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NEXT meeting of the Food SNAP Coalition: Tuesday March 1^st  from 10 to noon.  This will count for the February Coalition meeting. We scheduled it for March 1st  because next week is school vacation week, presenting a conflict for many Coalition members. The Coalition meeting will be at ABCD, 178 Tremont Street, 3rd Floor in Boston.  The regular March meeting will be the last Tuesday in March - March 29th. An agenda will go out under separate email.

MLRI and Mass Continuing Legal Education are hosting TWO trainings on benefits in March (these are the final trainings in the BBT series):

March 1st (Tuesday) training on Elder Benefit Programs:

To Register: http://www.mcle.org/program-calendar/program-catalog.cfm?product_code=21...

March 22nd (Tuesday) on Immigrant and Benefits:

TO: Food SNAP Coalition Members
FR: Pat Baker

In follow up to the January 25th Coalition meeting, here are some important Food Stamp/SNAP policy updates to share on the numbers:

1. Slight cost of living adjustment (COLA) in 200% FPL gross income test: The US Department of Health and Human Services issued the new Federal Poverty Level increases on January 20, 2011. The federal poverty level (FPL) has increased by 1.6% for 2011. 

TO: Food SNAP Coalition Members
FR: Pat Baker

Here is a link to MLRI's preliminary analysis of the Governor's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. Relevant to safety-net benefits and housing, the Governor proposes to deny emergency shelter to most families who are now eligible, offering them only the possibility of short-term housing assistance, even if they have nowhere to go while looking for housing with which to use that assistance.