October 2015 Newsletter
RAISE Texas News
Save the Date: RAISE Texas Summit May 10-12, 2016
The 2016 RAISE Texas Summit and workshops “Building Financial Success for Texans: In Schools, The Workplace and Our Communities” will be held on May 10- 12, 2016 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in Dallas, Texas. We will be discussing the latest information on:
- Financial coaching
- College savings accounts for children through schools
- Small dollar loan alternatives
- Implementing asset-building products and programs in the workplace.
More information about the summit and related activities will come later this year. For now, mark your calendars and plan to attend! We hope to see you there!
Presentations Now Available for the Growing Free Tax Preparation Services in Texas Webinar
Thanks to everyone that attended the RAISE Texas webinar “Growing Free Tax Preparation Services in Texas Through Online Platforms- Now Available to Your Organization” on September 30. Our community leaders, Karen Serna and Keren Arista, provided great information on two online platforms for organizations that are interested in expanding their current free tax services or implementing new free tax filing services this upcoming tax season. If you missed the webinar, click here to download the presentations.Texas News
Save the Dates for the Upcoming Financial Education Train-the-Trainers Sessions
The Texas Department of Banking is hosting two Train-the-Trainer Workshops in October and November and then two next year in Dallas and Lubbock. The goal of these trainings is to provide hands on learning regarding financial education curricula and best practices. Register today for the October and November sessions below.
- Houston Train-the-Trainer Workshop, October 27 from 9:00am-3:00pm
- San Antonio Train-the-Trainer Workshop, November 12 from 9:00am-3:00pm
Congratulations to TSAHC’s 2015 Selected Partners
RAISE Texas would like to congratulate its members El Paso Collaborative for Community and Economic Development and Foundation Communities and the other 14 nonprofit organizations that were selected by TSAHC’s Board of Directors to receive their 2015 Texas Foundations Fund awards. These grants will fund critical home repairs, as well as case management, job training and other supportive housing services for more than 2,000 very low-income Texans. Click here to read more on all of the selected partners.
Match the Promise Foundation Scholarships Available
The Texas Match the Promise Foundationsm encourages Texas families to save for college by providing matching scholarships of tuition units worth up to $1,000 at today’ pricing, and grants of tuition units worth $2,000. Eligibility requirements for applying for a scholarship are: be a fifth through ninth grader, have a family with an annual income of $100,000 or less, be a Texas resident, and be enrolled in the Texas Tuition Promise Fund. Applications are accepted from September 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. Eligible families may also enroll in the Texas Tuition Promise Fund during the application period if they haven’t already done so. Click here for more information or apply today.National News and Resources
Webinar on October 7- Healthy Communities Assessment Tool
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Healthy Housing Solutions are hosting a webinar on HUD’s new Healthy Communities Assessment Tool (HCAT) on October 7 from 2:00-3:30pm CDT. Register today!
Take Part in National Financial Goal Day and the Launch of Change Machine!
Change Machine is an all-in-one financial coaching platform that offers tools to help financial coaches “learn how to encourage customers to achieve their goals using the interactive platform, coach customers to improve their financial security using tools to measure progress, and share/connect with other practitioners”. On October 15, Change Machine is being launched publicly on the First Annual National Financial Goal Day! In fact, as part of the public launch, practitioners are allowed to access the professional social network for free! The professional social network is one part of Change Machine where hundreds of social service providers around the country ask questions, share best practices and support each other in building financial security for their clients. To receive free access, sign up here. To take part in National Financial Goal Day and the public launch of Change Machine, click here.
Upcoming Webinar: Asset Building in Human Services
The Institute on Assets and Social Policy and the National Human Services Assembly are hosting a webinar, Empowering Prosperity: Integrating Asset Building within Human Services, on October 15, 2015 from 1:00-2:00pm ET. This webinar will review and discuss a new guidebook that can support the efforts of human service agencies to incorporate asset building into their practices. A couple of the topics of discussion are: understanding the complex economic challenges faced by diverse populations, and cultivating a prosperity grid for stability, opportunity and mobility. Register today!
Pilot Program Early Results Support Using Technology as Part of Financial Coaching Intervention
Solutions for Progress recently released some early findings from its MyBudgetCoach Pilot- Using Technology to Facilitate Behavior Change. In spring 2014, the pilot launched to demonstrate the effectiveness of MyBudgetCoach service, an online financial coaching service powered by Solutions for Progress. Early results from the third-party pilot project evaluator shows that the use of technology can successfully change financial behaviors. Some of the preliminary highlights of the pilot show:
- Participants in both the online-only and in-person service delivery groups who completed at least five sessions improved their overall financial health substantially with a 41% increase in their total Financial Capability Scale score;
- Participants have saved almost $90,000 and paid down over $54,000 in debt; and
- An increase of 68% in the number of participants reporting “very confident” when asked how confident they were in their ability to achieve a financial goal.
Click here to read more on the early findings.
Significant Changes Made to the Application for Federal Financial Aid
CLASP’s Lauren Walizer blogged about the announced changes that will help low-income students access college financial aid by making the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form simpler to complete. Starting with the 2017-2018 FAFSA form, students will be able to access the form three months earlier — beginning October 1 instead of January 1 — and use the tax data from two years prior rather than using the current year’s tax data. This will significantly simplify the aid application process for students. Click here to read the entire blog post.
CFED’s Step-by-Step Guide to Designing Children’s Savings Account Programs Available Now
CFED recently released Investing in Dreams: A Blueprint for Designing Children’s Savings Account Programs, an interactive guide to expand Children’s Savings Account (CSA) programs nationwide. This guide can help organizations, cities, counties and states design successful CSA programs. It contains several tools including a budget calculator and examples from the field. Click here to use the new guide.
Report Shows That Cash is Still an Obstacle in the Battle Against Payday Lending Practices
Allied Progress released a new report, Cheaper By The Dozen. This is another report showing that cash incentives awarded to members of Congress continue to make the fight against the unethical practices of payday lending very challenging. Click here to read the report.
Payday Lenders Can Pursue their Choke Point Lawsuit Against Regulators
On September 28, a federal judge ruled that the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA) is allowed to pursue its claims that the FDIC, the OCC, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve participated in a campaign known as Operation Choke Point. This campaign claims that the Department of Justice initiated a campaign for regulators to force banks to terminate their relationships with payday lenders. This lawsuit was originally filed in June 2014. According to the Court, the CFSA provided sufficient alleged facts to continue the lawsuit. Click here for more information.
