TEAM in Derby launches savings program

DERBY - TEAM, Inc. has announced the start of a new matched savings program, called the IDA Program, for low-income residents of the Valley area.

The IDA Program allows participants to deposit regular savings into a special savings account, called an Individual Development Account or IDA, in order to work toward the purchase of a productive asset—a first home, a small business, a car for employment or post-secondary education.

Program participants’ savings deposits will be matched (2:1) to make purchasing one of these assets a realistic goal for low-income families who are willing to save regularly for four to five years.

The IDA Program is part of an innovative approach to combating poverty focusing not just on meeting the most immediate needs of low income families, but also on the long-term benefits of helping working poor families to acquire a modest but decisive stake in their communities. 

President and CEO Richard Knoll believes this program helps families develop assets to improve their self-sufficiency. “We at TEAM are pleased to be able to increase the funds available in the region to assist residents to accomplish this vital financial saving and education process,” he said.

The IDA Program is in Connecticut, under the auspices of the Department of Labor. 
This program is supported by a grant from the Department of Labor.  
Naugatuck Valley Savings and Loan will be the depository for each participant’s IDA savings account.

To qualify, prospective IDA participants must meet qualified income guidelines, must have a regular source of earned income and must be residents of TEAM’s service area. In addition, all program participants take part in a 12-hour personal finance and money management workshop series and attend monthly Savings Club meetings to prepare for asset ownership.

For information about the IDA program, including detailed eligibility information, please call 203 736 5420 x 209.

TEAM Inc. is a private, 501(c)3 non-profit corporation whose mission is to connect individuals and families with solutions that lead to well-being, self-sufficiency and full participation in the community.  
It aims to achieve its mission by conducting activities that address the needs of economically disadvantaged individuals and families including resource mobilization, education, advocacy and service delivery.  TEAM programs serve the communities of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Derby, Milford, Orange, Oxford, Shelton, Seymour and Woodbridge.      


This is a press release from TEAM Inc.                 

Kelly to help displaced Sikorsky workers

Company to lay off more than 600  

HARTFORD - State Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, released the following statement today regarding the announcement of over 600 layoffs at Sikorsky Aircraft, with a majority of those layoffs happening in Stratford.

Kevin Kelly

“I am extremely disappointed that Sikorsky will be eliminating so many jobs here in Connecticut. Hundreds of families will be negatively impacted by this decision, and my heart goes out to these individuals. Our community will suffer greatly from this loss," he said.

“Right now my top concern is to help the displaced workers. But we also must look at the bigger issues at play. Connecticut’s economy is suffering and our job market is shrinking. When a layoff of this scale occurs, it becomes clear that Connecticut is in trouble. If our employers cannot prosper, neither can our people,” Kelly said.

In an effort to help the community, Kelly will be sending a letter to Department of Labor Commissioner Glen Marshall expressing his concerns and requesting that the department’s Rapid Response Team be dispatched to educate the workers about training opportunities, job search assistance and unemployment benefits.

 
This is a press release from Kelly's office.