Editor’s note: This Letter to the Editor originally appeared in the Washington Post on August 24. Make sure to also read Debbie’s entry on TANF’s 20th anniversary posted on this blog on August 22. You can find additional resources on the impact of TANF at it’s 20th anniversary here. The Aug….
Archives: Voices
We’ve Heard about Income Inequality. What about Wealth Inequality?
You may recognize this statistic: In the U.S., CEOs of large firms make 276 times the pay of an average worker. That is the very definition of income inequality. But now, courtesy of the Center for Economic Development and the Institute for Policy Studies, we are reminded that we need…
TANF at Twenty
Twenty years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed the law that placed a time limit on cash assistance for poor families with children and required some degree of work, job search, or training to receive benefits. The new program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), replaced Aid to Families with Dependent…
‘I don’t call it safety net any more. There’s no safety.’
Editor’s note: The following post, first published by the Huffington Post, is co-authored by Lisa Dodson. Dodson is Senior Scientist and Faculty at the Institute for Children, Youth and Family Policy at Brandeis University. “You’d think they want us to fail,” said Marta, a young mother in a Boston parents’…
We don’t do cat videos, but we do engage in serious poverty analysis
Do you wonder if poverty is growing in your state? Would you like to know how to use state and local data about income based on race, age, or gender? Do you know how to access the soon-to-be released Census Bureau poverty, income and health insurance data? And why, why,…
Stop the Debt Trap
The statistics around payday and car title loans are scary: The loans come with interest rates of 300-400 percent on average. The average payday loan customer who borrows $400 for a loan to help them get by until their next paycheck winds up paying back $950 over 11 loan cycles…
In His Final Months in Office, Will President Obama Choose Compassion or More Deportations?
This post was originally published on the National Immigration Law Center’s new blog, the Torch, on June 30. The Supreme Court tie in U.S. v. Texas was a frustrating setback for millions of immigrant families, but the fight must continue and another question of historical significance for immigrants looms large: Will…
“Anonymity Overdose:” How U.S. tax policy supports drug addiction misery
Since 2000, the rate of deaths from opioid-related overdoses has increased 200 percent. In 2014, there were approximately one and a half times more drug overdose deaths in the United States than deaths from motor vehicle accidents. So: what can we do about it? One thing we can do is…
Head Smacker: During the height of mosquito season, Congress recesses — without fighting Zika
For months, public health officials have warned that the Zika virus eventually would show up in the continental U.S. They warned of this back in the winter, months before the mosquitoes that help transmit Zika were on most people’s radar screen. They warned of this in the spring, even as…
Nuns on the Bus – Mending the Gaps
Editor’s note: This post was written by Richelle Friedman, CHN’s Director of Public Policy, on Thursday, July 28. Richelle spent a week with NETWORK’s Nuns on the Bus, including at the Democratic National Convention last week. The full Nuns on the Bus tour lasted three weeks, including visiting the Republican…
Fact of the Week: Vouchers Reduce Homelessness and Housing Instability by 80 Percent
More than 5 million low-income households receive help affording homes through federal rental assistance. That’s why a new chart book from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that shows us some of the important facts about rental assistance is so useful. The chart book includes information on who is…
Resources from Around the Coalition: Racial and Ethnic Equality, Low-Wage Working Parents, Refugee Children and More
Promoting movements towards racial and ethnic equality. Developing agendas to help low-wage workers and their children succeed. Protecting undocumented students and their families. 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…