Federal Money for Single Stop

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written, but I need to tell you about some really exciting news.

I just got off the phone with Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Chief of Staff – she informed me that the Omnibus Bill the House passed on Wednesday has $190,000 set aside to help ramp up Single Stop right here in the Bay Area. And that’s just for this year!

We are thrilled to hear about this news. With additional food stamps and EITC money embedded in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, there will be more dollars available for low-income families than ever before. But those families need help claiming these tax credits; too often public benefits are left on the table before reaching the people who need them most. Single Stop solves this problem.

I can’t tell you how proud we are at Tipping Point to be partnering with Speaker Pelosi and Mayor Gavin Newsom to bring this life-changing program to the Bay Area. With three sites up and running and three more to come, we’ve only seen the beginning of what this innovative initiative can do!

All of this, of course, is thanks to the unwavering commitment of our donors. Thank you for helping us build a better Bay Area.

All my best,
Daniel

Tipping Point Meets Million Dollar Match

On December 1st the Tipping Point Community Board of Directors announced a $1 million match, pledging that every dollar raised between December 1 and January 31 would be matched dollar for dollar up to $1 million.

Thanks to the overwhelming support of our donors, Tipping Point Community raised more than $2 million in the past two months -- 100% of which will go directly out the door to the best poverty-fighting organizations in the Bay Area.

We would like to thank all 250 donors who participated in this campaign. Special thanks to Hewlett Packard, who stepped up to finish off our Match with $100,000 in cash and an additional $150,000 in technology for our grantees! (Click HERE to read more)

What we're reading at Tipping Point this week...February 2, 2009

SF Chronicle: "Bay Homes Lost $202B in Value in 2008"
by Carolyn Said, February 3, 2009

"Bay Area homes lost $202 billion in value in 2008, according to a real estate valuation service...Zillow's report showed that 27 percent of Bay Area homeowners now have negative equity, meaning they owe more than their home is worth."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/03/BUFC15LT56.DTL&tsp=1

NY Times: "Economy Shed 598,000 Jobs in January"
by Edmund L. Andrews, February 6, 2009

"The United States lost almost 600,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent, its highest level in more than 16 years..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/business/economy/07jobs.html?hp