Free Income Tax Preparation And Family Services Event This Saturday 2/16

California Assembly Democratic Caucus
Featuring Access to:

• Free Tax Preparation Assistance, Up to $12,000 could be yours!
• Low Cost and Free Medical Services
• Job Preparation Assistance
• Food and Nutrition Service
• Discount Telephone Service
• Low Cost Auto Insurance

Language assistance in English, Spanish, and Chinese will be provided.

Saturday, February 16, 2013
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

To schedule your appointment, please call (323) 318-4339 or sign up online.

Location: Salazar Hall
California State University, Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032

All Services are open to the public. Free Tax Preparation Assistance is available for Household Incomes of $51,000 or less. Appointment recommended. Walk-ins are welcome, based on availability.

You can also visit the 54th AD BOE district office for Free Tax Preparation Services. Free assistance is available Every Tuesday from 9a.m. - 4p.m., from January 29- April 9th. 5901 Green Valley Circle, Suite 200, Culver City.

For special assistance or to get more information please call 1-323-980-1221
   
California Assembly Democratic Caucus
Website: http://asmdc.org/Mitchell
Email: Assemblymember Mitchell   
 

Capitol Office:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0054
Tel: (916) 319-2054
Fax: (916) 319-2154     

District Office:
300 Corporate Pointe,
Suite 380
Culver City, CA 90230
Tel: (310) 342-1070
Fax: (310) 342-1078

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Did you know?

When we look at HIV infection and AIDS diagnoses by race and ethnicity, Blacks have more illness (Blacks represent only 12% of the U.S. population, yet account for 45% of new HIV infections and 46% of people living with HIV disease in 2006); and more deaths (Blacks accounted for 57% of deaths due to HIV in 2007 and the survival time after an AIDS diagnosis is lower on average than it is for most other racial/ethnic groups).  In 2009, Blacks accounted for 44% of all new HIV infections.

The AIDS diagnosis rate per 100,000 among Black adults/adolescents was 9 times that of whites in 2008.  The AIDS diagnosis rate for Black men (85.5) was the highest of any group, followed by Black women (39.9).  By comparison, the rate among white men was 10.  The rate of new infections is also highest among Blacks and was 7 times greater than the rate among whites in 2006.

Among the U.S. population overall, Blacks are more likely than whites to report having been tested for HIV in the last 12 months (40% compared to 14%).  Among those who are HIV positive, CDC data indicate that 33% of Blacks were tested for HIV late in their illness—that is, diagnosed with AIDS within one year of testing positive for HIV (in those states/areas with HIV name reporting); by comparison, 30% of whites and 36% of Latinos were tested late.

In 2009, an estimated 16,741 Blacks were diagnosed with AIDS diagnosis in the US, a number that has slowly decreased since 2006.  By the end of 2008, an estimated 240,627 Blacks with an AIDS diagnosis had died in the US. In 2007, HIV was the ninth leading cause of death for all Blacks and the third leading cause of death for both Black men and Black women aged 35–44.

The number of new HIV infections per year among Blacks is down from its peak in the late 1980s, but has exceeded the number of infections among whites since that time; new infections have remained stable in recent years.

A recent analysis of 1999–2006 data from a national household survey found that 2% of Blacks in the U.S. (among those ages 18–49) were HIV positive, significantly higher than whites (0.23%). Also, the prevalence of HIV was higher among Black men (2.64%) than Black women (1.49%).

At some point in their lifetimes, 1 in 16 Black men will be diagnosed with HIV infection, as will 1 in 32 Black women.

From 2005–2008, the rate of HIV diagnoses among Blacks increased from 68 per 100,000 persons to 74 per 100,000. This increase reflects the largest increase in rates of HIV diagnoses by race or ethnicity.

Of all Black men living with HIV/AIDS, the primary transmission category was sexual contact with other men, followed by injection drug use and high risk heterosexual contact.

Of all Black women living with HIV/AIDS, the primary transmission category was high risk heterosexual contact, followed by injection drug use.

Of the estimated 141 infants perinatally infected with HIV, 91 (65%) were Black (CDC, HIV/AIDS Reporting System, unpublished data, December 2006).

There are approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S, including more than 500,000 who are Black.

If you didn’t know, now you do!

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: Get Educated!  Get Tested!  Get Involved!  Get Treated!
For more information, log onto www.blackaidsday.org

SHIELDS and Three Cohens Construction Provide Opportunities for Ex-Offenders

"I went to school, got training, and held a job the whole time I was locked up, but ironically - once you're on the outside - people don't want to hire someone with that experience on their resumé or with the criminal history box checked YES on an application". (Jericho Training Center client)

This is true for many individuals re-entering society from our jails and prisons. While locked up, individuals are held back by the literal walls that are the jails and prisons. Upon being released, individuals still face walls, figurative walls, holding them back from success. Their records keep them from being able to gain employment, make a living wage, provide for their families and avoid the vicious cycle of recidivism. So, what's the solution?

A program aptly named, the Jericho Training Center, which seeks to tear down the walls holding ex-inmates back from succeeding in their families and communities. Jericho, a SHIELDS for Families program, stops the revolving doors of the criminal justice system through providing comprehensive services such as case management, resource linkages, on-site educational opportunities for basic and high school education, computer classes, and most notable is its job readiness, training, mentoring, and placement opportunities.

For example, Jericho offers Construction Skills training in collaboration with Three Cohens Construction, whose co-founder, Andre Jamal Cohen, refers to the course as "light construction", which covers basic skills such as dry wall, painting, texturing, taping measurements, safety, and floor installation. In fact, the students recently put their skills into practice through installing new carpets in the SHIELDS administration offices, including the office of the CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Kathryn Icenhower.

Jericho Program Manager Joseph Paul insists that the key to making the training center a viable solution for ex-inmates is its ability to offer real world, quality job trainers and connections so that after individuals are well trained, they can be linked to businesses that have committed to hiring our clients for a legit chance to work living wage jobs.

"We are the help. That last line of defense to put individuals in a place to apply skills that helped them survive the streets and prison but now reformulated to be applied constructively and pro-socially."

For more information about the Jericho Training Center or partnering as a business or mentor, please contact Joseph Paul at jpaul@shieldsforfamilies.org or # (323) 242 - 5000 x3301.

Training Department Prep Course Successful For SHIELDS Employees

Did you know SHIELDS for Families offers its employees a FREE Clinical License Prep Study Group during work hours? The SHIELDS Training Department in conjunction with SHIELDS Clinical Coordinator Renee Becraft, hosted an 8-week study group that met 2 hours a week from 10am-12pm this past Fall. The group was designed to assist employees that completed BBS hours and were interested in taking the clinical licensing exam. CalWORKs Program Manager, Jonathan Ousley, LMFT, reported that "Renee structured the group in a way that reduced our anxiety about the test. She helped the group connect on a level that motivated us to support each other. The content was easily broken down and delivered exactly like the test. I think everyone that considers taking the exam should be required to take this course, it's that beneficial."

SHIELDS is happy to report that all 5 students in the group passed their licensing exams! Thanks to our Training Program Administrator Kim Medvin, LCSW for coordinating such a great resource for our employees and thanks to Renee Becraft, LCSW for your quality instruction that led to successful outcomes for the following group members and SHIELDS employees:

• Wesley Carlin, LCSW
• Kathy Eliassian, LMFT
• Brandon Hyatt, LMFT
• Stevon Lewis, LMFT
• Jonathan Ousley, LMFT

The next round of the study course is TBD - so if you're an MFTI or MSW that has completed your BBS hours and are interested in the next round of Clinical Licensing Exam Prep Courses, contact Kim Medvin kmedvin@shieldsforfamilies.org x2129 or Renee Becraft at rbecraft@shieldsforfamilies.org x2202

Keep up the great work SHIELDS!

SHIELDS' Joe Paul Advocates for Youth Offenders Re-Entering The Workforce

SHIELDS Jericho Training Center Program Manager, Joseph Paul, is in Tampa FL this week presenting to a group of grantee's from the Department of Labor that work with youth offenders. The presentation is a discussion on Workforce development services and reentry for "youth offenders" 18-24 years old. He is discussing "The Rules of the Game", which is an overview of the obligations and responsibilities of the `when evaluating criminal histories in background check for employment. 

He's also sharing promising practices that work to create a "felon friendly" referral process for organizations regarding employment services to recently released felons and their respective employment markets. The grantees are from 6 Cities across the country, who all work with offenders, pre and post release, just like our program here at Jericho. It is an honor to have our staff member invited to share the work we do here at SHIELDS and throughout Los Angeles. 

Shout out to Jericho, Joe Paul and CEO Kathy Icenhower - keep up the great work!

2013 Fruit Tree Giveaway Festival

Apply For A Fruit Tree: Visit http://www.sjli-cp.org/FTDP
Email: dsteele@sjli-cp.org / Call: 323.952.3466

As a part of the "100 Seeds of Change" food system Initiative, the Social Justice Learning Institute, TreePeople and the Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) present the 2013 Fruit Tree Giveaway Festival hosted in the City of Inglewood at Morningside High School (10500 Yukon Ave Inglewood, Ca 90303).

On Saturday, January 26th, 2013 from 10am-4pm, with volunteer support from the UCLA Volunteer Center and non-profit DoGood, the Social Justice Learning Institute will host a day filled with numerous free activities that include a film screening, physical fitness training sessions, healthy cooking demonstrations, home gardening tutorials, music, a fun zone for the children all while giving 2000 families a FREE fruit tree. TreePeople will be conducting Fruit Tree Planting & Care workshops, ensuring the success of each fruit tree distributed.

The Fruit Tree Giveaway Festival is designed to empower community residents to take hold of their access to healthy, fresh locally grown fruit by growing their own fruit trees. During the day, three IUSD schools, Inglewood & Morningside High Schools, and Bennett Kew Elementary School, are also providing the opportunity for residents & volunteers to get their hands dirty by helping to plant fruit tree orchards on their campus grounds. Join us in our community’s continued effort in taking BIG steps towards greater access to quality, healthy, organic and culturally relevant food.

We need your help. Please assist us in spreading the word about this very exciting and innovative experience to the people in your network, your friends, family members, and neighbors. 

Online registration is now CLOSED... but you can still come to the 2013 Fruit Tree Giveaway Festival at Morningside High School (10500 Yukon Ave Inglewood, CA 90303) between 10am-4pm to try and register on site.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday! Be Well!

"Free Cash For College" Cal Grant Workshop This Saturday 01/26/13

“FREE CASH FOR COLLEGE”
Cal Grant Workshop
Saturday, January 26, 2013

11:30am – 1:30pm
Inglewood High School | 231 S. Grevillea Ave., Inglewood, CA

1:00pm – 3:00pm
Washington Preparatory High School | 10860 S. Denker Ave., Los Angeles, CA

Get help to apply for a Cal Grant at these workshops

You may qualify for a $1000 scholarship**

Please bring financial documents such as:

• Your and/or your parents' federal income tax returns for the 2010 tax year (if filed)
• Your and/or your parents' current W-2 forms, paycheck stubs and/or any records of earned income
• Current bank statements and records of stocks, bonds or other investments

For more information, please call Darryn Harris at 310-412-6400.

**Limited funds available. Scholarships recipients randomly selected.

Website: http://www.asmdc.org/Bradford 
Email: Assemblymember Bradford

Capitol Office:
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0062
Tel: (916) 319-2062
Fax: (916) 319-2162

Inglewood Office:
One West Manchester
Boulevard, Suite 601
Inglewood, CA 90301
Tel: (310) 412-6400
Fax: (310) 412-6354