For most recent college graduates, myself included, the loss of Winter, Spring and Summer breaks is one of the harshest consequences of entering the "real world". Having spent much of January in Grinnell, while most students are in exciting places enjoying their five weeks of freedom, has somehow made the Iowa winter seem that much longer. Luckily, I've been busy at MICA with some new and exciting projects!
LIHEAP Update
Before I get to the new and exciting things, here's a quick update about LIHEAP. As my faithful quarterly report readers will recall from my last quarterly report, LIHEAP stands for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a federally funded program that helps families pay their winter heating bills. It was unseasonably warm when Paula and I started taking LIHEAP applications in November, and talking about heating bills when it was 50 degree outside seemed almost comical. But now, with temperatures dropping below zero, I am thankful that we've been able to offer assistance to over 500 families, but also concerned for the families who we couldn't help because they were over-income, and worried that even for the families who were approved, the several hundred dollars they received will not be enough to get them through the winter. It's not all hopeless, though; for many families just barely getting by, an extra $300 of credit towards their energy bill might allow them to pay off other bills or buy things they need but haven't been able to afford.
Free Tax Preparation and the Earned Income Tax Credit
I've spent most of my work days during January and February working on a free tax preparation program that MICA operates for low-income families. The program is important because it saves families the money they would have spent paying a tax preparer to complete their return, and also because it helps families claim tax credits, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The Earned Income Tax Credit is the largest federal aid program for low-income workers, and families can receive up to $4,536; however, the IRS estimates that 15-20% of eligible families and individuals do not claim the EITC, which equates to $50 million of unclaimed EITC in Iowa alone. Even people who are not required to file taxes might be eligible to claim the EITC!
The returns are prepared by community volunteers who become certified by the IRS. Last year, I volunteered as a preparer, so I was excited to help the project director, Lisa, organize the tax sites this year. Last year we prepared 87 returns and helped families claim $148,873 of refunds, an average of $1,700 per return. Thanks to a great team of volunteers from Grinnell College, Marshalltown Community College, and the Grinnell community, this year we've already helped over thirty families file their returns and claim their refunds at tax sites in Grinnell, Tama and Marshalltown.
After volunteering last year, I've really enjoyed taking an active role in recruiting and training volunteers, organizing the tax sites, and networking with other agencies to publicize the program. I think that the program is great because it helps families learn about filing taxes, and gives us an opportunity to provide some information about financial planning and management - for example, at our tax sites in Grinnell and Marshalltown, we invited representatives from Wells Fargo Bank to help families open checking accounts and answer banking questions. The program is also a great opportunity for volunteer recruitment and involvement.
Before I volunteered last year, I certainly would not have placed taxes on my list of interests, but the program as definitely piqued my interest in some aspects of tax law. In December, Lisa and I went to a training for organizers of free tax preparation sites hosted by the IRS, and I remember listening to some of the seasoned tax site organizers talk animatedly about the quirks of tax law and tax preparation and thinking that I will never be that excited about taxes. But lo and behold, last week I found myself excitedly explaining the new Telephone Excise Tax refund (the most wide-reaching refund in IRS history!) to a very uninterested friend. So, thank you MICA, for this opportunity to become a tax nerd.
Family Team Meeting Facilitation
I am currently in the process of becoming trained to facilitate family team meetings. In Iowa, family team meetings are used to develop an individualized course of action when a family is identified by the Department of Humans Services (DHS) as being at risk of child abuse and neglect. Rather than relying on the state or a DHS case worker to mandate a plan to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect, this method of family decision-making taps into a family's strengths and past successes to find solutions to current issues. The meeting is attended by the immediate family and the family's friends, neighbors, extended family, local service providers, and other formal and informal supports. The family has an opportunity to share their story, the other meeting attendees have an opportunity to talk about the family's strengths, and together they identify meaningful goals and develop action plans that are specifically catered to the family's needs.
My facilitator's manual lists the following reasons why family team meetings are effective:
- Provides a setting for the family voice to be heard
- Adds to the family's natural support system
- Focuses on assessing strengths and needs
- Expands the expertise available to the family
- Crafts the family individual plan
- Provides for the coordination of action and clarity of expectations
- Creates lasting supports for the family
Another great thing about the family team meeting model is that is focuses on identifying and involving a family's informal supports (like neighbors, extended family, friends, etc.) rather than relying on formal supports (like the Department of Human Services, organizations like MICA, etc.). Families might not always be eligible for services from DHS or MICA, so building informal networks of support is important, both for strengthening families in crisis, and for strengthening communities. I think these meetings are an excellent example of community empowerment and development. However, I think it can be hard for service providers to step back and allow those informal supports to take over, because we want to make sure that the families we work with are thriving and the children are safe, not to mention that it is our job and responsibility to do so.
Family team meetings are often used by families within the Department of Human Services system, but ideally any community member could request a team meeting for their own family or for another family in the community. The facilitator prepares for the meeting by introducing the family to the process, helping the family identify who else should be present and preparing those individuals. During the meeting, the facilitator guides the team in managing their emotions and focusing on the outcomes. After the meeting, the facilitator provides a written copy of the family's plan of action to each person at the meeting. In order to complete the process of becoming a certified family team meeting, I will attend another two days of training, and then team up with a certified facilitator and facilitate several meetings with their assistance, and apply to the Department of Human Services for certification approval. I'm very much hoping to complete this certification before I leave Grinnell in June, but even if I don't, attending the training has been very interesting and educational.
One more report to go!
It's hard to believe that I'm only three and a half months away from leaving Grinnell and moving on to somewhere new! I'm planning on making the most of my last few months at MICA and really looking forward to completing some on-going projects and starting some new ones. If you have any questions or comments about MICA or Grinnell Corps, you better ask them soon⦠email me at herethja@grinnell.edu.
