The CHN office is always a flurry of activity. With a small staff and so much to do to protect and expand programs that help our low-income neighbors, there’s no time to sit still. This week is even busier as we take care of final preparations for our Human Needs Hero reception on Tuesday, July 25^th, where we hope you’ll join us, support our work, and honor Human Needs Heroes UnidosUS and the National Immigration Law Center.
As we prepare for our event, we’re reminded of the bringing together of the human needs community that’s at the heart of CHN’s work. We’re thinking about why we all do the work that we do together – both the challenges and the successes. So, in honor of our 14th annual Human Needs Hero event, here are just 14 of those many reasons:

• • More than 43 million Americans live in poverty, and Latinos are more than twice as likely to live in poverty as non-Hispanic Whites.

• • One in six households in the U.S. is food insecure.

• • Only 35 affordable and available rental units exist for every 100 extremely low income renter households.

• • Millions of our neighbors face unprecedented threats of deportation and family break-ups.

• • Big U.S. corporations used offshore tax havens to avoid up to $750 billion in taxes.

• • The U.S. already spends more on immigration enforcement than all other federal law enforcement agencies combined: the ATF, DEA, FBI, Secret Service, and Federal Marshals Service.

• • The number of children benefiting from the main federal low-income child care program is at a 17-year low.

• • Since FY2010, at least 135 critical human needs programs have been cut, more than half by 15 percent or more, and nearly one-third by 25 percent or more.

But…

• • Safety net programs like SNAP, low-income tax credits, and Social Security cut poverty nearly in half, lifting 46 million people, including 12 million children, out of poverty each year.

• • Housing vouchers reduce family homelessness and housing instability by 80 percent.

• • The minimum wage increased in 17 states and D.C. in 2016. Raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2024 would increase the wages of 33 percent of Hispanic workers.

• • Public support for safety net programs and greater federal efforts to reduce poverty is strong.

• • Immigrants enrich our society and our economy in numerous ways.

• • In 2016, a number of states rejected immigration enforcement measures and advanced inclusive policies.

Many in Congress want to cut spending on the very programs that deliver these successes. That’s why spreading the word about the need for more investments in human needs programs is critical. To support CHN in this work, click here.

[Photo credit: Doug Kline via Flickr]