Hugs are nice. But hunger advocates such as Tianna Gaines-Turner want policy-makers and members of Congress to know that as nice as a hug is, it does not put food on the table, workers in good-paying jobs, or families in affordable, secure housing. On Monday, Gaines-Turner, who lives in Philadelphia…
Archives: Voices
Human Needs Report: Appropriations and Budgets, Emergency Funding for Zika, Flint and Opioids
CHN just released our latest edition of the Human Needs Report, our regular newsletter on national policy issues affecting low-income and vulnerable populations. This edition includes articles on budget and appropriations action in Congress and funding to combat the Zika virus, the opioid epidemic and the lead contamination crisis. See below for the full analysis…
Truth in Payday Lending: Ana Maria’s Story
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on the National Council of La Raza’s blog on May 6 as part of their blog series, “Truth in Payday Lending: Stories from Latino Borrowers.” NCLR also has a new post on Google’s announcement yesterday that it will ban ads featuring payday lenders. We all run into…
Resources from Around the Coalition: School Meals, Pentagon Spending, Reducing Barriers and More
Protecting school anti-hunger efforts. Calling out excessive Pentagon spending. Reducing barriers for people with criminal records. CHN’s coalition members are producing great work on very important issues. This week, we continue our Resources from around the Coalition blog series, highlighting important resources you should be aware of. A new report from the Food…
What Moms Really Need for Mother’s Day
Flowers are purchased, cards are mailed and brunch reservations are made. Mother’s Day is here again. But what many moms really need for this holiday is something much different – and much more substantial. Just in time for Mother’s Day, the Department of Labor held an event yesterday to discuss…
President Obama visits Flint, samples the water
President Obama Wednesday visited Flint, Michigan to highlight the federal government’s response to the lead poisoning scandal and to renew calls for Congress to pass emergency assistance for the beleaguered city of 100,000. The presidential visit comes one day after the Coalition on Human Needs and allies hosted Child Lead…
Get the lead out.
On the eve of President Obama’s trip to Flint, Michigan, human needs advocates and health care experts came together Tuesday to discuss how best to address the catastrophe of lead poisoning in the United States and its causes and effects. Hundreds of participants from across the country participated in Child…
Fact of the Week: Number of Children Benefiting from Federal Low-Income Child Care Program at 16 Year Low
The number of children receiving child care funded by the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) fell to a 16-year low, according the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). The CCDBG is the primary source of federal funding for helping low-income families pay for child care, with half…
‘We can’t fix poverty without fixing housing’
It all began with a snowball. Arleen’s 14-year-old son Jori and his cousin were throwing snowballs at passing cars. One driver took umbrage, slamming his brakes, chasing Jori into the family’s apartment and kicking down the front door. When Arleen’s landlord found out about the property damage, Arlene and her…
Upcoming Webinar on Child Lead Poisoning
Please join us for an important webinar: Child Lead Poisoning: Preventable Harm Tuesday, May 3, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET Register Today!!! The lead poisoning of children (and adults) in Flint, Michigan has focused the nation’s attention on the terrible human cost of allowing contamination of our water supply. We…
Human Needs Report: Spending Bills Move, Supreme Court Hears Immigration Case, New Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill Introduced and More
CHN just released our latest edition of the Human Needs Report, our regular newsletter on national policy issues affecting low-income and vulnerable populations. This edition includes articles on appropriations action in Congress, the Supreme Court case against President Obama’s immigration executive actions, legislation regulating paid tax preparers, funding for emergencies and the new House Child…
Raise that wage.
Members of Congress and workers’ advocates today renewed their push for an increase in the hourly federal minimum wage to $12 – a move that would reflect the recent frenzy of state and local movement on the issue and would mean larger pay checks for 35 million Americans. Originally sponsored…