Since I was a kindergartner up until I graduated high school, I ate free school lunch every single day. My single mother worked two jobs to keep me and my sister afloat. She would leave early in the morning and wouldn’t come back till late in the evening. Free school lunch was our lifeline. Growing up, I was unaware of the economic hardships my mother worked through. The only thing I knew is that I could go to school, and I could eat. My mother relied on the knowledge that for one meal of the day, she didn’t have to worry about paying or having the time to prepare it. She knew that while her daughters were at school, they were not going hungry because of free school meals.
Archives: Voices
First Focus report: Federal spending on children rose sharply in 2021, but now has regressed
A child needs more than just food to grow. When children are deprived of food, shelter, and extracurriculars they fall behind their peers. How is a child who is going to bed hungry going to have the energy to pay attention in school? How is a child without a warm bed going to get enough sleep? How is a child not going to notice their crying parents at the kitchen table desperately trying to figure out how to survive?
The U.S. purchased 171 million COVID-19 booster shots. Where are the takers?
A new study released this week revealed some sobering news. The study, which was conducted by the Commonwealth Fund and Yale School of Public Health, found that if booster vaccinations continue at their current low pace, the U.S. could see a fatality rate approaching 1,200 deaths per day by March. That’s about three times the current rate.
Revive the Child Tax Credit. Our children deserve no less.
I like to think I’m an American success story. I was born into homelessness, grew up in the foster care system, and suffered unthinkable domestic abuse as an adult. Now I’m on track to graduate with a Master’s degree in social work next spring. But don’t mistake my story for the “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” trope that conservative lawmakers like to call the American Dream. That idea is mythical, and my own success story proves it.
COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, September 30, 2022
The pandemic is not over edition. Many Americans are acting as if the pandemic is over, and President Biden even said as much in a recent interview with 60 Minutes (although he later walked back his comments). And it is true that as of this moment, we are trending in the right direction – daily infection rates, hospitalizations, and deaths are all significantly down; in some cases, the metrics reflect the pre-Delta days of late spring and early summer 2021 (another time when some thought the pandemic was winding down).
CHN urges Congress to keep government funded through mid-December, return to work on appropriations
The Coalition on Human Needs on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 delivered a letter to all House members and Senators urging passage of a concurrent resolution to keep government funded through mid-December and to return to work on appropriations.
Close the Medicaid coverage gap
I have terrible chronic pain that’s left me unable to work for the last few years. I can’t sleep well, and every day is a battle just to take care of myself. It would be life-changing if I could be seen by a doctor. But I’m one of the 2 million Americans caught in what’s called the Medicaid coverage gap: we’re people in a no man’s land who can’t afford health insurance on their own, but aren’t eligible for their state or federal health insurance programs.
Hurricanes Maria and Fiona show our shameful neglect of Puerto Rico and her 3.5 million U.S. citizens
As my flight descended into San Juan, I was surprised and amazed to see what appeared to be hundreds and hundreds of swimming pools dotting the landscape of Puerto Rico’s capital. But as the airplane banked and descended further, and the landscape expanded outside my window, my amazement turned to horror and anguish: what appeared to be swimming pools, I now saw, were actually blue tarps, covering thousands and thousands of houses.
What we can learn from recent reports about the impact of the expanded Child Tax Credit and the ongoing need for outreach
With under two months until online filing through GetCTC.org closes, recently-released data and reports paint a clear picture: the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) reduced hardship among families with children, and outreach remains critically important to ensure that all eligible families get this money.
Voter registration: ‘It takes less than 2 minutes’
Tuesday, September 20 marks the 10th anniversary of National Voter Education Day. This civic and nonpartisan holiday was created to help educate and unite the American people. Volunteers from all over the country flood busy college campuses, libraries, and workplaces to help people register or update their registration to vote.
CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, September 16, 2022
The U.S. Census Bureau poverty data edition. This week brought us a trove of data related to the level of poverty in America. There is much good news to report, along with some bad, and along the way we have learned some important lessons about the ability of government to do good when it comes to lifting up our children and our families.
Celebrating Disability Voting Rights Week: ‘The largest minority voting bloc’
Every year, issues that directly impact people with disabilities, such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare are placed on the operating table, ready to be sliced up and examined. “Vote as if your life depends on it because it does,” says Justin Dart, Co-Founder of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). This statement can resonate with anyone but rings especially true for people with disabilities.