Local Community Group Helps Low to Moderate Income Families Keep 100% of Their Refund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Miami, Florida – January 23, 2017 — It is more important than ever to prepare accurate income tax returns during the 2017 tax season. A new law requires the IRS to delay issuing refunds for certain taxpayers claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) until February 15. The law has no exceptions and is designed to make it easier for the IRS to find and stop fraud.

Catalyst Miami houses one of over 12,000 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs across the country that the IRS relies on to help people file their taxes every year, completely free of charge. In 2016 alone, our IRS certified volunteers helped over 2,000 families and individuals in Miami Dade County qualify for and keep 100% of their refunds—over $2.5 million—without worrying about hidden fees or unexpected charges.

On average, many of our clients receive over thirty percent of their annual income in tax refunds, making their tax returns vital to their financial lives. “For more than 10 years, Catalyst Miami has helped individuals and families get their maximum refund that they use on necessities, like paying bills, paying down debt, making new purchases, and saving,” said Mr. Chris Moreno, Community Wealth Manager at Catalyst Miami. “We are dedicated to helping as many community members as we can and encourage taxpayers to be wary of preparers promising faster refunds through expensive financial products, like loans.”

Mr. Moreno adds, “Don’t let people take advantage of you, claiming to be able to get you a quicker refund. High-interest loans and short-term advances on your refund will only cost you in the long run.” Catalyst Miami and community partners will begin the 2017 Tax Filing season in Miami Dade County today on Monday, January 23, 2017.

Who can get free tax prep? Generally, individuals and families who make less than $54,000 are eligible to have their taxes prepared and e-filed for free. Our services are also available to persons with disabilities, the elderly and non-native English speakers who need assistance in preparing their taxes.

High Quality Service. The volunteers and staff tax preparers at Catalyst Miami free tax preparation site go through at least 15 hours of training and are certified by the IRS. We make sure our customers get high-quality, professional service by trained volunteers who are equipped to identify tax refund opportunities for customers. Our goal is to help our customers get their maximum refund and claim all the credits that they have earned. During the 2015 filing season alone, over 90,000 volunteers nationwide helped prepare over 3.7 million returns at thousands of tax sites.

For more information on Catalyst Miami and their expert tax preparation services, visit www.catalystmiami.org. Or, plan on using the Free File Alliance program that allows you to choose brand name tax preparation software at no cost to you. This option is available at www.freefilealliance.org and can be accessed from the comfort of your living room.

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Catalyst Miami is an anti-poverty nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and support individual leaders and strong organizations that work together to improve health, economic opportunity, and civic engagement in our community. To learn more about Catalyst Miami, visit www.catalystmiami.org.

Media Contact:
Molly Delahunty
[email protected]
305-576-5001

January 11, 2017
By Darren Liddell

Tax season is almost here and many are prepping for their individual and family tax returns. Over the last 10 years, Catalyst Miami has been providing free tax preparation to the Miami-Dade community and offering trainings to teach volunteers how to prepare taxes for their community. This year, there is a big change impacting those that file taxes without Social Security Numbers (SSN). Tax filers using Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITINs) will now have to make sure their ITINS are not expiring.

This change will impact individuals who have previously received an ITIN number but have not filed a tax return at least once for tax years 2013, 2014, or 2015. Additionally, ITINs with middle digits 78 and 79 (Example: 9XX-78-XXXX) expired on December 31, 2016. Anyone, including dependents, meeting the conditions above will need to apply for a new ITIN. The IRS is emphasizing that no action is needed if ITIN holders do not need to file a tax return this upcoming tax season.

What to do if you need to renew your ITIN? You must submit a completed form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, to the IRS.  You can review your ITIN application today by submitting your Form W-7, a copy of your IRS 5281 (if you received one), and all required identification documentation.  Anyone who receives a renewal letter from IRS can choose to review for all of the family members claimed on their tax return at the same time.

If you have never had an ITIN number but would like to receive one, we prepare ITIN applications all throughout the year and can help you to apply for the first time in addition to renewing your ITIN.

Need help completing your W-7 application or have questions? Schedule to meet with one of our tax team members by reaching out to Darren Liddell, Sr. Director of Community Wealth, at [email protected] or 786-527-2570.

Want to be a tax volunteer? Connect with Chris Moreno, Community Wealth Manager, at [email protected] or 786-414-1299.

Additional resources:  

ITIN Changes Fact Sheet (English/Spanish): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5259.pdf
ITIN Changes Fact Sheet (Haitian Creole): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5259ht.pdf?_ga=1.12924980.205894892.1472226932

January 9, 2017
Adapted from Florida Legal Services

President-elect Trump and Congressional leaders have repeatedly stated their intent to repeal the ACA, and it has been widely reported that the repeal effort will be “fast-tracked” starting in January 2017.

ACA repeal puts coverage for over 2.2 million Floridians-- including children, people with disabilities, and pre-existing conditions-- at risk. Most are in working families. The ACA, Medicaid, and CHIP have provided affordable health insurance coverage to millions of Americans-- many of them for the first time starting in 2014. Nationwide, over 80% of Americans that stand to lose coverage are members of working families with family incomes between 100 and 250% of the federal poverty level (between $24,300 and $60,750 for a family of 4). These are working Floridians who have been able to afford to go to the doctor for the first time in years.

Florida would lose billions in federal support. Not only will the Floridians lose their health insurance, Florida stands to lose over $8 billion in federal dollars annually. Most of those dollars (over $6.1 billion) go to pay for the premium tax credits and cost sharing reductions that make insurance affordable for low and moderate income Floridians. This large loss of federal funding does not account for the ripple effect of additional lost revenue that would be experienced in local economies.

Many Floridians would immediately lose affordable health coverage. Repealing this federal support for coverage without a replacement plan, would destabilize the insurance market almost immediately. Even a gradual phase out of the tax credits that help make coverage affordable could force most Floridians out of the marketplace. Those remaining will likely be less healthy, and insurers need healthy consumers to balance the cost of paying for sicker customers. The proposed repeal without out replacement means premiums could skyrocket for all of us.

Florida would lose ground on historic progress covering children. More children have coverage than ever before on record-- 95% nationally and 93% in Florida in 2015.^[1] The anticipated ACA repeal would reverse this historic progress. Nationally, repeal alone would double the number of uninsured children. Threats to alter financing of Medicaid and CHIP--also on the table for 2017 healthcare proposals--would mean additional cuts to kids and families who rely on those programs.

Footnotes:
^[1] Linda J. Blumberg, Matthew Buettgens, and John Holahan, “Implications of Partial Repeal of the ACA through Reconciliation,” Urban Institute, December 2016. The “UI Report” modeled the effect of a repeal bill similar to the reconciliation bill vetoed by President Obama in January 2016.

^[2] J. Alker and A. Chester, “Children’s Health Coverage Rate Now at Historic High of 95 Percent,” Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (October 2016), available at http://ccf.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Kids-ACS-update-11-02-1.pdf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2016

On December 13th, 2016 Catalyst Miami will celebrate the inaugural cohort of CLEAR Miami (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience) at CIC Miami (1951 NW 7th Ave). This training program was created in response to the challenges that Miami-Dade County’s 2.7 million residents are likely to face as a consequence of climate change and sea level rise. These challenges include an endangerment of 90% of South Florida’s drinking water, 7-foot storm surges occurring every five years instead of the current 76-year frequency, an increased number of King Tide flooding events and heat waves, as well as a threat to the County’s tourism and agricultural economies. The over 1.5 million Miami-Dade County residents that are financially vulnerable will face a disproportionate climate burden because these populations have the least resources to adapt and recover from these and other climate shocks.

CLEAR Miami focuses on climate resilience leadership and provides graduates with a groundwork to become climate resilience educators, leaders, and innovators in their own communities and beyond. Participants will develop a deep understanding of climate science, local climate change threats, and solutions. The program is a 12-week commitment. As a result of the program the graduates have taken on community projects. These projects include: incorporating environmental concerns in neighborhood coalitions (Allapattah and Goulds), cleaning up garbage and promoting recycling in their neighborhoods (Little Haiti and Liberty City), and promoting emergency preparedness (Overtown, Liberty City, Kendall). For more information on CLEAR Miami or the upcoming event, contact Zelalem Adefris, Climate Resilience Program Manager, at [email protected] or 786-414-1300.

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Catalyst Miami is an anti-poverty nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and support individual leaders and strong organizations that work together to improve health, economic opportunity, and civic engagement in our community. To learn more about Catalyst Miami, visit www.catalystmiami.org.

CONTACT
Molly Delahunty
Catalyst Miami
786-414-1292
[email protected]

October 13, 2016
By Zelalem Adefris

On September 20th, 2016, Catalyst Miami launched the inaugural session of CLEAR Miami (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience). This training program was created in response to the challenges that Miami-Dade County residents will face as a result of climate change and sea level rise.

In the first month of the CLEAR Miami and CLEAR Miami Youth programs, the participants have learned about climate change, sea level rise, emergency preparedness, climate gentrification, and climate and health. Week after week, participants cite that the passion of their classmates, collective involvement, and the diversity of viewpoints represented in the discussions are among the greatest strengths of the class. Week after week, the facilitators are continually inspired by our participants’ motivation and readiness to act. Catalyst Miami is looking forward to see all that the participants accomplish in the remaining 8 weeks of the program and beyond.

CLEAR Miami is a 12-week program, with one 3-hour session occurring per week, no fee to participate, dinner provided at no cost, and a subsequent CLEAR Youth program provided at no cost.

Stay tuned for applications to the second program cohort. For more information contact Zelalem Adefris, Climate Resilience Program Manager, at [email protected] or 786-414-1300.

September 23, 2016

Catalyst Miami is honored to be named Impact Organization in the South Florida Community Development Coalition's (SFCDC) 5th Annual Awards for Excellence in Community Development.

The SFCDC awards ceremony recognizes local community development leaders – from private, public, and nonprofit sectors – for their excellent work and exceptional contribution to ensure that all families and neighborhoods in Miami-Dade have access to affordable housing and economic opportunity.

Congratulations to the other 2016 winners!  See you at the awards ceremony on October 13, 6-9 P.M. at Little Haiti Cultural Center.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Awards Seven Communities the 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize

Prize Winners Chosen for Efforts That Give All Residents the Chance to Thrive

September 14, 2016

Princeton, N.J.—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced the seven communities selected to receive the 2016 RWJF Culture of Health Prize. The winning communities were chosen from a group of nearly 200 applicants.

Honored for their efforts to ensure all residents have the opportunity to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives, the 2016 Prize winners are: 24:1 Community in the St. Louis area of Missouri; Columbia Gorge Region of Oregon and Washington; Louisville, Kentucky; Manchester, New Hampshire; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Santa Monica, California, and the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in Washington.

Each winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize, join a network of Prize-winning communities, and share their inspiring stories of challenges met, successes achieved, and lessons learned with other communities building a Culture of Health across the country.

“The RWJF Culture of Health Prize communities show us that in towns and regions across the nation individuals are coming together to find powerful ways to help people achieve the best health possible. These communities are connecting the dots between health and education, jobs, housing, and community safety,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, RWJF president and CEO. “We’re privileged to learn from this growing network of communities that offer hope for the well-being of the entire nation.”

There is no single path forward to building a Culture of Health. Solutions are wide-ranging and everyone has a role to play. Each of this year’s winners developed approaches as unique as the communities themselves:

24:1 Community, Missouri—In north St. Louis County, twenty-four municipalities came together with a collective vision: stronger communities, engaged families, and successful children. Calling themselves “24:1,” their work towards this vision is broad and innovative. Mayors meet regularly to share best practices. Police chiefs work together to reach the highest standards of policing. Schools have linked with businesses, nonprofits, childcare providers, and parents to restore the accreditation its school district lost in 2012. Across the 24:1 region, communities are focused on attaining health equity in ways that go far beyond health care. For instance, in one municipality, there is now a grocery store in a “food desert”, a new cinema, a “wealth accumulation” center that demystifies banking and finance, and other supports for residents.

Columbia Gorge Region, Oregon & Washington—In Columbia Gorge—a region along the Columbia River encompassing counties in Oregon and Washington—healthcare providers and other community partners are collaborating to use a new state system for assessing medical needs and allocating resources as a catalyst for improving the health of all residents. This has led to initiatives such as “Veggie Rx,” a prescription program that addresses food insecurity by helping more than 5,000 people buy fresh fruits and vegetables through vouchers. Community Health Workers steer people to needed services by meeting them where they live, in clinics, and social service agencies. Inclusiveness and collaboration are the driving forces, groups that were historically isolated from decision-making, including the region’s vast Latino population, now are playing a leading role in addressing the many factors that influence health.

Louisville, Kentucky—Collaboration, data driven decision-making, and a shared commitment to health anchor efforts in Louisville. Louisville aims to offer full economic opportunity for all residents through job training opportunities for youth and an effort to increase the number of residents with college degrees. The city has responded to rising violence with an all-in prevention approach and a range of initiatives, including weekly neighborhood Peace Walks with residents and police sharing ideas on how to make the city safer. Artists are being trained to help tackle challenging issues such as violence and racism and playing a pivotal role in job creation and science and technology education.  Community organizations, businesses, health systems, universities, and residents are working alongside each other to put good health within everyone’s reach.

Manchester, New Hampshire—In the largest city in northern New England, public officials and private sector leaders have taken a data-driven, block-by-block approach to better health. Manchester’s swift and compassionate response to the emerging opioid and heroin epidemic— which has successfully mobilized first responders, non-profits, and health care providers to connect residents with critical treatment services—has set a national example for other communities to follow. When more than half of the City’s school children qualified for public assistance programs, city leaders partnered with residents to transform schools in the city’s most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, taking a community school approach that links health and education together. Former textile mills have been converted into high-tech spaces and outdoor recreation areas, spurring economic growth and providing more opportunities for physical activity.

Miami-Dade County, Florida— A vibrant, collaborative, and coordinated approach to improved health is happening across a diverse Miami-Dade County, where 51 percent of its almost 2.7 million residents are foreign-born and at least 79 cultures are represented within its borders. Hundreds of organizations and partners have joined together in the Consortium for a Healthier Miami-Dade County to make schools healthier, streets safer and more opportunities for well-being available to all. Programs like the Miami Children’s Initiative and the Violence Intervention Project are accelerating school performance and combatting gang involvement. Catalyst Miami, an organization that has helped over 5,000 residents set a course for moving from poverty to prosperity, exemplifies the sort of approach being taken throughout the county, an approach that focuses on residents leading and catalyzing community change.

Santa Monica, California—Santa Monica has been building an inclusive, equitable, and diverse community for more than 40 years, deploying creative solutions and strong cross-sector partnerships to drive exceptional progress. It started with a deeply-held commitment to affordable housing, including interdisciplinary “street teams” that address homelessness with compassion by connecting homeless individuals to critical housing and health services. Pioneering efforts to collect and use data were then applied to challenges facing children and families, such as the Cradle to Career initiative that brings parents, educators and service providers together to help children thrive. The City, with its many partners, then brought this data-driven approach to other priorities—from mass transit to open green space—to become a true City of Wellbeing where everyone thrives.

Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, Washington—For years, members of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe had to drive 70 miles to see a doctor from their reservation on the coast of Washington. In the late 1980’s to early 1990’s, after a multiyear pattern of miscarriages and infant deaths, it became clear local health services were critically needed. Today, after overcoming many hurdles, a Wellness Center provides medical, dental, and mental health services for the tribe and surrounding community. Tribal elders are grooming a next generation of leaders by encouraging youth to contribute ideas to policies and participate in tribal government. For a small tribe located on a rural one-square mile in a floodplain and tsunami zone, safety is a top concern. By purchasing land on higher ground, Shoalwater is resetting its gaze on moving the reservation out of harm’s way.

Learn more about this year’s winners through a collection of visual content including videos, photos, and more at www.rwjf.org/Prize. While there, communities can also find out how to apply for the 2017 RWJF Culture of Health Prize.

via http://www.rwjf.org/en/library/articles-and-news/2016/09/robert-wood-johnson-foundation-awards-seven-communities-the-2016.html

August 23, 2016

By Kevan Williams
FROM THE AUGUST 2016 ISSUE OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE

Before the city was built, the land around Miami consisted of a low band of limestone, the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, dissected by lower sloughs, marshy freshwater streams that eventually were filled in and developed. The Arch Creek neighborhood of North Miami is one such area. “Fast forward, [and] they’re what FEMA calls repetitive loss properties,” says Walter Meyer, a founding principal of Brooklyn-based Local Office Landscape Architecture, of the homes built in these vulnerable, low-lying areas.

After multiple claims, the homes are no longer eligible for the National Flood Insurance Program.

Meyer was one of nine urban planning experts convened by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in May 2016 for a weeklong advisory panel, chaired by David Stebbins of the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation in Buffalo, New York. Also on the panel were James Lima, of New York City-based James Lima Planning + Development, and Manuel Ochoa, a senior analyst and program director at Enterprise Community Partners, among others. ULI hosts several of these panels each year, bringing its members to communities around the country to help them develop solutions to their planning challenges. The Arch Creek project is one of several new studies that focus specifically on climate resilience.

Among the panel’s recommendations is to create a land bank or other program that could help homeowners in moving out of low-lying areas, potentially swapping homes in flood-prone places for foreclosed homes on higher ground. “Our strategy is restoring these sloughs in an urban form,” Meyer says. “The idea for this is that we create a replicable pilot project [because] this is one of many sloughs that slice through the city.” Fully realized, these riparian corridors could take the form of greenway parks two or three city blocks wide, flanked by denser urban development in adjacent upland areas.

But the prospect of relocating residents from low-lying areas, whether in the sloughs or on the coast, is already raising concerns among those who live on the ridges, historically less desirable areas where the region’s railroads were built. Caroline Lewis, the executive director of the CLEO Institute, a Miami-based climate advocacy organization, was interviewed by the ULI team. She says that because these higher-elevation properties are now sought after by speculators, low-income families who currently live there are “being preyed on by developers.”

“One hot topic among the communities that are higher ground, that for whatever reason tend to be lower-income, African American communities, is ‘climate gentrification,’” says Gretchen Beesing, CEO of Catalyst Miami, who was also interviewed by the ULI team. Although relocation could present opportunities for transit-oriented and mixed-income redevelopment, Beesing says such an effort will need to involve current residents if it is to be successful. Lewis recommends granting more involvement in decision making to those who will be directly affected. “It’s not sufficient to include only the CEOs of organizations that serve those communities,” she says.

If the ULI panel has lasting value for Arch Creek, it may lie in its provision for a frank conversation about the realities of climate change and sea-level rise, which could reshape these coastal communities sooner than many want to admit. “I think some people are ready to talk about retreat,” Lewis says, though others are not. But in this part of the country, where many communities are just a few feet above sea level, even this proposal would go only so far when some recent climate models predict four or more feet of sea-level rise by 2100. “The thinking,” Meyer says, “is that we buy time with a local solution.”

https://landscapearchitecturemagazine.org/2016/08/23/higher-ground-not-so-fast/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 9, 2016

Miami, Florida - On September 20th, 2016 Catalyst Miami will launch the inaugural session of CLEAR Miami (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience). This training program was created in response to the challenges that Miami-Dade County’s 2.7 million residents are likely to face as a consequence of climate change and sea level rise. These challenges include an endangerment of 90% of South Florida’s drinking water, 7-foot storm surges occurring every five years instead of the current 76-year frequency, an increased number of King Tide flooding events and heat waves, as well as a threat to the County’s tourism and agricultural economies. The over 1.5 million Miami-Dade County residents that are financially vulnerable will face a disproportionate climate burden because these populations have the least resources to adapt and recover from these and other climate shocks.

"With the potentially catastrophic challenges ahead for Miami residents due to climate change, Catalyst Miami is excited to be launching this new program that will inform and empower community residents to play a part in local climate resilience strategies," said Gretchen Beesing, CEO of Catalyst Miami.

CLEAR Miami focuses on climate resilience leadership and provides graduates with a groundwork to become climate resilience educators, leaders, and innovators in their own communities and beyond. Participants will develop a deep understanding of climate science, local climate change threats, and solutions. The program is a 12-week commitment, with one 3-hour session occurring per week at Catalyst Miami's main office (3000 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 210, Miami, FL 33137). Translation will be offered in Spanish and Haitian Creole. There is no fee to participate. Dinner and childcare will be provided at no cost. Applications to this program are available at http://catalystmiami.org/clear-miami-application/. For more information on CLEAR Miami, contact Zelalem Adefris, Climate Resilience Program Manager, at [email protected] or 786-414-1300.

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Catalyst Miami is an anti-poverty nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and support individual leaders and strong organizations that work together to improve health, economic opportunity, and civic engagement in our community. To learn more about Catalyst Miami, visit www.catalystmiami.org.

CONTACT
Molly Delahunty
Catalyst Miami
786-414-1292
[email protected]

July 28, 2016

Catalyst Miami is committed to developing and supporting individual leaders and strong organizations that work together to improve health, education, and economic opportunity in all our communities. In order to achieve our goals, we provide our community residents with direct services and leadership development opportunities, as well as opportunities to become civically engaged through events and activities organized in coalition with our many partners. A very important aspect of our work is to support the empowerment of our community members as they add their voices to address structural injustice. Catalyst Miami stands in full support and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement as they raise their voice to condemn the structural racism that drives the shooting of unarmed Black men by law enforcement officers throughout our nation.

The Catalyst Miami family mourns all lives that are lost to gun violence, including the lives of law enforcement officers who have been recently targeted, and we remain wholeheartedly committed to finding peaceful solutions to the many social issues affecting our community. However, we also recognize the need to separate the recent violence against police officers from the consistent, institutional, and structural racial profiling and violence directed at the African American community and, in particular, against unarmed Black men. We recognize that the safety and well-being of all people should always be an immediate priority, and we assign no less urgency to the need to address the root cause of the disproportionate killing of Black and Brown people. We believe that we, as a community and as a nation, stand at a crossroads at which we must address the many injustices behind the discrimination and dis-empowerment of marginalized communities. We must deal with violence collectively and as a unified community, and set our sights not only on gun violence, but also on the violence of hunger, homelessness, and all the other ills of socio-economic and political destitution.

Finally, Catalyst Miami remains committed to the creation of democratic spaces and processes that allow our residents equal voice and vote in finding the appropriate solutions to police violence. We can no longer afford to follow the same punitive, violence-driven paths that lead to more injustice, hatred, and intolerance. We offer ourselves as partners in the effort to build a unified society, driven by love, tolerance, equal opportunity, and justice for all.

In solidarity,

The Catalyst Miami family