Welcome to Community Teamwork, Inc.

On a single night in January 2011, there were 67,495 homeless Veterans who spent the night on the streets of America. The Department of Veterans' Affairs is committed to ending homelessness for our nation's Veterans within the next five years. To reach a trained VA responder, call 1-877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838). For more information about services for homeless Vets, visit www.va.gov/homeless/.

¿Servicios De la Necesidad? Español

Serviços Da Necessidade? Portuguese

Need Services? Khmer
Community Teamwork, Inc. has developed a series of Service Flyers that includes everything from Housing & Homeless Services to Food & Nutrition to Emergency Services and much more. These Service Flyers are available for easy downloading in four languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Khmer.

Have clients in need of household items? Please support Household Goods Recycling of Massachusetts and the Lowell Wish Project. These organizations provide furniture, household items and other necessities to clients in need.

Members of the General Court:
Here is a listing of your State Senators and State Representatives including contact information.

If you are at Risk of Homelessness in the Greater Lowell and Merrimack Valley Region
CTI's Housing Consumer Education Center (HCEC) is a clearinghouse for emergency housing assistance resources. Depending on eligibility and funding availability, the HCEC may be able to provide help to families and individuals experiencing temporary financial setbacks. HCEC provides assistance with rent or security deposits to avoid homelessness, transportation, moving costs, medical needs, prescription fees, and more. Visit the HCEC web page to find out more about how CTI's Housing Consumer Education Center can help you with your housing needs or call the Housing Consumer Education Center at (978) 459-0551.

Having Trouble Paying Your Mortgage? We Can Help!
Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI), in partnership with the Coalition for a Better Acre and several other community-based organizations, opened the Lowell Office of the Home Preservation Coalition of the Merrimack Valley (HPC) to offer FREE counseling and other services to homeowners facing foreclosure. For more information, or call the HPC at 978-970-0600, Ext. 1.

Where do You Vote? William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth, is the public information officer for the state of Massachusetts. Follow this link to get the information you need to register to vote or to find out where you need to go to cast your ballot.

The City of Lowell joins numerous other communities across the country to complete a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Take a look at the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness and visit the SHIFT Coalition's web page for related information about homelessness prevention.

Home Modification Loan Program
Allowing people to remain in their homes and live independently is the goal of the Home Modification Loan Program. CTI administers this program in the Northeast/North Shore area to help families obtain low-interest or no-interest loans to make modifications to their homes for elderly residents or those with disabilities. Find out more about the Home Modification Program by visiting our Housing Consumer Education Center web page. You may also downlad a copy of the Home Modification Loan Program application.

The Merrimack Valley Hub is a great on-line resource to connect providers and consumers with community information throughout Greater Lowell and the Merrimack Valley. This data base contains thousands of organizations and their services, all of which can be searched using keywords or the name of the organization.

USDA Policy: In accordance with Federal law and US Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202)720-5964 (voice and TTD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Local Effects of Sequestration

Congressman Tierney Visits Billerica Head Start Classroom to Discuss Impact of Sequestration in the 6th District...As part of the federal sequestration cuts, CTI's Billerica Head Start classroom has been slated for closure next school year. These cuts will eliminate access to care for 85 children. Congressman John Tierney visited to answer questions from parents and constituents about the impact of sequestration on families across the 6th district and across the country. He was joined by Karen N. Frederick, CTI’s Executive Director and Chris Hunt, CTI’s Early Learning Director who discussed the challenges facing local families as they struggle to access child care and other vital support services for their families.

Spindle City Corps - Lowell's Urban Youth Corps Significantly Reduced...Spindle City is a youth development partnership between CTI and the Lowell National Parks that provides leadership training and job skills to disadvantaged youth. As a result of these cuts we have had to cut in half the number of young people who can participate, from 34 last year to 17 this summer. In past years we have also been able to provide nutrition supports to participating teens—these supports have been completely eliminated as a result of federal sequestration.

Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs receives a 4% cut...Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs were cut by 4%. This has resulted in one less Foster Grandparent, providing a total of 1680 hours of service to children and one less Senior Companion, providing a similar level of care to frail elders. In addition, to this valuable support, each of these positions provides Senior Corps volunteers with a stipend of approximately $4000 per year. For those senior volunteers who receive it, this money can provide a critical supplement to the meager fixed incomes on which many of our seniors must survive.

Fuel Assistance Reduced Substanially...Resources for Fuel Assistance (LIHEAP) have been reduced substantially in recent years. These cuts impact both the amount of aid that can be provided and the amount of staff available to quickly process the over 13,000 fuel applications that CTI receives each year. Since FY10 we have lost 33% of our funding for fuel assistance. In FY10 we received $10,560,545 and in FY13 we received only $6,664,815. As fuel prices have risen, benefit levels have dropped: In FY10, the maximum fuel benefits were $1240 for deliverables (fuel oil and propane) and $1055 for utilities. In FY13 these maximums dropped to $1125 for deliverables and $635 for utility clients. Since FY10 we have eliminated 3 fulltime positions. Additionally, we may not be able to bring seasonal staff back in time to certify all applications in time for the upcoming fuel season. Sequestration places an even greater burden on this already stressed system. Every year CTI's Fuel Assistance Program helps keep thousands of local seniors safe and warm in their homes!

Housing Facing Cuts...The Section 8 program, providing rental assistance for low-income households, is also facing cuts. DHCD has maintained an administrative reserve that they will be able to use to cover this year’s shortfall and avoid painful cuts for the short term. However the agency, in partnership with the State’s Regional Housing Agencies, are planning for difficulties as early as January. Options for addressing the shortfall include reducing the administrative rate paid to those who manage the program, freezing waiting lists, increasing rents, and eliminating subsidies for those currently receiving them. Pictured is Janet and her kids living in safe and affordable housing thanks to Section 8 voucher.

The Riverboat Fundraiser to help prevent homelessness was a big success! Thank you to all of our Sponsors and to everyone who purchased tickets, made donations, contributed their time and efforts to transform the Lowell Memorial Auditorium into a beautiful Riverboat Casino! Your donations make a world of difference to those at-risk of homelessness.

Community Food Assessment: The Lowell Community Food Assessment Report is a community wide study of the food resources and needs in the City of Lowell and has involved resources from many community partners including Community Teamwork. The Food Security Coalition has completed a two year study and recommendations are now being considered. For meeting times, locations and other information about the Food Security Coalition visit them at http://lowellfoodsecurity.wordpress.com/blog

Tax Season Here... CTI, in partnership with Mills42 Federal Credit Union is offering Free Tax Prepartion for individuals who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit or earn under $50,000 and file a basic tax return. Download the informational flyer to find out all the details

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to all of our Educational Partners including our President's Award Honorees, our Community Service Award Honoree, Dawna M. Perez, Ph.D. from Northern Essex Community College, and our Marjorie McDermott Honoree, Fred Abisi from the Lowell Adult Education Center. Check out the full listing of all of our Honorees and Nominees. A special thank you also goes out to our sponsors including ARAMARK, the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 980 WCAP Radio, Dick Lepine Real Estate, Inc., Nancy L. Donahue, Mr & Mrs. Donald Washburn, Muldoon Brothers, Inc., Beverly Bennett, Debra Hovanasian, and George Theodoru, Esq.

STEPS TO HOMEOWNERSHIP
CTI is pleased to offer its four week first-time homebuyer serminars. Graduates of the Steps to Homeownership seminar receive a certificate that makes them eligible to apply for Mass Housing low-interest mortgage loans, Mass Housing Partnership soft second program and down payment assistance programs in many Mass. cities and towns. Upon completion of the course, participants earn a certificate good for one year throughout the State. Check out the informational flyer for further details on this great opportunity for first-time homebuyers.

CTI is pleased to present its 2011 Annual Report entitled Bringing Hope, Opportunity & Strength to Our Community.

Find out what programs are available, who is eligible, which benefits you can get, and how to apply in Massachusetts.

Free Service to Area Landlords and Tenants. Community Teamwork Inc. (CTI) developed a new website designed to help landlords showcase their vacancies and for potential tenants to easily find them. This free service is offered to landlords and tenants in the Merrimack Valley and the North Shore. If you are a landlord interested in showcasing your vacancies, please register at www.nearlistings.org or contact Avi Glaser: aglaser@comteam.org

Family Resource Network: Offering a wealth of resources to families. Check out CTI's newly organized Family Resource Network combining programs such as the Children's Collaborative CPC, the Family Foundation Network, Financial Literacy Academy and CTI's Individual Development Account (IDA) program into one useful tool. Here you will find tons of resources for parents, children and families. Check out our latest Newsletter!

The Children's Collaborative CPC Program has developed a Resource Guide for Early Childhood Professionals and the Families that they serve. The Resource Guide is available for downloading. (pdf format 5.60MB). Find out more about the Children's Collaborative CPC by visiting their web page.

Neighborhood groups have been active in Lowell for many years. Here, you will find a listing of ten Neighborhood Associations including their contact information and meeting locations.

The Virtual Gateway is an on-line tool for consumers and providers to access Health and Human Service Programs. Through this single point of entry, visitors may take a short screening survey to determine potential eligibility for EOHHS programs. Other tools of the Virtual Gateway include a catalog of services and a Common Intake Form for registered providers.

CTI's Office of Planning & Program Development recently published our three-year Strategic Community Action Plan for 2012 - 2014. . The areas of priority include Workforce Development & Job Readiness, Financial Literacy and Asset Development, Affordable Housing and Homelessness, Children, Youth and Families and Benefit Enrollment & Coordination. View the full text version in pdf format.