MCAN/OLTC and its affiliated organizations, have a number of accomplishments on statewide issues:

I. Crime Prevention and Enforcement

MCAN, along with its affiliated groups, led the campaign in 1993 to establish state budget funding for local community policing efforts. Then we worked to increase that funding and continue it annually and it is now funded at $20 million a year. MCAN also helped win passage and strengthening of the state's Drug Asset Forfeiture Law.

MCAN worked in a coalition with the Black Ministerial Alliance, the Boston Ten Point Coalition, and the Dorchester Youth Collaborative to pass legislation in 2006 to give tools to prosecutors to lessen witness intimidation by gangs. We also helped pass budget appropriations for a State Witness Protection Program funded at $1.5 million and the Shannon Grant Program for $11 million in grants to cities for prevention programs and law enforcement initiatives against gangs.

In July 2006, we worked with the above organizations and with GBIO to gain $700,000 in special funding for teen violence prevention programs in Boston.

II. Affordable Housing

MCAN groups helped negotiate an agreement with Bank of Boston/Bay Banks for $38 million in lower interest rate mortgages over 4 years. We also worked to get the state bond spending for housing spending raised by $30 million in 200. Also, MCAN affiliates worked on the organizing campaign that passed the Housing Trust Fund in 2000 funded annually since then at $20 million a year.

III. Increasing Living Wage Jobs

MCAN/OLTC affiliated organizations worked on successfully in preventing large proposed cuts in the state’s Adult Basic Education program in 2001 and 2002. MCAN helped lead a campaign in 2003-2004 that won $6 million in new state funding for job training.

In 2006 as one of the four lead organizations of the Workforce Solution Group coalition (part of SkillWorks), we organized for passage of $11 million for job traning programs along with $3 million for Adult Basic Education programs. The legislation we organized to pass also will enable community based organizations, cities, community colleges, and unions to receive federal matching funds through the Food Stamp Employment Training Program (FSET) for job training and education they do for working poor food stamp recipients.

MCAN was an active member in the coalition of community groups and unions that worked to get the minimum wage legislation passed in July 2006. It will raise the minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.50 on 1/1/07 and to $8.00 on 1/1/08.

MCAN and its affiliates have worked in support of many campaigns by unions for organizing unions at new work sites and for new, fairer contracts for existing unions.

IV. Health Care

MCAN affiliated groups contributed several thousand signatures to referendum tactic in the campaign for passage of the state's new law to cover the uninsured. We also helped in organizing meetings with legislators on this in two areas of the state.

MCAN is working as a part of the PICO National Network of community organizations on the national campaign to extend the federal SCHIP program for health insurance to children of the working poor.