Will your child be left out?
Thoughtful Response:
We wanted to share this response to last week’s email from a reader:
“I have two comments about the facts you are sharing.
I haven't watched the video yet, but I'm assuming that 11 of the 16 states that teach that the civil war was fought over states’ rights’ were members of the Confederacy. From their perspective, and they started the war, it was about states’ rights and initially the Union was fighting against the right to secede from the union. Maintaining slavery was a major underlying factor for the South and became a rallying cry for the North, but abolition/slavery wasn’t the cause of the war, per se.
Re ‘defunding the police’. I think it is important to mention that it means ‘shifting funding to social services’ whose personnel are trained to deal with individuals and families suffering from issues such as mental health, addiction, and homelessness. They are far better trained to act as first responders in non-violent situations, but they are woefully underfunded and understaffed.
Thank you for keeping important issues in the forefront of our thoughts.
– Deborah
Dear Leading Ladies,
The IRS began sending monthly checks to families with children in the US on July 15 — the official launch of President Biden’s American Rescue antipoverty program. The plan promises to halve child poverty, but only if the money actually reaches everyone eligible. About 58,000 children in Massachusetts, most of them living in Framingham, Everett, Malden, Revere, Dorchester, Lynn, and Chelsea, and who most need the relief, risk falling through the cracks since they are not known to the IRS. Either their parents do not earn enough to file income taxes or they are citizens but their parents are not.
The rules about eligibility are a bit confusing and have not been clearly communicated to the most vulnerable communities. Leading Ladies is committed to helping eligible families receive child tax credits. We have contacted several organizations serving families in the most affected communities near us. They have welcomed our outreach. As a result, we are creating flyers in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Cambodian to explain eligibility requirements and how to apply for payments.
We are sending print and electronic copies of the flyers to Healing Abuse, Working for Change (HAWC); Reading and Educational Assistance for Learning (REAL); RAW Art Works; and Beverly Bootstraps to share with their clients. We are also looking into setting up times and locations to help people with the application process, and we spoke with members of US Representative Seth Moulton’s staff and received a commitment from them to help residents fill out the application forms in person at their Salem office.
A big thank you to Alma Barozzi for providing the Spanish translation and to Giseli Cruz-Nascimento for providing the Portuguese translation. If you or someone you know could help with the Cambodian translation, please let us know by emailing ladies@leadingladiesvote.org or calling 978-697-0753.
Also, if you have contacts at other organizations, please let us know or make the overture yourself. You can share this webpage, or download our flyer here and share it electronically or print hard copies. As always, spread the word about this issue to your community and to people for whom it might be relevant.
Here are the most important facts about eligibility to apply:
It’s not too late! Even if you missed applying for the July 15 payment, you can still sign up for Child Tax Credit payments!
You ARE eligible if you have children living at home who are US citizens, DACA, legal permanent residents, or temporary residents, as long as they have Social Security numbers.
Parents do NOT need to be US citizens but must have either a Social Security number (SS#) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
To get an SS#, go to https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf; to get an ITIN#, go to https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-7
You DO have to apply if you have not filed income taxes for 2020 and are not required to. (Those who have filed will automatically receive payments).
Applying will NOT affect immigration status or other benefits such as SNAP, SSI, TANF, or WIC.
Apply here; have your SS# or ITIN ready; a mailing address is preferred: https://www.freefilefillableforms.com/#/fd/createaccount
If you do not have access to a computer, you may use one at your local library or go to Rep. Seth Moulton’s office at 21 Front St., Salem for assistance.
Still need help? Information is available in English and Spanish at https://www.whitehouse.gov/child-tax-credit/sign-up/
Please help us in this important effort. If you have other ideas, please contact us at ladies@leadingladiesvote.org.
Hope more, not less.
Therese
Judy
Mary
Beth
Leading Ladies Executive Team
ladies@leadingladiesvote.org
leadingladiesvote.org