Effective programs that help families to make ends meet, like the Earned Income Tax Credit, SNAP, fuel assistance, school lunches, Head Start, and Social Security cut the number of people in Massachusetts living in poverty by almost half and reduce the number of children living in poverty by more than half, according to a new report on poverty called “Obstacles on the Road to Opportunity: Finding a Way Forward Together.” The report was commissioned by the Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP) and written by Nancy Wagman, Kids Count Director of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget).
News
Read the latest MASSCAP news including network and agency news, policy and program updates, and opinion and advocacy pieces.
Public Charge Rule Revision: Harmful to Vulnerable Families
MASSCAP Calls for Its Reversal
Is it possible to succeed as a legal immigrant if you are faced with a regulation designed to cause you to fail?
Free Tax Prep for Low-Income Wage Earners Threatened
One Holyoke family is now finally able to make the down payment on their first home. This family with 2 young children and 2 working parents who have been saving for some time left the Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site smiling.
Statement on Allocation by the Baker Administration of $19M for Fuel Assistance
We very much appreciate and are grateful to our elected officials – our legislators and the governor – for being so responsive and sensitive to the needs of our vulnerable friends and neighbors living with low-incomes and struggling with high energy burdens which are a drain on their limited resources and threaten their health and safety.
Families left in the cold as fuel assistance benefits run out
As Reported by Crystal Haynes, Boston 25 News:
BOSTON – Families living on tight budgets are facing another tough week with brutal wind chills and snow in the forecast.
Community groups seek larger role in fighting poverty
As Reported by Kaitlyn Budoin and Michael P. Norton/ State House News Service:
Community action groups often associated with getting heating assistance to people who need it want the Legislature to give them a broader mission that reflects their efforts in areas like food assistance and financial literacy.
Advocates Urge Legislators to Build on Governor’s Supplemental Fuel Assistance Allocation
Thousands of Households Have Run Out of Home Heating Oil
Advocates have urged the Governor to provide $30M in supplemental Fuel Assistance Resources to meet the immediate need of vulnerable households across the Commonwealth to stay safe and warm this winter.
Households Continue to Struggle to Heat Their Homes
Thousands of Households Have Run Out of Home Heating Oil
With bitter temperatures gripping the nation including New England, there is serious concern for the health and well-bring of low-income households – especially those that heat with oil.
MASSCAP and Community Action Agencies Launch Annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program that Aids Low Income Families
Earned Income Tax Awareness Day
The Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP) and the Montachusett Opportunity Council (MOC) today were joined by Senator Dean Tran (Worcester and Middlesex), Representative Stephan Hay (3rd Worcester), Representative Natalie Higgins (4th Worcester, Fitchburg Mayor Stephen Dinatale, Everett Handford, State Outreach Director & Regional Director, U.S.
Free tax preparation helps low-income workers get their full refunds
As Reported by Paula J. Owen, The Worcester Telegram:
With all the benefits the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) brings to families, if EITC were a drug, it would be available in every pharmacy across the state, says Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, executive director of Children’s Healthwatch.