EQUITY e-newsletter: September 2005

Building for the Future - Youth Asset Building Initiatives

The Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment (SEED) Initiative Continues to Expand

Rochelle Watson, CFED, provides an update and description of an important project designed to study and encourage low-income parents to save for their children's futures.

Stop Federal Budget Cuts to Critical Programs!

By September 16, congressional committees have instructions to cut $35 billion from mandatory programs. Medicaid, Food Stamps, Medicare, the Earned Income Tax Credit, TANF, and SSI for elderly and disabled are all mandatory programs. Medicaid could be cut by as much as $10 billion. Food Stamps are also threatened. See Coalition on Human Needs for more information, http://www.chn.org/.

The Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency SEED Pre-School Demonstration Project

Susan Mosqueda, Director of the SEED program at OLHSA, explains their project and the inequities faced by disabled parents on Supplemental Security Income wanting to provide for their children's needs.

DJ Willpower, a.k.a. Willie Pestolesi

Born with Down Syndrome, at just 21 years of age Willie is preparing to buy his own home in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country- Orange County, CA.

Youth Asset Building Policy Recommendations

The World Institute on Disability's Access to Assets Project provides recommendations in order to reduce the inequity and discrimination occurring to families that are attempting to end the cycle of poverty.

EQUITY Responds: Answers to common questions received from either the Asset Building Community or the Disability Community

We would like to include youth with disabilities in our financial literacy classes, are there specific curriculum that you would recommend?