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Rural Dynamics, Inc. & Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota Partner to Launch “Bridge to Benefits—Montana” Project to Improve Economic Stability of Families and Work Force Productivity
The Bridge to Benefits tool is simple and available to anyone at no cost. The tool provides information and eligibility standards about each program and lets individuals and families avoid having to contact a number of different agencies to determine eligibility for assistance. About the Partners Rural Dynamics Incorporated is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1968 to provide financial education and credit counseling for residents across Montana and Wyoming. The organization provides programs and establishes partnerships to help youth, individuals, and families achieve economic independence. For more information visit www.RuralDynamics.org. The Children's Defense Fund was founded in 1973 to provide a strong and effective voice for the children of America, since they cannot vote, hire lobbyists, or speak out for themselves. The mission of the CDF is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. In January of 2001, the Northwest Area Foundation invited four regional communities to participate in a strategic planning process. The community convened a diverse group to begin the planning, calling the group the North-central Montana Community Ventures Coalition. In February of 2005, a new name and brand for the organization was adopted, and the North-central Montana Community Ventures Coalition formally became Opportunity Link, Inc. Opportunity Link seeks to unite people, link resources, and fight poverty in eleven North-central Montana counties. |
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Regional Community Leaders Convene in Custer,SD |
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(Custer, SD) - The first convening of the Northern Plains Initiative Advisory Council occurred June 23-24 in Custer, South Dakota. The beautiful Crazy Horse Memorial served as a backdrop to the two day meeting, during which members got to know each other and the Northern Plains Initiative.“Having diverse community leaders from across the region together in one room is a revolutionary step in our process of achieving our collective vision for the Northern Plains,” said Shannon Augare, Director of Public Policy and Community Relations at Rural Dynamics Incorporated. The Council immediately got to work, splitting into working groups and discussing Public Policy, Re-granting, Leadership Training, and Evaluation Strategies. These working groups will meet quarterly to generate systemic change for the region. “The role of the NPI council is to put rural America’s best face forward,” said Kevin Dvorak of the North Dakota Community Foundation. Tom Jacobson, Executive Director of Rural Dynamics Incorporated said, “This is something we all have to do together. Collaboration is necessary to get a consistent message and vision. By talking about uniform policy and ignoring arbitrary state boundaries, we can impact federal legislation.”
The Northern Plains Initiative Advisory Council is a 19 member council with members from Montana, Western North and South Dakota, and Northern Wyoming. The Advisory Council is a team that incorporates leadership from all areas of the region and guides the work of the Northern Plains Initiative. The Northern Plains Initiative is a coalition of community organizations and governmental agencies working together to create a long-range plan for economic equity for rural communities and their residents. The Initiative will develop both regional and local strategies that are sustainable and inclusive.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation believes their role is “to help people help themselves" through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations. This belief and their long tradition of service and philanthropy in rural America make the W.K Kellogg foundation a natural partner for the Northern Plains Initiative. |
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Program aims at grooming Native American entrepreneurs |
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Matt Walker, 12, would like to own a business one day.He hasn't pinned down what type, but after this week Matt, who will enter eighth grade at East Middle School next fall, will be better equipped to pursue future entrepreneurial efforts. Click here for the full Great Falls Tribune Article. |
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Veterans |
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With Memorial Day around the corner, we felt it might be interesting to examine how states in our region rank in terms of number of veterans per capita and resources they contribute to help assist veterans residing within their state. Veteran information by state#
The fact that Wyoming and North Dakota report much lower veteran-related spending levels is not surprising, since they had a considerably lower veteran population. However, the fact that South Dakota outspent Montana, a state with more veterans, is unexpected. A closer look at the data reveals that South Dakota spent at total of $191.098 million on medical care for veterans whereas Montana spent $137.257 million on similar care. |
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Post 9-11 GI Bill |
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Last year, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), introduced the “Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act,” legislation which seeks to address what many perceive to be deficiencies in the current Montgomery GI Bill. Senator Webb’s bill hopes to do this by making several changes to the current program. First, he would increase educational benefit amounts for veterans serving between three and 36 months of active duty since September 11, 2001. Second, he would apportion benefits based on the amount of active duty service time accumulated after 9/11. Third, he would allow veterans pursuing approved training programs to receive payments which would cover education-related expenses not to exceed the most expensive public educational institution in their state. In addition, they would receive a monthly stipend to cover housing costs with additional money being available for any necessary tutoring, licensure, or certification. Fourth, the bill would create a government program which would match money provided voluntarily by educational institutions to offset costs not normally covered by this legislation. Lastly, the bill would allow veterans to have 15 years from the time they leave active duty service to use their benefits. The current GI Bill limits them to ten years.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill recipients are paid at rates dependent upon their level of college enrollment (or other eligible training program). In the event they are enrolled as a full-time student, they will receive $1,101 per month. Assuming a September-May enrollment period, with a one month lag for enrollment verification and processing of paperwork, the veteran should expect to receive at least eight payments of $1,101 ($1,251 if he or she “bought up” as explained in Note 6 above). If the veteran is responsible for his or her rent and food, we should also estimate that they will be paying in excess of $700 per month for those.
Looking at the chart above, it’s evident that veterans receiving the GI Bill might indeed be faced with difficult decisions as they attempt to pay for college and they lack student aid such as scholarships and grants. We should add that our estimates probably do not adequately state these deficiencies. For example, they ignore costs of books and other supplies which college students have to pay. In addition, we did not estimate the costs of utilities, cell phones, and internet access which many students must account for. Furthermore, we might have underestimated the “Costs” column in our table since we used a $200 per month baseline to compute food expenditures. It seems likely that significant numbers of students probably spend in excess of $50 per week on food. If this is the case, negative amounts in our “Net” column will increase. Moreover, fair market rents could vary since the data we utilized was for entire counties rather than for individual towns and cities. |
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Homeless Vets |
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Articles in this month’s newsletter have ranged from the investigatory and celebratory to the elegiac. We have eMxamined the extent to which residents of our region currently serve, or have served, in the military. Then, we devoted a brief article to remembering those who have sacrificed themselves in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, we should not forget those homeless veterans who have served our nation so bravely only to find themselves struggling to survive on the streets of our cities and small towns. |
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Defenders Of Freedom |
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Last summer, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) sponsored legislation which has the potential to help many veterans within our region and the rest of the nation. The bill, entitled the “Defenders of Freedom Tax Relief Act of 2007” (S.1593), is currently awaiting action in the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, which Sen. Baucus chairs. If enacted, this bill would amend IRS codes ratified in 1986 thereby increasing the availability of benefits to active duty service members, veterans and their survivors, and members of the intelligence community. |
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Casualties |
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As a person who usually notices when a flag is flying at half mast, I am ashamed to admit that there have been times when I could not name the person for whom the ensign had been lowered. Regardless of one’s political allegiances, it seems appropriate that we take the time to remember those in our region who have been lost in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. Wyoming Montana North Dakota
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Rural Dynamics Incorporated Awards $30,000 Grant to Montana Indian Business Alliance |
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The Great Falls, Montana based organization Rural Dynamics Incorporated (RDI) has awarded a grant for $30,000 to the Montana Indian Business Alliance (MIBA). Now known as Rural Dynamics Incorporated, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Montana was founded in 1968 to provide for the credit needs of residents across Montana and Wyoming. The organization provides programs and establishes partnerships to help youth, individuals, and families achieve economic independence across a four state Northern Plains region. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded RDI $2.1 million to empower the Northern Plains region, consisting of North and South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. Over the past two years, RDI has held regional meetings throughout the area. These meetings, called “Plains Talks,” empowered each community to determine where RDI’s re-granting money should be directed. This grant to MIBA is a first step in the process of achieving the vision generated by Northern Plains residents. The mission of MIBA is to remove barriers to Indian Country business development while creating and expanding Indian owned businesses by maximizing resources and partnerships. “By encouraging entrepreneurship and state-tribal collaboration, the Montana Indian Business Alliance is making great strides in achieving economic independence for Montana’s Indian Country,” said Montana Representative Shannon Augare, Director of Public Policy and Community Relations for RDI. “This award will help the Alliance reach more Montanan’s and create widespread change in the region.” This collaborative RDI vision: Rural life has value to the region and the nation. We are creating a region where all people have the opportunity to thrive in the community they choose, where diversity is cherished, and where community pride leads to remaining in the region for generations to come. We recognize the importance of regional interconnections, and we value personal, community, and organizational relationships that are built upon integrity. We seek to nurture a continuing sense of pride, hope, and belief that both community and regional potential is being achieved. To learn more about Rural Dynamics Incorporated and the Northern Plains Initiative, please contact Shannon Augare, Director of Public Policy and Community Relations at 406.454.5712. You can find more information on RDI at www.ruraldynamics.org and the Plains Talks at www.plainstalk.org. |
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