Every quarter, around 900 seniors in Livingston County receive a newsletter giving them information about programs we have for seniors, information on upcoming programs and events, tips, hints, and delicious recipes!
You can take a look at the latest issue of our Senior Newsletter by clicking here (.pdf file)
Enjoy reading, and if you’d like to be put on the mailing list for the senior newsletter, you can do so by sending an email to rosalieh@mccainc.org
Did you buy a new house in 2010?
If you qualify for either the $8,000 first-time home buyer’s credit or the $6,500 credit for longtime residents who bought another principal residence, you don’t have to wait until you file your 2010 tax return to claim it.
Special rules allow you to claim the tax rebate on your 2009 return as long as you signed a binding contract before May 1, 2010, and close on the home before Sept. 30. Amend your 2009 return by filing Form 1040X. (You’ll also have to file Form 5405, “First-Time Homebuyer Credit and Repayment of the Credit,” and include a copy of your settlement sheet.)
Our Summer Energy Assistance Program will run from July 19 until July 30 or until funds are exhausted. Please note that, as of Monday, July 26, all funds for this program have been exhausted and the final two walk-in days have been cancelled.
We cannot begin making appointments until July 19, which will also be a walk in day in both McLean County and Livingston County. This program pays $150 on electric bills for at risk households:
There is no reconnection assistance with this program and no cash payments for renters where the landlord pays the electricity. Income guidelines remain the same as last year.
Please contact a MCCA office for additional information or call on or after July 19 for an appointment – we will post additional walk in days as they are determined.
In McLean County, call 309-829-0691
In Livingston County, call 815-844-3201
Mid Central Community Action is accepting applications for the IDA (Individual Development Accounts) program. If you are looking to purchase a house, go to college, or start your own business you should apply. The program helps you save money towards your goal and at the end of the program MCCA will match the funds you have saved 2 to 1 (limit is $2,000).
Application forms are available from the MCCA office, or download one from the website.
For more information, see the IDA page
Tornado damage in Dwight. Photo by Kelly Krug
On Saturday night, tornadoes ripped across Central Illinois, leaving a trail of damage that most of us can only imagine in our worst dreams. Homes in Peoria, Dwight, Streator and surrounding areas were ripped from their foundations, cars were lifted into the air and deposited many feet away, huge trees were uprooted, power lines were downed and a train was derailed.
(Report from ChicagoBreakingNews.com)
MCCA is able to assist residents in Livingston County with car repairs for cars that were damaged by the tornado, and with a security deposit or first month’s rent should they have to move due to tornado damage.
To receive this assistance, residents must be employed, and be at or below 200% of the poverty level. See guidelines below:
| Household Size | 30 Day Income | Annual Income | ||
|
1
|
$1,805 | $21,660 | ||
|
2
|
$2,428 | $29,140 | ||
|
3
|
$3,051 | $36,620 | ||
|
4
|
$3,675 | $44,100 | ||
|
5
|
$4,298 | $51,580 | ||
|
6
|
$4,921 | $59,060 | ||
|
7
|
$5,545 | $66,540 | ||
|
8
|
$6,168 | $74,020 | ||
For households with more than eight (8) residents, please add $623 (30 Day Income), or $7,480 (Annual Income) for each additional person
For more information, or to apply for assistance, please call the Livingston County office in Pontiac on (815) 844 3201, or email CathyG@MCCAinc.org
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides a one time per year payment for heat (primary utility), and electric, (secondary utility), to income eligible applicants. The LIHEAP Program is able to provide once a year reconnection assistance payments for applicants whose utility has been disconnected for non payment or applicants who are being denied service because of an old bill. LIHEAP is also able to provide emergency furnace repair or replacement for eligible applicants whose furnace does not work or is red tagged by the utility company.
The program closed on May 31, 2010 and will begin again on September 1, 2010. In the meantime, we expect to be able to offer a summer cooling program in late July 2010 for elderly and vulnerable populations. Watch this website for more details as soon as they are available.
Today, Friday April 16th, is the deadline for mailing in your completed census form. If 100% of households mailed back their forms, taxpayers would save $1.5 BILLION dollars. Let’s all do our part and mail back our forms!
What happens if you don’t mail your form back? If you do not mail back your census form, a census taker will visit your home in person in May to ensure that the Bureau accurately count each person in the country. It costs the Census Bureau just $0.42 when people mail back their form, compared to $57 for census takers to visit each home.
Didn’t receive a form? Be Counted forms, available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian, can be picked up in nearly 39,000 community locations nationwide and mailed back in the attached postage-paid envelope. To find a Be Counted site near you, go to 2010census.gov
College students: Those living off-campus should have already received a form in the mail. All students living at the address are considered one household, so only one form should be completed. Students in campus housing should receive a form from their Resident Assistant. The Census Bureau has a helpful YouTube video called “Census on Campus” – click here to view it!
Most of the questions you may have about the Census are answered here.
By Becky Berry, Community Services Case Worker
MCCA’s nomination for the 2010 Families of Distinction is Samanthe Boyd.
Each year, the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies (IACAA) honors families who have benefitted in some way from Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) programs. Samanthe Boyd was nominated by Community Services Case Worker, Becky Berry, for the achievement of completing Mid Central Community Action’s Individual Development Account pilot program. Ms. Boyd is a 26 year old single mother of three sons, ages 9, 8 and 5. She works full time for a cleaning company with an annual income of $24,000 (125% poverty level for a family of 4).
In October 2007, Samanthe inquired about Mid Central Community Action’s (MCCA) Individual Development Account pilot program (IDA) which was created for the purpose to help participants gain financial literacy and save money for the purchase of a home. After enrolling in the IDA program Samanthe opened a savings account and deposited an initial $40 in the State Farm Bank sponsored program. Ther after, Ms. Boyd deposited at least $10 per week during the next two years. During this time, Ms. Boyd also became familiar with banks and savings accounts; learned budgeting skills; built assets; repaired credit; took the Homebuyer’s Education class; and received monthly case management that included referrals, guidance, and support. On November 30, 2009, two years after beginning the IDA program, Samanthe was able to buy her first home. MCCA matched Samanthe’s savings of $1000 with a 2 to 1 match (for a total MCCA contribution of $2,000). In addition, she was eligible for an Affordable Housing Coalition grant of $5,000 because she had successfully completed the Homebuyer’s Education class through MCCA’s housing department.
Samanthe’s life journey puts this amazing accomplishment into perspective and demonstrates Ms. Boyd’s dream of “owning my own home for us” and her determination to create the best life possible for herself and her sons.
In 2000, at the age of 16 (a mere 10 years ago), Samanthe’s mother emancipated her so that she could get her own apartment. Her first apartment was through the Bloomington Housing Authority. During this time, she earned her GED, got a job to buy her first car, and had her first son. After a couple of years, she received Section 8 housing and rented a “really nice place.” Ms. Boyd states that she was able to “manage my credit and paid my bills on time which really helped.”
In 2007, at age 23, Samanthe was now a mother of three young sons (7, 6 and 2). She was managing well, but wanted “to have a place I could call mine.” After learning about MCCA’s IDA program, she decided it was the time to begin saving for her dream of home ownership. On a salary of $280 per week and working 25 hours per week, Samanthe made the commitment to save $10 weekly. Samanthe was diligent and timely in her deposits. By September 2009, Samanthe had accumulated a total of $1416 and was ready to buy her home! Samanthe and her sons are now enjoying their three bedroom home with a finished basement in Bloomington.
As Samanthe’s caseworker during her involvement in the IDA program, I am very proud of her accomplishments. She is a very quiet, self-determined woman. It has been a pleasure to meet with Ms. Boyd and help provide her with the information, guidance, and support she needed. Samanthe was always willing and eager to learn and follow through with suggestions and information. Not only did Samanthe have high expectations for herself, she accomplished her goals under extremely difficult circumstances – a young, single mother and low income. But, she exemplifies what can happen with the correct mindset, initiative, self-discipline, and willingness to learn. Ms. Boyd ends her story with these words: “I’m really thankful of this (IDA) program and everyone who as helped me at Mid Central Community Action.”
Mid Central Community Action and I are honored to have had the opportunity to play a small part in Samanthe Boyd realizing her dream!
Through the use of ARRA funds, MCCA is funding the Sustainable Agriculture Program (SAP) at Heartland Community College’s Green Institute. The SAP is a hands-on, intensive vocational training for low-income individuals, and provides training through internships and training institutes.
The goals of the SAP are to:
Workshops include classroom instruction, field demonstration days and hands-on learning components. Interns will be placed with local sustainable agriculture or horticultural organizations.
To be eligible for this program, participants must:
There are limited scholarships available for students!
If you need more information, please contact Nicolette Slagle at 309 268 8446 or nicolette.slagle@heartland.edu
On April 17th, as part of Money Smart Week, MCCA will offer a hands-on workshop designed to demonstrate easy and inexpensive ways to save energy around the home. These “green” methods of saving energy will also result in saving money!
The workshop will also demonstrate how to achieve your savings goals with the money you have saved on your utility bills.
For more details, visit our Facebook page, or call Memuna Lee on (309) 834 9233 or email MemunaL@MCCAinc.org
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