. “Even though we’re not an environmentally focused organization, we do believe in resilience, and if all of this is going to be affecting our communities, we absolutely need to help figure out how we prepare our community to include climate change resilience, to include adaptation, in the realm of what it means to take care of your family and plan for your future.”

The idea that planning for climate change is becoming intrinsically linked to how we as a community plan for the future has gained broad support from an increasingly wide variety of diverse groups, from FANM Ayisyen – Haitian Women of Miami to South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice.

And while farmers and environmentalists can often butt heads over the issues, the farmworker community had a presence at the march as well. According to Leonel Perez of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, “As farmworkers this movement is really important to us because we depend on the climate. … If we continue to destroy the Earth, we won’t have anything to depend on.”

Artist Marcus Blake, who designed the poster for the event and hosted the musical performances and poetry readings leading up to the march, had never considered himself an environmental activist before. But the threats Miami is facing couldn’t be denied. “With just the moon pulling on the ocean, the streets were flooded. I love living here, and so do my children,” he said. “The more you get involved, the more you see that it does affect everybody. It’s so important to do something about it before it’s too late.”

As Mykel Butler, owner, DJ, and creative director of Silent Revolution, put it, “I feel like everyone should be an activist, because this is going to affect everybody.” Which is why he offered headphones free of charge for anyone interested in turning their march into a silent disco.

Because of course, being Miami, the march from Government Center to The Torch of Friendship was as much a party as a protest, with a rara band filling the streets with traditional Haitian festival music as people of all ages and backgrounds poured through Downtown. It definitely did not feel like a wake for a dying city.

It felt like the rallying cry of thousands fighting to preserve their way of life.

https://thenewtropic.com/fighting-climate-change/

The clock is ticking. Soon after Halloween, the federal government will reach its limit on borrowing. That means the U.S. would not be able to meet all its obligations – payments to bondholders and everything government does, from Social Security checks to federal worker pay to Medicare and Medicaid bills.

Tell Congress: Don’t scare us – get to work! Increase the debt limit and #StopTheCuts.

There are several ways to take action:

• Send an email.

• Join the Twitterstorm on October 21 at 1pm ET with #StopTheCuts with our social media toolkit.

• Post a blog (check out MomsRising’s blog next Wednesday morning for a #StoptheCuts Blog Carnival that CHN is cosponsoring).

• You can even pick up the phone (Call the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121, and ask for your Rep. or Senators).

Whatever you choose – please speak out. Members of Congress must get to work now. With so much at stake, they should act this month to prevent the self-inflicted wounds of debt ceiling disaster and impending cuts to everything from Head Start to meals on wheels to low-income housing. We’ve got Halloween ghouls and monsters – we don’t need Congress to be scary.

For more important background on the debt ceiling and ways you can take action, see CHN’s latest blog post.

Contact: Carla Moreira Strickland

MIAMI, FL – One year after the historic People’s Climate March, when 400,000 people crowded the streets of New York City, more than fifty organizations in Miami are joining forces with the People’s Climate Movement as part of its 100-city National Day of Action to demand action on climate change. Led by people on the frontlines of climate impacts, the Miami People’s Climate March will include faith communities and business leaders as well as labor, social service, social justice, education, environmental and student organizations -- all of whom are pressing for change and taking to the streets to demand it.

This march begins at the seat of county government in downtown Miami, a city which has one of the highest capital assets risks profiles of any city in the world. Given Miami’s vulnerability to severe economic failure as a result of rising sea levels and climate change, the lack of real action by elected leaders is putting the city’s most vulnerable residents at great risk.  Miami leads the nation in income disparity and climate vulnerability.

“We must have action from the local, state, and federal levels,” said Kamalah Fletcher of Catalyst Miami and Moms Clean Air Force. “Climate change and community resilience are issues that cut across everything we have been championing: better transit, safe and affordable housing, fair wages, household and community wellness. Climate change will impact all of it and we are fighting to make sure frontline communities are at the decision-making table."

The People’s Climate March will gather at the Government Center, 111 NW First Street, at 5:00 PM, on October 14th. More than 800 participants, including various elected leaders, are expected to attend what will be a celebration of future possibility. Salsa and bomba dancers, a silent disco troupe with ten popular local DJs, a family theatrical ensemble, and puppeteers will join activists, college and high school students, and Miamians young and old in the 1-mile walk. The march will culminate with a rally at the Torch of Freedom, where the crowd will carry out a collective ribbon-tying ceremony and show unity before taking their real climate solutions message to Tallahassee legislators at a hearing on October 16th.

“Civic engagement has become essential because the science tells us, with great certainty, that we are degrading the environment and creating a significantly more hostile world.” says Caroline Lewis of CLEO Institute. “Instead of giving up or putting our heads in the sand, we are calling for action at all levels and for leadership from our elected officials to fund solutions now!”

The march is being organized by a diverse coalition who see the challenges ahead clearly and soberly.  Last month, the same coalition was able to push the issue of sea level rise forward by advocating that county commissioners include funding for sea level rise abatement in this year’s budget and to create a Chief Resilience Officer and Office of Resilience -- all of which the county has done in response to the public pressure.

“This will be Miami’s largest event showcasing the public’s concern about climate change, its impact on our city and region, and most importantly, on the most vulnerable of our citizens,” says Kaydrianne Young of New Florida Majority, who coordinated the artistic elements of the march. “The march will be a vibrant celebration of our region’s art, music and culture, and a bold call for climate leadership now. The seas are rising and so are we!”

When: Wednesday, October 14, 5 p.m.

Where: Miami-Dade County, Stephen P. Clark Government Center. 111 NW 1^st St., Miami

Who: More than 800 people, including frontline vulnerable communities, local elected officials and members of over 50 community organizations.

Why: Because if we don’t take the initiative to save our city, who will?

What: Run of Program

5:00             Assemble at Stephen P. Clark Government Center - assemble puppets, unfurl banners, speakers & cultural performances at the stage.

6:10             March begins and heads east on 2nd Street

6:35             March pause moment of silence, touch the ground symbolic connection to the earth, then roar and continue march

7:00             Rally & music at the Torch of Freedom

MIAMI, Fla. — Recognizing that “When we empower our small businesses, our community thrives,” Miami -Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava, is launching the District 8 Small Business Academy on Oct.1.  The month-long program, the first of its kind by a County Commissioner, will provide training and resources to local businesses so that entrepreneurs have the tools they need for success.

“My office is dedicated to economic development in South Dade. We created the Small Business Academy with input from the priorities expressed at the South Dade Solutions Summit earlier this summer.”

In 1996, Levine Cava, a member of the Miami-Dade Commission’s Prosperity Council, founded Catalyst Miami (formerly called Human Services Coalition of Dade County), to help low and middle income families through education and advocacy. At Catalyst Miami, she launched the Prosperity Campaign to help people increase their income and savings. That initiative, in alliance with the business community, chambers of commerce, the United Way, and local banks, has brought in hundreds of millions in income tax credits and other programs, money reinvested in the local economy.

“Small businesses are the backbone of South Dade; they provide crucial services, create jobs and are vital community partners. The goal of the academy is for businesses to have the knowledge and resources to increase sales, hire employees and prosper,” Levine Cava added.

The South Dade Solutions Summit was held in June of this year. Summit participants identified investing in our small businesses and encouraging new entrepreneurs as a priority.  The Small Business Academy will feature innovative workshops taught by leading business development agencies in South Florida. Academy participants will be provided with linkages to a network of private and public resources. The first workshop will focus on establishing start-ups for aspiring business owners.

For the academy, Levine Cava is once again collaborating with organizations from the public and private sector; including Partners for Self-Employment, Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, Economic Development Council of South Dade, Miami-Dade County Small Business Development Division, The Beacon Council, CareerSource of South Florida and the Florida International University Small Business Development Clinic, Economic Development Council of South Dade, Palmetto Bay Business Association, South Dade Chamber of Commerce, Chamber South, Greater Kendall Business Association and Cutler Bay Business Association.

http://www.sfltimes.com/news/local/commissioner-daniella-levine-cava-launches-small-business-academy

September 15, 2015
By Camilo Mejía

This past Friday marked 14 years since the September 11 attacks, an event that drastically changed the course of American foreign policy and led to a series of US military interventions throughout the Middle East. The event also changed many aspects of our lives, from people's right to due process, to widespread state surveillance, to the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the public. The Social Justice Table, a network of social justice organizations working to create social change in Miami-Dade County, in partnership with the Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy (iCED) at Miami Dade College, hosted a panel discussion to consider all the changes that have taken place and to explore community-centered approaches that address national security while preserving people’s right to privacy and redress grievances.The panel discussion was preceded by a service component organized by iCED and largely driven by Miami-Dade College students who collected non-perishable items and assembled a PB&J sandwich line. The non-perishables were donated to Stand Down, a national organization dedicated to eradicating homelessness in the veteran community, while the PB&J sandwiches were donated to the Miami Rescue Mission, a local shelter serving the greater homeless community since 1922.

“Having a service component to benefit charity groups is a good thing,” remarked Scot Evans, professor at the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development, “… but having a service component followed by a discussion looking into why there is a need for charity is even better.”

The panel discussion that followed offered participants an overview of foreign and domestic policy changes resulting from the 9/11 attacks, looking into the rationale behind the US invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq in the context of international law, and the change in state vs public relationship as contextualized by the Patriot Act and other domestic policy changes.

Then the audience got to hear about the first-hand experiences of a local organizer who has been active in the Occupy movement in Miami and other social justice movements, such as the March Against Monsanto and the People’s Climate March. The panelists challenged participants to imagine ways to address safety and security concerns while protecting people’s right to organize and demand positive social change, and the moderator encouraged the audience to join local social justice initiatives.

As always, participants were invited to regroup at a local venue for some unstructured social networking after the panel and group discussions. Around 20 Social Justice Table partners shared food and drink and continued exchanging ideas and information at the social hour.

The next Social Justice Justice Gathering will take place on October 12 at Catalyst Miami, and will provide an opportunity for social justice partners and allies to contribute to the People’s Climate March, happening on October 14, by making signs and banners for the march while enjoying food and drink during our unstructured networking time.

For more information, contact Camilo Mejía at [email protected].