“The struggle of children, seniors, and families to have access to essential nutrition is a struggle we are all invested in and we all benefit when families succeed. Now more than ever we are all in this together.” - Cory Booker
I looked down at my cup, and realized that if I were doing the Food Stamp Challenge along with Mayor Booker, I would have blown nearly a whole day’s worth of meals with that one coffee, plus tip. Read more »
Did you know that in 2011, Social Security kept 11.7 million women and 1.1 million children out of poverty?
This is just one new fact that we can calculate today thanks to the release of new Census Bureau data that examines a supplemental poverty measure which takes into account the impact of public programs on families' economic security. For more about poverty measurement, see our FAQ.
This past September, the Census Bureau released the official poverty numbers for 2011, which showed that women's poverty remained high after the recession's end, but was beginning to stabilize in 2011. Our report detailed what the numbers looked like and the trends over time. But what we didn't get to see in that data was how many people were pulled above the poverty line by specific public programs. Today, we were able to take a closer look at how many people were lifted out of poverty by these programs and who they were. Read more »
Welcome to another weekly roundup!First up this week: the Half in Ten campaign’s new video connecting the hugely popular book/movie series The Hunger Games with cuts to SNAP (food stamp) benefits. It’s well worth the watch – check out the video below. (Need a quick recap on exactly what The Hunger Games is all about? Click here.)
I think the contrast here between a fictional dystopian society that controls its subjects through – among other things – hunger and fear and the mentality to slash a number of programs women and families depend on is striking. While reading The Hunger Games, sometimes that type of future society doesn’t seem possible… but with the dots connected like this, it really strikes home what real Americans, right now, are going through.
On a happier note, are you still looking for the perfect card to send to mom? Strong Families can probably help you out – this week they released a series of e-cards that break past the norm of “flowers and pancakes.” That’s what’s so great about these cards: they intentionally celebrate the many types of mothers and families nationwide. When’s the last time you saw a greeting card celebrating both of a child’s mamas at once?
If you’re interested in perusing these e-cards or sending on to your mom, head to mamasday.org. Read more »
This blog post is a part of NWLC’s Mother’s Day 2012 blog series. For all our Mother’s Day posts, please click here.
I spend a lot of time working with and thinking about the statistics of poverty – I think it is a valuable job and I love it. But poverty is more than statistics. Poverty is a personal issue and it is especially personal for me.
When my mom was a child, growing up in New England in the 1950s, she was poor. What did being poor mean for my mom? It meant that her family didn’t have enough to eat – sometimes they would divide up a head of lettuce and call it dinner. It meant that she and her three brothers had to decide who got to go to school on which day because there wasn’t enough money for everyone to have shoes – and if it was your day to be barefoot, you had to stay home.
When I think about my mom’s childhood, it pains me to think about all of the safety net programs we have now that her family could have benefitted from but didn’t have access to. Read more »
Protect millions of women and families from the harsh spending cuts the House is voting on this week.
They just never stop.
Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed the budget blueprint introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). The Ryan budget calls for drastic cuts in programs that low-income women and their families depend on to meet their basic needs — and trillions of dollars in additional tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and corporations.
This week, the House will vote on a bill to implement the Ryan budget by slashing Medicaid, Food Stamps (SNAP), child care, and more, and dismantling the Affordable Care Act.
The bill the House is scheduled to vote on this Thursday, H.R. 4966, would:
Let states reduce eligibility standards for Medicaid, which women disproportionately rely on for health care coverage, and for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Dismantle the Affordable Care Act, by eliminating funding for state health exchanges and community-level preventive and public health initiatives, and by reducing access to affordable health insurance coverage by discouraging the use of premium tax credits.
Terminate the Social Services Block Grant, which gives billions of dollars to states to support seniors and children, including critical funding for child care assistance.
Cut Food Stamp (SNAP) benefits, reducing monthly benefits almost immediately for about 44 million people and denying benefits altogether for as many as 2 million more.
Eliminate eligibility for the refundable Child Tax Credit for many immigrant families.
It’s the end of another week, and we’ve got a new roundup for you. After the jump, stories on Breast Cancer Awareness and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, girls tackling the STEM field, SNAP benefits and more. Read more »
Most of the work of the congressional super-committee (officially, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction) is going on behind closed doors – but reports are leaking out. And the word is that some members of the super-committee are targeting programs for low-income people for cuts. Today’s post focuses on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps) – but Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, Social Security, Medicare, and other vital programs are also threatened, and we’ll have more to say about them as the committee continues its work. Read more »
I spend a lot of time working with and thinking about the statistics of poverty – I think it is a valuable job and I love it. But poverty is more than statistics. Poverty is a personal issue and it is especially personal for me. 
