Inside this Issue: Ventura Staff: Volume, Issue

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Volume, Issue Inside this Issue: Ventura

1 Volume, Issue Inside this Issue: Ventura Staff: Assistant TANF Director Alisia Davila Site Manager Joseph Flores Case Counselor Brenda Guzman Staff Introductions March 2019 OVCDC Calendar Ventura County Community Resources Language: Introduction to Chumash mitsqanaqan Recipes TANF Updates and Reminders Finances Smart Goals

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OVCDC Tribal TANF Page 3 Ventura County Staff Joseph Flores Site Manager My name is Joseph Flores and I have been the Employment Coordinator for Kern County for the past 5 years.

I have a BA in Psychology from CSU Channel Islands and an AA in Psychology.

3 OVCDC Tribal TANF Page 3 Ventura County Staff Joseph Flores Site Manager My name is Joseph Flores and I have been the Employment Coordinator for Kern County for the past 5 years. Before I started with Owens Valley CDC I worked for Santa Barbara County as a Sr. Career Specialist and Ventura County as a Sr. Employment Specialist. I have a BA in Psychology from CSU Channel Islands and an AA in Psychology. Originally I relocated to Bakersfield from Ventura and I am honored and feel blessed to have the opportunity to return to Ventura County as the Site Manager. It has been a pleasure to serve Kern County as an Employment Coordinator and work with everyone at Bakersfield & Lake Isabella Sites. I will continue to display OVCDC Core Values as we move to serving the community in Ventura County. Thank you everyone that has assisted me along in this journey and let s get ready to do it again in Ventura. J I know we are going to make a great impact to the families in that area and help them succeed in meeting their goals and dreams. Brenda M Guzman Case Counselor Haku Haku, My name is Brenda Guzman, I am very pleased to have been chosen to be a part of the Ventura County Site as Case Counselor. I am a member of the Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians (Chumash) here in Ventura County. I was born and raised in Northern California, relocated to Oahu, Hawaii in 2015 and came home to beautiful Ventura, CA to be part of the Owens Valley Career Development Center TANF Team. In my past life for 12 years I was a Fraud Investigator for a Loss Management Department in Banking and in 2011 switched my career path to Social Services with a local San Joaquin County Tribal TANF program and in 2015 when I moved to Hawaii I joined the State of Hawaii/DHS/Child Welfare Services team. I am sure all the knowledge and skills I have gained in the past will help to build a great future with OVCDC. I am very excited to be a part of your new Ventura County Site and cannot wait to get out into the community to represent OVCDC in helping serve our Ventura County Native American families.

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18 March 2019 Page 18 Things to do in Spring. Make a list

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20 March Tribal TANF Page 20 Budgeting Tips

21 February 2019 Finances - SMART Goals Page 21 What is a financial goal and how many of us actually sit down to create one for ourselves? While you take this time to think of ways to organize and clean out your home, mind and body, also take a minute to reflect on how you would like your finances to work for you. When creating a financial goal, and thinking of what you want your financial future to look like, a good start is to understand the SMART goal technique. SMART goals are goals that embody five distinct traits: S = Specific: Your financial goals should be as specific as possible in order to successfully achieve exactly what you want. Always include as much detail as possible. What am I strivin for? How will I achieve it? Who does it involve? Why is it important to me? If getting out of debt is important to you, think about what debt you want to tackle. Is it credit card debt or student loans? Pick one and focus on that for your goal. M = Measurable: For a goal to be effective, it must be measurable. Define how much you will achieve by accomplishing this goal. A goal to "make a lot of money" is not helpful because you can't measure "a lot." Let's look at getting out of credit card debt. What does that mean to you and what does it look like? Saying "I want to reduce my credit card debt by $3,000" is a start to being measurable. How will you accomplish paying down that debt? Do you just "put a little extra in every month when I have that money?" Unfortunately, that may not work very well. You need to be specific and you need to be able to measure it. Figure out exactly how much extra you can pay every month towards your debt. Now you have a concrete figure. You know you need this amount every month. You can now work on ways to make sure you have this much to pay off your debt. This also breaks down your goal of paying your credit card debt into smaller goals that you can attain on a measurable frame. Now, you aren't focused on paying off all your credit card debt, which can feel overwhelming. You are viewing it as paying off a specific, measurable amount each month. A = Attainable: A big mistake we often make with goals, and one of the main reasons why we may fail to meet goals, is because we shoot for the moon with a goal we can't reasonably achieve. As you are creating your financial goal, ask yourself, "can I actually do this...is it possible?" If you have made your goal specific and measurable, it should help in determining if your goal is attainable. It's also okay if your goal may seem slightly out of reach. That's the great thing with goals. We can always adjust them if we need to. The point is that you are working toward something. Making a goal too easy to achieve means you aren't growing and changing something about yourself. Sometimes, we have to stretch and struggle to reach that goal. It can help you to be more of who you want to be rather than who you have been. If your goal is to pay down credit card debt, challenge yourself to rework your budget to be able to put that money toward your goal. R = Realistic: Setting realistic goals involves the methods we intend to use to achieve our goals. An example of a realistic goal might be, "I want to pay off my credit card debt of $3,000 by paying $300 a month for the next ten months." Is the $300 something you can work into your budget for putting toward that goal? A realistic goal must be in the realm of possibility for you. T = Time-Bound: This last element of SMART financial goals is really important. Effective goals are time-bound or timely. What does that mean? It means your goal will have a starting point, an end point and measurable time or milestones in between. Making your goal time-bound provides a framework for you to work within. Time makes your goal more SPECIFIC: "I'll eliminate my credit card debt in ten months." Time makes your goal more MEASURABLE: "I'll put X dollars away every Sunday and then pay N dollars on the 15th of the month toward my credit card bill." Time makes your goal ATTAINABLE: "I can't pay $3,000 in two months toward my credit card debt, but I can afford $300 a month to put toward it." Time makes your goal REALISTIC: "Is the time needed to attain this goal really the best use of time for me?"

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February 2019 Page 23 All required documents to cash aid clients are mailed as a courtesy and a self addressed stamped envelope is provided to each client that has requested it.

D u e D a t e s All MERs and Supportive Service Requests are due on the 1 st of the month and no later than the 10th.

If your MER is turned in after the 10 th, please remember to complete a 10-day waiver form. List at the front counter.

Stamped envelopes are available to those who would prefer to mail in their monthly paperwork.

23 February 2019 Page 23 All required documents to cash aid clients are mailed as a courtesy and a self addressed stamped envelope is provided to each client that has requested it. However, it is always the client s responsibility to make sure that their Monthly Eligibility Report (MER) and any other documentation is received in the office. D u e D a t e s All MERs and Supportive Service Requests are due on the 1 st of the month and no later than the 10th. MER s received after the 10 th are considered late and will result in a late payment. Lost in the mail or late due to mail will not be an acceptable excuse. If your MER is turned in after the 10 th, please remember to complete a 10-day waiver form. List at the front counter. This form needs to be completed every time you DROP OFF your MER, SSR s and/or any other documents, this will help avoid miscommunication and be used as backup, should your paperwork be misplaced. Stamped envelopes are available to those who would prefer to mail in their monthly paperwork. Let whoever is at the front desk or your Case Counselor know if you d like one mailed to you at the end of each month. If you need to make an appointment with your Case Counselor, you may speak to Allyssa or anyone at the front desk and they will be happy to assist you with making that appointment. PLEASE be sure to P R I N T your FIRST and LAST NAME on EACH RECEIPT you are turning in. MER s WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BEFORE THE 1ST DAY OF THE MONTH, NO EXCEPTIONS. R e m i n d e r If you would like to have Direct Deposit, ask your Case Counselor or Administrative Assistant for a form to take to your bank. This will help you receive your TANF payments in a more timely manner. ALL CHECKS ARE TO BE MAILED Any and all events you see in this newsletter, that are facilitated by OVCDC (TANF/Family Lit./KIEC), are countable participation hours if approved to be on your FSSP. If you re not sure you ve been approved or would like to be approved, please make an appointment with your Case Counselor before participating. Please provide at least a 24 hour notice when requesting a Benefit Summary or any other documents from your file. When turning in Support Service Request, please read Disclaimer and remember to complete the budget on the back of the Support Service Request form, for any support service that isn t reoccurring. W h e n S u b m i t t i n g PLEASE FILL OUT and Sign the MER Submission and Check

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OVCDC Tribal TANF Page 25 7 Foods Not to Refrigerate 1. Bananas Storing bananas in the refrigerator can actually disrupt the ripening process.

Sweet Potatoes When exposed to cold temperatures, starches found in potatoes will turn to sugar, disrupting their flavor and texture, not to

Apples Apples lose their texture and flavor when refrigerated.

Onions Storing onions in the fridge cause onions to be soggy and also causes the rest of food to taste and smell like onions.

Avocados much like the banana, refrigeration shuts down an avocado s ripening enzymes. 7.

pungent aromatic scent. Refrigeration can actually cause coffee to absorb odors from other foods in your fridge.

25 OVCDC Tribal TANF Page 25 7 Foods Not to Refrigerate 1. Bananas Storing bananas in the refrigerator can actually disrupt the ripening process. In fact, once refrigerated, a banana may never be able to resume the ripening process even if returned to room temperature. 2. Sweet Potatoes When exposed to cold temperatures, starches found in potatoes will turn to sugar, disrupting their flavor and texture, not to mention increasing their sugar content. 3. Tomatoes Tomatoes actually lose their flavor and become mushy when refrigerated. 4. Apples Apples lose their texture and flavor when refrigerated. Instead, place an apple in the fridge about 30 minutes before eating if you prefer your apples cold. 5. Onions Storing onions in the fridge cause onions to be soggy and also causes the rest of food to taste and smell like onions. Try storing them in a paper bag (within a cool, dark cabinet) for maximum shelf-life. 6. Avocados much like the banana, refrigeration shuts down an avocado s ripening enzymes. 7. Coffee Contrary to popular belief, coffee is best stored at room temperature to allow the natural oils within the coffee bean to activate its pungent aromatic scent. Refrigeration can actually cause coffee to absorb odors from other foods in your fridge. School Incentive Grade and Attendance A average ( GPA) up to $ B average ( GPA) up to $75.00 C average ( GPA) up to $40.00 Kindergarten and Special Needs up to $40.00 and Satisfactory Attendance from their School or 90% from OVCDC Don t forget to submit your child s 1st Quarter report cards as soon as it is received, they may be eligible for a Grade Incentive for all the hard work they are doing.

We are a dedicated American Indian organization operating under a consortium of Sovereign Nations.

self-sufficiency while protecting, preserving and promoting our cultures in the spirit of positive nation

C o m p a s s i o n - We will deal with each individual and the communities that we serve with compassion.

increased opportunities for Native Americans and above all, do no harm.

26 We are a dedicated American Indian organization operating under a consortium of Sovereign Nations. OVCDC is providing the opportunity for improvement in the quality of life by focusing on education and self-sufficiency while protecting, preserving and promoting our cultures in the spirit of positive nation building for Native people of today and generations of tomorrow. C o m p a s s i o n - We will deal with each individual and the communities that we serve with compassion. S e l f - S u f f i c i e n c y - We will promote and encourage self-sufficiency through education and increased opportunities for Native Americans and above all, do no harm. R e s p e c t - We will deal with every client, community member, tribe, Board member and employee with respect at all times. N a t i v e C u l t u r e - We will strive to preserve, enhance and promote indigenous Native American culture and traditions. I n t e g r i t y - We will operate in an ethical manner with integrity and honesty at all times Ventura Road 3rd Floor Oxnard, CA st Day of Spring March 20th

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