Thread: Erie PA: Impoverished refugees to get special federal savings plan (you pay for it)

Erie PA: Impoverished refugees to get special federal savings plan (you pay for it)

Posted by Ann Corcoran on October 20, 2015

What is wrong with this story?

Let me count the ways!

First, remember that you are being constantly told that refugees are becoming self-sufficient in three months. Right! We hear that everywhere, so how come there are impoverished refugees in Erie, PA (besides the fact that Erie has been a long time dumping ground, yes dumping ground!)?

Ms. Cutler gets to play Santa Claus as she puts your money into the private savings accounts of refugees thereby solidifying her position (her community organizing group’s position) as the friend of the refugee.

Secondly, once again we see ‘non-profit’ groups awarded grant money to manage a program that really is a federal responsibility to manage (if Congress deems it necessary at all).

When the bill creating the Refugee Act of 1980was debated in Congress, the promoters (Kennedy, Biden et al) insisted we would not be adding more poverty to America. So much for that lie!

But, here is the worst part and unless you have been a faithful reader for years, you won’t know what they are talking about.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement has a SAVINGS PLAN where your tax dollars are matched dollar for dollar for every one ‘saved’ by the refugee. Read that again carefully!—you (without your knowledge!) are putting your money into a refugee’s savings account! The non-profit agency, like this one in Pennsylvania, gets to manage the money!

Read about the benign-sounding INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTS, here. Here is a list of the present grantees.
I wonder if this IDA program has ever even been approved by Congress?

Now this from Go Erie:

ERIE, Pa. — A nonprofit group based in Philadelphia is looking to help impoverished refugees in Erie.

Officials with the Women’s Opportunities Resource Center*** were in Erie on Friday, meeting with local refugee advocacy agencies in an attempt to launch a program that will help refugees open a bank account, establish credit and learn basic household budgeting.
The federally funded program, scheduled to start here in early November, will match money saved by local refugees by up to $4,000 for families and up to $2,000 for individuals, said Lynne Cutler, the center’s president.

The center, which has promoted social and economic self-sufficiency primarily for low-income women and their families since 1993, received a $242,310 grant in late September from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Cutler said her center was awarded a three-year grant for the savings program, which also will operate in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Lancaster.

The center, in collaboration with the International Institute of Erie, the Greater Erie Community Action Committee, and the Multicultural Community Resource Center, is hoping to have about 60 individuals or families enrolled in the refugee savings program between the end of this year and 2018.

I sure hope someone is auditing these grants!

By the way, there is a Federal Audit Clearinghouse, which we hope to use at some point where federal grant recipients must submit audits if they get over $500,000 in federal bucks. However, the system was hacked this summer and has been down ever since.
And, there must be a big move afoot to push resettlement in Pennsylvania as we noted here last week in Allentown.

***Go here to see a recent Form 990 for Ms. Cutler’s group. The majority of their funding is from government grants.

https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wor...ou-pay-for-it/

Oh my God, this is so disgusting, it's maddening. My head could explode.

UNREAL! Money for that but not for our citizens in need. No Social Security payment raise for our seniors, higher premium payments to Medicare coming and the program does not cover all expenses. Higher obamacare payments coming so we can pay for "refugees" & "illegals" that they want here. Immigration has to be in reasonable amounts to be beneficial to ALL, especially the host countries.

This is the old liberal con job yet again. They create a problem (a mass migration of unemployable aliens that overwhelms the system and people go hungry). Then in the name of compassion they rob real citizens of their money to pay for all of it. They make the mess and then force others to pay to clean it up. That is exactly what amnesty would be. Amnesty would take the problems created by illegal alien squatters and make them permanent.

This is why there are bloody revolutions; this is why the ruling elites are marched off to the guillotine or dragged in front of revolutionary firing squads.

Beware Marxists thugs and super rich megalomaniacs; you are not invincible. There is only so much even good decent, honest, law abiding citizens can tolerate.

Of course, I am not advocating violence. This is a warning to avoid violence.

Office of Refugee Resettlement.
About Individual Development Accounts

Individual Development Accounts (IDA) are matched savings accounts designed to help refugees save for a specific purchase. Under the IDA program, the matching funds, together with the refugee's own savings from their employment, are available for purchasing one (or more) of four savings goals:

1. Home purchase
2. Small business development
3. Post secondary education or training
4. Automobile (for employment purposes)

Public or private non-profit organizations administer IDA programming. Refugees receive basic financial training to help them understand the American financial system, budgeting, saving and credit. In addition, refugees receive training focused on the specific savings goals. The specialized training ensures that refugees understand how to manage their assets.
Successful IDA programs:

• Improve the ability of low-income refugees to save
• Promote participation in banking
• Assist in education and career training
• Increase home ownership
• Provide access to funding

IDA grantees provide matched savings accounts to refugees whose annual income is less than 200 percent of the poverty level and whose assets, exclusive of a personal residence and one vehicle, are less than $10,000. Grantees provide matches of up to $1 for every $1 deposited by a refugee in a savings account. The total match amount provided may not exceed $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for households. Upon enrolling in an IDA program, a refugee signs a savings plan agreement which specifies the savings goal, the match rate, and the amount the refugee will save each month.
Eligibility

In addition to persons who meet all requirements of 45 CFR 400.43, eligibility also includes:

1. Cuban and Haitian entrants under section 501 of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-422);
2. Certain Amerasians from Vietnam who are admitted to the U.S. as immigrants under section 584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, as included in the FY 1988 Continuing Resolution (Pub. L. 100-202); and
3. Certain Amerasians from Vietnam, including U.S. citizens, under Title II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 1989 (Pub. L. 100-461), 1990 (Pub. L. 101-167), and 1991 (Pub. L. 101-513). For convenience, the term ``refugee'' is used in this notice to encompass all such eligible persons.

Technical assistance is available through the Institute for Social and Economic Development(ISED). For specific technical assistance questions, contact:
Marijana Ababovic
Consultant
Institute for Social & Economic Development
Phone: 585.342.9437
Marijana.ababovic@ised.us
Other IDA Initiatives Open to Refugees

The Administration for Children & Families, Office of Community Services (OCS) administers the Assets for Independence (AFI) program. ORR and OCS collaborate to provide refugees with access to these mainstream programs. There are more than 200 such programs across the country. Find an IDA program near you or find more information on AFI and how to become an AFI provider.
CFED, the Corporation for Enterprise Development, is a nonprofit organization that helps Americans expand economic opportunity. One area of focus is their 2007 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard, an evaluation tool which details individual state programs and policies designed to build assets. Additionally, CFED maintains a searchable IDA Directory which lists IDA programs nationwide.
Financial education resources are available from a variety of sources.
List of Current Grantees

Contact Information
Yimeem Vu
Program Analyst
Office of Refugee Resettlement
Administration for Children and Families
901 D Street SW
Washington DC 20447
Phone: 202.401.4825
Fax: 202.401.0981
yimeem.vu@acf.hhs.gov

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/programs/ida/about

Individual Development Accounts Grants

Published: October 29, 2014
Categories:Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)

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GRANTEE NAME	CITY	STATE	END DATE	AMOUNT	CONTACT
Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment	Los Angeles	CA	9/29/2016	$225,000	Namoch Sokhom 1055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1475, Los Angeles, CA 90017-5652 213.989-3265
Lao Family Community Development, Inc.	Oakland	CA	9/29/2015	$194,400	Chaosarn Chao 2325 East 12th Street, Oakland, CA 94601 510-533-8850
Alliance for African Assistance	San Diego	CA	9/29/2016	$224,670	Walter Lam 5952 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92115-3828 619.286-9052
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County	San Jose	CA	9/29/2015	$194,400	Margaret Williams 2625 Zanker Road San Jose CA 95134 408-468-0100
Community Enterprise Development Services	Denver	CO	9/29/2016	$212,000	Assefa Engeda 1600 Downing Street Suite 750, Denver CO 80218-1412 303.569-8165
Mountain States Group, Inc.	Boise	ID	9/29/2016	$200,000	Jan Reeves 1607 West Jefferson Street, Boise, ID 8370-5111 208.336-4222
Jewish Family & Career Services of Louisville, Inc.	Louisville	KY	9/29/2015	$194,400	Mary Cleary 2821 Klempner Way Louisville, KY 40205 502-452-6341
International Institute of Boston, Inc.	Boston	MA	9/29/2015	$223,560	Hillary Rettig One Milk Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02109 617-695-9990
Coastal Enterprises, Inc.	Wiscasset	ME	9/29/2015	$223,560	Jennifer Sporzynski 36 Water Street, PO Box 268, Wiscasset, ME 04578 207-772-5356
Hmong American Partnership	Saint Paul	MN	9/29/2015	$238,140	Mai Moua 1075 Arcade Street Saint Paul, MN 55106 651-495-1565
International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis	St. Louis	MO	9/29/2016	$244,795	Kathleen Delpha 3654 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63118-3404 314.773-9090 x156
Business Outreach Center Network, Inc.	Brooklyn	NY	9/29/2015	$238,140	Elena Zikus 85 South Oxford Street, 2nd Fl. Brooklyn, NY 11217 718-624-9115
International Institute of Buffalo	Buffalo	NY	9/29/2015	$194,400	Denis Beehag 864 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, New York 14209 716-883-1900
Center for Community Development for New Americans	New York	NY	9/29/2016	$245,000	Yanki Tshering 120 Broadway, Suite 230, New York, NY 10271-3099 212.898-4112
International Rescue Committee, Inc.	New York	NY	9/29/2016	$132,535	Gerard Kahn 122 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10168-1289 212.551-3071
International Rescue Committee, Inc.	New York	NY	9/29/2015	$194,400	Kay Bellor 263 West 38th Street 6th floor New York, NY 10018 212-551-2728
Economic and Community Development Institute, Inc.	Columbus	OH	9/29/2015	$194,400	Inna Kinney 1655 Old Leonard Avenue Columbus, OH 43219 614-559-0106
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization	Portland	OR	9/29/2016	$215,000	Tina Do 10301 NE Glisan Street, Portland, OR 97220-4013 503.234-1541
Women's Opportunities Resource Center	Philadelphia	PA	9/29/2015	$194,400	Lynne Cutler 2010 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-564-5500
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Inc.	Arlington	VA	9/29/2016	$245,000	Andrea Koris 2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 350, Arlington, VA 22202-3794 703.310-1130 x3070
Diocese of Olympia	Seattle	WA	9/29/2015	$147,744	Sumonnat Puttavon 1551 10th Ave. E. Seattle WA 98102 206-323-3152 x102
Pan-African Community	Milwaukee	WI	9/29/2015	$145,800	Fessahaye Mebrahtu 4063 N 64th St. Unit A Milwaukee, WI 53216 414-442-5864

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/...ccounts-grants