Nearly 16 percent of Americans – 49 million of us – struggle with hunger. That’s one out of every seven households. Hunger impacts children (16 million, in fact) and adults in every part of our country – every state and every city. This is not a partisan issue; it’s a…
Archives: Voices
Human Needs Report: Appropriations, No Child Left Behind, Child Nutrition, Family-Friendly Workplace Legislation, 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 the ongoing appropriations process, family-friendly workplace legislation, No Child Left Behind, child nutrition, and more. See below for the full analysis and links to each…
Tell Congress it’s time to Raise the Wage
The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour for six years now. That’s barely $15,000 a year for a full-time worker—literally a poverty wage. No one should have to have to decide between clean clothes, paying their rent, or paying their cellphone bill. Tens of millions of…
Head Smacker: Misnamed “Working Families Flexibility Act” Would Give Workers Less Flexibility, Less Time and Less Pay
Bills in Congress are named by those who write them, which means the name can sound good even if the bill actually does the opposite of what the title implies. That’s the case with the Working Families Flexibility Act. It sounds like a good thing, right? Families would get more…
Fact of the Week: Half of Children in Public Schools are Eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch
Just over half of children in public schools across the U.S. were in families with near-poverty income levels that made them eligible for free or reduced price lunch in 2013. This statistic comes from the Southern Education Foundation’s research bulletin, A New Majority: Low Income Students Now a Majority in…
5 Things to Know about Fixing the Overtime Rule
“We’ve got to keep making sure hard work is rewarded. Right now, too many Americans are working long days for less pay than they deserve. That’s partly because we’ve failed to update overtime regulations for years — and an exemption meant for highly paid, white collar employees now leaves out…
Human Needs Report: Appropriations Bills Advance in House and Senate; ACA facing opposition in Congress Despite Supreme Court Win
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 the ongoing appropriations process and the Affordable Care Act. See below for the full analysis and links to each section of the report. Click here for the…
Head Smacker: Fewer than 1 in 4 Households Eligible for Housing Assistance Get It, but Congress Cuts Assistance Even More
Fewer than 1 in 4 low-income households who qualify for housing assistance receives it due to lack of funds, but that didn’t stop the House of Representatives from cutting housing assistance even more. Earlier this month, the House passed its spending bill covering the Department of Housing and Urban Development…
Join Us in Honoring Our 2015 Human Needs Hero: the National Women’s Law Center
For the 12th consecutive year, CHN is pleased to host our Human Needs Hero reception, and we want you to join us. This year, we are proud to honor the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) as our Human Needs Hero for their work of more than 40 years to expand…
CHN Celebrates the Supreme Court’s Decision on the ACA
Check out CHN’s statement on today’s historic Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act below. You can also download a PDF version of our statement. What did you think of the Court’s ruling? Let us know by leaving your thoughts in the comments section below. Coalition on Human Needs…
Fact of the Week: 13 Million Dads Benefit from Low-Income Tax Credits
For Mother’s Day, our Fact of the Week highlighted the 21 million moms who benefit from low-income tax credits. We didn’t want to leave out dads, so this week’s fact is about them. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 13 million fathers in working families benefit from…
A Full Court ‘Press’ to Stop Federal Cuts
We’re doing a full court ‘press’ to stop federal cuts to human needs programs, and we need your help. On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education approved funding levels for programs in its jurisdiction. Unlike the President’s budget, which funded priorities more adequately…