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…
Archives: Voices
Community Voices: Telling Your Story of Nutrition Assistance
With Congress due to reauthorize child nutrition programs like WIC, school lunch and breakfast, summer meals and after school and child care feeding programs, we all have the opportunity to voice our concerns about threatening cuts to nutrition programs. One of the most powerful ways to protect these vital nutrition…
Human Needs Report: Appropriations, Immigration Reform and Family Detention Practices
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, immigration reform and family detention practices. See below for the full analysis and links to each section of the report….
Fact of the Week: Nearly Half of Americans Would Struggle with Unexpected Expense of $400
Forty-seven percent of Americans either could not cover an emergency expense costing $400 or would have to borrow money or sell something to cover it, according to a recent report from the Federal Reserve System. The picture is bleaker for households with incomes under $40,000: over two-thirds of these households…
Resources from around the Coalition: Affordable Housing, Summer Meals, the Safety Net and More
Affordable housing. Summer meals. The effectiveness of the safety net. CHN’s coalition members are producing amazing work on really important topics. I wish I had time to cover each of them in-depth in their own blog post, but unfortunately, I don’t. Nevertheless, I wanted to make sure these important resources…
How You Can Help Stop Federal Budget Cuts
Last month, Congress passed a budget outline that calls for deep cuts to everything from housing to health care to Head Start. Now they are starting to fill in the specifics – specifics that would further increase poverty and inequality. As we hit the next stage of the budget battle, we…
33 Senators Join Chorus of Voices Condemning Obama’s Family Detention Policies
[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on the American Civil Liberties Union’s blog, Washington Markup, on June 3. If you represent a national organization, please sign this letter being circulated by CHN urging President Obama to end the practice of family detentions.] One third of the Senate has had enough of the…
Strengthen Minimum Wage – and EITC
[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ blog, Off the Charts, on May 27. On the same day, the National Women’s Law Center released an updated version of their related fact sheet, The Minimum Wage and EITC: Complementary Strategies Helping Women Life Their…
Save the Date! CHN’s 12th Annual Human Needs Hero Reception
The Coalition on Human Needs is proud to announce that the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) has been chosen as the 2015 Human Needs Hero. Please save the date and plan to join us July 30th as we celebrate the heroic achievements of NWLC. The 12th annual Human Needs Hero…
Why Your Story on Nutrition Assistance Matters
A compelling personal story is worth 100 statistics. Personal experiences can help move hearts and minds and create urgency. That’s why CHN, Center for American Progress, Food Research and Action Center, Feeding America, and Witnesses to Hunger are partnering to launch a campaign to gather and share personal experiences about…
Cleaning Our Rivers, Greening Our City and Creating Living Wage Jobs in Washington, DC
Are we caring for the least of these? This is the question I constantly ask myself. Our church sits in one of the poorest wards of the District of Columbia and I often minister to men and women returning home from prison. It is our mission as a congregation to…
Gasping for Support
Living in poverty can be hazardous to your health in many respects – more incidences of violence, less access to quality grocery stores, and few safe places to exercise, just to name a few. Previous studies have shown those living in poverty also breathe dirtier air. Regular exposure to air…