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| National CAPACD E-Newsletter December 2007 |
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Contents:
1) National CAPACD Welcomes Our 2008 Congressional Fellow, Keo Chea!
2) International District Housing Authority in Seattle Receives $297,000 from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
3) National
CAPACD Convenes Members to Discuss Policy Priorities.
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1) National CAPACD Welcomes Our 2008 Congressional Fellow, Keo Chea!
We are excited to welcome the newest addition to the National CAPACD
family, Keo Chea. As our 2008 Congressional Fellow, Keo will be
working in Congressman Al Green's office focusing on housing and
community development issues as they relate to the AAPI
community. Congressman Green is the Chair of the Congressional
Asian Pacific American Caucus' Housing Task Force.
Keo arrived in the U.S. with her family in 1981 as a political refugee
escaping the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. She
was raised in Fresno and Sacramento, California and received a B.A. in
Political Science from the University of California, Davis. Since
2001, Keo has been speaking out against unjust immigration
policies. In May 2006, Keo graduated from the University of
California, Hastings College of Law.
Keo joins us from the Easy Bay Community Law Center where she has
provided direct legal services to low-income Southeast Asian
immigrants, advocated for county and state-wide policy changes on
welfare law, and supervised law students in their clinical
program. Her performance in legislation and advocacy resulted in
the introduction and passage through several committees of Assembly
Bill 22, which seeks to repeal a child welfare law in California that
denies aid to any child born after the family has already been on
assistance. Keo has demonstrated outstanding advocacy and passion
in changing a law that impacts over 68,000 children in
California.
Keo follows outgoing Congressional Fellow Ann Surapruik and looks
forward to continuing Ann’s outreach to AAPI community
organizations. We encourage you to welcome Keo and let her know
about the issues facing your communities.
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2) International District Housing Authority (IDHA) Receives $297,000 from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
On November 15, the International District Housing
Authority (IDHA) was awarded a $297,000 Community Action for Renewed
Environment (CARE) grant from the EPA for their environmental and youth
work in the International District. Elin Miller, EPA's Regional
Administrator, announced the CARE award, an EPA grant about empowering
communities, especially those with environmental justice concerns, at
the Chinatown Community Center in Seattle, Washington.
IDHA will use the funding for outreach campaigns and studies on issues
such as waste reduction, green business practices, and vehicle
anti-idling. This is the second stage in grant funding for IDHA,
allowing their member organizations and partners to build upon existing
programs, pilot new efforts, and expand their outreach in the
International District, which is one of Seattle's oldest and most
ethnically diverse neighborhoods.
Congratulations, IDHA!
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3) National CAPACD Convenes Members to Discuss Policy Priorities.
On December 5-6, National CAPACD members and allies
from across the country gathered in Washington, DC to strategize about
policy priorities and opportunities in 2008. The meeting brought
together a broad representation of members from New York, Boston, Los
Angeles, Seattle, Oakland and San Francisco.
At the meeting, members shared their work at the local level and
offered direction to National CAPACD on policy priorities to address at
the federal level. Some of the priority issues included
overcrowding in housing, definitions of homelessness, senior housing
for AAPIs, culturally appropriate supportive services and increasing
federal resources for AAPI community based organizations. Participants
had intensive discussions with National CAPACD partners in Washington,
DC including representatives from NeighborWorks America, the National
Low-Income Housing Coalition and the Center for Responsible
Lending.
The two-day event included a reception with Congressman Mike Honda,
chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).
Congressman Honda generously shared his time with attendees of the
reception and welcomed a question and answer session with guests to
discuss the work of CAPAC and his role on the House Appropriations
Committee.
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