Posts
October 20, 2006 was an unforgettable day in Violeta Espinoza's life: It was the day the folks out at the Alameda Point Collaborative handed her the keys to her own apartment.
On that day, Espinoza, a mother of two, opened the door to her own place and also to a bevy of resources that helped her into a job and toward another important goal.
"I'm about being the best mother for my kids," she said.
Espinoza was pregnant with her daughter when a friend told her that the collaborative had announced its one-week application process for openings. She was tired of bouncing around and living with relatives. So she applied, she said, and was "blessed" with a good enough lottery number to land a home at the Point.
But the collaborative provided more than just a roof over Espinoza's head. It offered childcare, resources to help Espinoza overcome postpartum depression and anxiety and job training.
Espinoza took it from there, proving herself by taking on extra jobs at the collaborative. A few months ago she submitted a second application to APC - for a job. A week after her interview she was hired as a property management clerk, one of only two residents to ever be hired at the collective.
Now, Espinoza is dealing with the adjustment of having kids in school, a job to go to, and bills to pay. But she's got the right attitude for handling her new challenges.
"Things will only get done if you get out there and do them," she said.
The collaborative provides a home to 500 residents, more than half of them children. In addition to the services Espinoza took advantage of, it offers health services and substance counseling. The collaborative also operates a bike shop and a commercial nursery and urban farm.
Its holiday wish list includes gifts and gift certificates for teens, wreaths and Christmas trees, in addition to a list of ongoing needs on its website. APC's also looking for volunteers to serve a holiday meal or just to help out. And the collaborative could also use cash donations: $50 can buy a welcome basket with essentials for new families.
Interested in helping out? Click here.
The Alameda Unified School District’s finance chief laid out the impacts of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal for next year, and they are grim. Under the proposal, the district could lose more than $4 million in state funding for the current year and 2009-2010. And that’s not counting the $650,000 it will lose when the new Nea Community Learning Center charter school opens next year, taking an anticipated 250 students off the district’s rolls.
If the governor’s plan were to be enacted, the district could face layoffs and even the loss of five days of the school year, district chief financial officer Tim Rahill said, though it could allow the district to take money out of “categorical” programs – money that is designated for specific programs that can’t be used for any other purpose.
Declining enrollment and increasing costs – Rahill said worker’s compensation costs, for example, will probably rise – will also impact the district’s budget.
“Alameda is facing a state budget crisis. We are facing the opening of a charter school. Also, we’re experiencing declining enrollment,” Rahill said.
He said parcel tax dollars generated by the passage of Measure H could also be used to help cover the cuts, if the board wishes to use those. This year, the district is slated to get $4 million in Measure H tax funds, and it has only budgeted $1.2 million of that.
Schwarzenegger has proposed a number of additional taxes to bridge $31.3 billion in budget shortfalls between the 2007-08 and 2009-10 fiscal years.
The district wants your input on its budget situation. They’ve scheduled budget workshops for February 11 and April 2. We’ll update you when times and locations are available.
If the governor’s plan were to be enacted, the district could face layoffs and even the loss of five days of the school year, district chief financial officer Tim Rahill said, though it could allow the district to take money out of “categorical” programs – money that is designated for specific programs that can’t be used for any other purpose.
Declining enrollment and increasing costs – Rahill said worker’s compensation costs, for example, will probably rise – will also impact the district’s budget.
“Alameda is facing a state budget crisis. We are facing the opening of a charter school. Also, we’re experiencing declining enrollment,” Rahill said.
He said parcel tax dollars generated by the passage of Measure H could also be used to help cover the cuts, if the board wishes to use those. This year, the district is slated to get $4 million in Measure H tax funds, and it has only budgeted $1.2 million of that.
Schwarzenegger has proposed a number of additional taxes to bridge $31.3 billion in budget shortfalls between the 2007-08 and 2009-10 fiscal years.
The district wants your input on its budget situation. They’ve scheduled budget workshops for February 11 and April 2. We’ll update you when times and locations are available.
posted by Michele Ellson at 9:00 AM on Jan 28, 2009
1 Comment:
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Susan
http://www.car-insurance-choices.com
Post a Comment