Update: Not many people have asked for help here, but this has become a bit of a collection of useful information links, so we’re changing the title slightly.
A reader asks “Is there or should there be a help page on I Brattleboro… if seniors, etc who are house bound, etc. need help… groceries, etc during this Corona thing?”
Sure, and here you go.
This site is a Brattleboro area resource powered by the people who use it. If you have a good idea or useful information, share it.
This thread can serve as a location of offers and requests for assistance. Caveat – if you need medical or other professional help, please reach out to those professionals directly. Keep requests and offers here to things neighbors might be able to help neighbors accomplish.
We’ll keep this up at the top of the page for easy access.
If you have cancellations or postponements, please put them over here.
Helping neighbors
If people know of elderly, handicapped etc who need help shopping etc that are not served by existing local needs post the request here or are there other better ways to help?
Financial relief on the way, it seems
The government is (very very likely) going to start providing Universal Basic Income. Checks should start coming to all adults in a couple of weeks. They just need to work out details of how much.
Joe Kennedy says he’s introducing legislation that calls for
“—$4k to every adult who makes under 100k per year
—$2k to every adult who makes over 100k per year
—$1k for every child 18 or younger”
Mitt Romney suggest $1000 to every adult.
or not
Congress is being stupid about this.
One new plan is to make sure the poorest people get the smallest checks – maybe $600, but maybe that gets cut down if you owe back taxes. Hopefully this will not happen.
Another plan seems to be to get checks to people within a few months. That is insane. There are people who live tip-to-mouth, and are probably very close if not already out of money, having been out of work a few days.
I suppose we have to wait and see. Hopefully wiser heads prevail.
Print media
Not quite sure where to put this, but our colleagues in print media all across the country are suffering. Advertising is drying up, lay offs happening, delivery difficult, etc. Industry worry is that only the well-capitalized may survive. This could happen locally.
Our model doesn’t rely on advertising, nor do we get paid for doing this, so the low-overhead helps. It would take a lot before we’d need to pull the plug for any reason.
Still, we are all part of a media ecosystem and feel a comradeship with the professionals. Our thoughts go out to many reporters and editors…
Watch out for scams
I can assure you that spammers, hackers, and fraudsters are still active. Funny that THEY haven’t been sent home from work… : )
I just got an official looking email claiming that during a national emergency one must have proper papers from a hospital to travel. These same files were attached to the email (how lucky!) and if I just opened them…
No way.
One obvious giveaway was the sender of the email. The address didn’t match the claimed name of the organization.
Another sign this was fake was that the attached file was named “COVID-46 form”… and as far as I know, we’re dealing with COVID-19.
If you get suspicious emails, don’t open attachments. Pause. Look carefully. Ask someone you trust to help you if it gets confusing.
We don’t need computers to be getting viruses right now.
Vermont Legal Help
Here’s a site with information about legal assistance and benefits:
https://vtlawhelp.org/coronavirus-updates
Find out about courts, evictions, heat, water, other services, emergency housing, food, foreclosures, health insurance, medicaid, citizenship, unemployment, social security, taxes, debt collection, nursing homes and more.
Very useful! Take a look.
IRS Tax Deadline Extended
July 15 is the new income tax deadline, for anyone struggling who would like more time.
Folks expecting refunds are encouraged to file now, to get your money.
Not yet for VT Tax deadline
Just to be clear, so no one makes a critical error:
The VT Dept of Taxed has evidently not yet determined whether the deadline for filing and/or paying will be pushed back to July 15, as has been done by IRS for federal taxes. One suspects that they will, but it has not yet been clarified. Their determination on that was supposed to come by the end of the day today, but now it says “we’ll provide guidance [on extended deadlines] as soon as possible.”
Stay tuned.
VT tax deadline now extended also
VT Department of Taxes updated their information, which now conform to the federal policy which had been put into effect last week:
The Vermont income tax filing due dates for the following taxes have also been extended from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020:
Vermont personal income tax
Vermont Homestead Declaration and Property Tax Credit Claims
Corporate income tax
Fiduciary income tax
Taxpayers may file and pay these taxes before July 15, 2020, without penalty or interest.
Brattleboro Time Trade
Brattleboro Time Trade is a great resource for getting and offering help. We are presently conducting online orientations. To sign up, visit http://www.brattleborotimetrade.org , and click on “Join Online”.
Local Social Media
Just a reminder that iBrattleboro has a robust social media platform built-in to it. We just updated the underlying software for it, too.
If you have an account, you have your own page, just like Facebook or Twitter. To find it, make sure your are logged in, then look under the Read & Comment menu item in the upper blue bar. The first option is My Page. Go there…
You can post updates to your own page. You can friend people, form groups, send private messages, and so on.
Get your friends or team members to join and you can have local social media for yourself. And we promise we won’t sell your data, or target ads at you, or influence elections….
This might come in handy!
Local Needs?
The Brattleboro VFW, Elks, Masonic Lodge, and the American Legion are banding together with the guidance of the Brattleboro Fire Department to see if there is a need in the area to deliver food and other essential items for those who cannot and should not venture out. We are in the very beginning phase of this, and need to know if there would be people who need this. As of right now, we do not need items wanted, names or addresses, but if you or someone you know is interested, please feel free to contact me on Facebook privately under Lisa Turner Lofting or Nancy Campbell Kerylow or call 257-0438 and leave a message that you are interested with a call back number. We ask that this be for the elderly, families with children that have needs, or those with health issues.
Some "open" restaurants
Whetstone Station has online ordering and takeout.
Vermont Country Deli is working on a curbside pickup program and plans to stay open for orders to go.
Peter Havens is taking a week off and deciding what to do. They’d like your input.
Elliot Street Fish and Chips is closed and “will reassess in April”.
Echo is offering takeout and curbside delivery.
The 99 has online ordering and curbside pickup.
Personal Property Tax deadline extended
Brattleboro’s update Mar 25 says “The deadline for businesses to submit personal property tax data to the has been postponed from April 20 to July 20, consistent with the annual income tax filing deadline being postponed by both the IRS and the State of Vermont from April 15 to July 15.”
Banks... it is up to you to help renters
It is time for banks to forgive mortgages until further notice.
If banks don’t forgive mortgages, some landlords won’t be able to forgive rents.
Step up, banks. Make us proud!
Vermont Volunteers Website
There is a new state website for people who would like to volunteer:
https://www.vermont.gov/volunteer
“The State of Vermont is looking for volunteers to help in communities across the State that have been affected by COVID-19. Help is needed in a variety of areas and professions.”
If you are a childcare worker, grocery worker, public works professional, driver, etc. or of you are a nurse, pharmacist, EMS, Physician Assistant, Veterinarian, mental health worker, etc… Vermont is looking for you.
Obviously, they say “If you have had contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, please do the responsible thing and refrain from volunteering.”