Connecticut Association For Human Services Inc

Programs: Family economic success coalition - cahs convenes the family economic success coalition, comprised of nonprofit providers, advocates, and individuals committed to supporting policies and programs that move people from poverty to financial stability. The coalition meets to learn, discuss, and promote innovative strategies to support and advance low- income children and families. The discussion and feedback from the coalition members inform and guides our public policy priorities. Cahs sends out timely information and legislative updates to the family economic success listserv of more than 1,200 individuals.

early care and education and two-generation strategies and education, including child care - cahs promotes quality early care as a two-generational approach to end poverty - it keeps parents working and prepares children for success in school and life. Cahs has a large multi- year grant from the w. K. Kellogg foundation to provide technical assistance, evaluation, and other services to connecticut's two-gen program and to promote systems change. Cahs serves as the fiscal agent to the connecticut early childhood alliance, an organization in which cahs plays a leadership role. Our service reach exceeds 1,300 individuals who have signed up to receive updates and action alerts via our early childhood listserv.

research and evaluation - as an advocacy organization, cahs uses data effectively in making a case for positive social change. Cahs is the kids count grantee, tracking trends in child and family well-being over time. With support from the annie e. Casey foundation cahs produces an annual kids count data book. This report includes town-by-town data on child well-being in four domains:economics, education, health and family and community, as well as demographic data. Cahs also promotes race equity, including disaggregating kids count data by race and ethnicity in the 2017 "race equity in the five connecticuts" report. Cahs is part of the national working poor families project, focusing on adult education, community colleges, and workforce skills training policies to enable workers to support their families.

financial education - cahs programs offer a continuum to move low- income children and families out of poverty by helping them "learn,earn,access, save, and invest". Cahs coordinates the connecticut money school, which provides free financial education for adults, youths and seniors throughout the state. Cahs offers classes through local partner agencies throughout the state, with a focus on major cities, and classes are offered in english and spanish, using a cohort of 50 volunteer instructors, many with financial service experience. Cahs also offers a financial coaching program with one-on-one assistance using volunteer coaches and a youth money school with targeted workshops for people ages 16-24. Cahs coordinates a network of community-based volunteer income tax assistance sites to provide free tax preparation and access to the federal and state earned income tax credits (eitcs) and federal child tax credit. In 2017, cahs coordinated 50 state sites through this internal revenue service program. The sites filed tax returns with 23 million in federal refunds and credits for 15,000 households. Cahs also provided asset-building services to help families move out of poverty.