Program Updates: Spring 2022

Our program staff at ProsperityME has been very active in the community in the first quarter of 2022: Here are some of our unique and exciting partnerships and initiatives:

ProsperityME and the CA$H Coalition Partner to provide tax filing support:

ProsperityME joined the Greater Portland CA$H Coalition tax preparation efforts this year by offering a Taxation Workshop for the immigrant community. The workshop that walked folks through the online filing process, the various filing statuses, and the most common tax credits, concluding with with a Q&A session. In addition, ProsperityME assisted The Greater Portland CA$H Coalition on site at Sagamore Village in Portland, with ProsperityME Program Coordinator Bright Musuamba providing interpretation in French and Lingala.

Personal Finance for High School Students:

ProsperityME partnered with Deering High School to offer a 45 minute personal finance session to high school seniors. ProsperityME is always excited to speak with the youth; it’s never too early to talk about money!

Partnering with In Her Presence:

In March, ProsperityME had the pleasure of crafting a special class for In Her Presence. 23 immigrant women, including 10 vibrant seniors, participated in an introductory personal finance course that focused on how to practice financial safety in a cashless economy, the various ways to withdraw cash, and the basics of building a good credit score.

Upcoming and Current Classes:

After a hiatus during the pandemic, ProsperityME is thrilled to be part of Salvation Army’s “Tools For Life” program again! Starting in April, Basic Money Management is being offered in person to 14 Tools For Life participants at the Salvation Army in Portland.

After a successful launch in Portland, ProsperityME and In Her Presence's “Charting Your Course” (a women’s economic empowerment program) is now being offered to 11 women in Lewiston. The program runs for 12 weeks and will conclude in June of 2022.

Q1 2022 Prosperity Program Summary:

January:

· Job Skills at Portland Adult Education: 12 participants

· Charting Your Course, Portland Cohort: 12 participants

February:

· Taxation Workshop with Ca$h Coalition: 24 participants

· Teller Training Program with Portland Adult Education: 8 participants

March:

· Financial Literacy workshop with Deering High School: about 50 students

April:

· BMM with Salvation Army: 14 participants

· Financial Literacy Workshop with In Her Presence: 23 participants

· Charting Your Course, Lewiston cohort: 11 participants

· Scholarship Program: 23 applicants are currently being reviewed by the Review Committee. A list of finalists will be available after April 21st.

Housing Updates:

Number of ERA (Emergency Rental Assistance) program applications submitted:

· 305 first applications

· 354 subsequent applications (clients who re-apply for a 2nd , 3rd , etc. after being approved on a previous application)

Number of applications successfully authorized in the same period:

· 277 first applications

· 112 subsequent applications

· A dollar amount of the assistance that was approved during the quarter was $2,209,132.

· $1,565,313.37 on first applications

· $643,819.59 on subsequent applications

633 households benefited, with 26 of them having applied more than once.