Newsroom

If you have media questions or if you would like to speak with Shriver Center experts, please contact Molly Bartlett, Vice President of External Affairs, at 312.263.3830 ext. 224.

Shriver Center Press Releases

Governor's Budget Moves Illinois in Positive Direction (March 18, 2009)

2008 Congressional Votes Begin Change in Washington (Feb. 19, 2009)

Shriver Center Receives $200,000 Anonymous Donation (Nov. 18, 2008)

Anti-Poverty Center Welcomes Community Investment Attorney (Sept. 23, 2008)

National Antipoverty Center Seeks Asset-Building Advocate (July 7, 2008)

Members of Congress in States with Highest Poverty Least Likely to Support Anti-Poverty Measures:
Sen. John Edwards Endorses Poverty Scorecard (March 11, 2008)

Shriver Center Hires New Vice President of External Affairs (Jan. 17, 2008)

Low Income Tenants Sue City of Joliet for Race Discrimination (Dec. 26, 2007)

Shriver Center Honors Those Who Care (Dec. 4, 2007)

House SCHIP Bill Would Triple Illinois Health Funding (Sept. 26, 2007)

Shriver Center Asks Potential Leaders' Positions on Poverty (Sept. 11, 2007)

Rita McLennon Accepts Position at Prestigious New York Legal Assistance Group (Sept. 6, 2007)

Ensuring Success in School Act Signed by Governor (August 30, 2007)

For archives of Shriver Center press releases, click here.

Shriver Center in the News

FamilyCare enrollees in limbo, impacts 4,000; Kankakee Daily Journal (April 20, 2009)

"John Bouman, president of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago, said the new law would bring some closure to the FamilyCare debate.

'I think this is an important step to settle down the FamilyCare program, bring it out of a year-and-a-half warfare between Blagojevich and the General Assembly,' he said. 'It makes sure that innocent beneficiaries and providers of health care services, get paid for the services they provided.'"

Click here for pdf.

Fairer tax treatment, letter to editor in Chicago Tribune (April 16, 2009)

"We believe it's also important to remember another, time-honored policy tool for improving tax fairness, one that enjoys strong, bipartisan support and targets relief directly to the families who need help most: the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit. The EITC allows low-income, working households to hang onto more of their own, hard-earned money at tax time." -signed by John Bouman

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Court, Quinn left to clear up Blagojevich's health care mess, Kankakee Daily Journal (Feb. 14, 2009)

"A new law would help clarify the income limit for FamilyCare eligibility but may create another legal issue, says John Bouman, president of the Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law in Chicago."

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Forum at JALC addresses fight against poverty, Southern Illinoisan (Feb. 13, 2009)

"Andrea Kovach, staff attorney for the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law spoke about making everyone aware of available healthcare programs such as All Kids and Family Care. She said 8 percent of children in Illinois are uninsured and people need to know what is available for them."

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A Shame Schock Voted Against AllKids, letter to the editor in State Journal Register (Feb. 6, 2009)

"Things just got brighter for hundreds of thousands of Illinois parents worried about keeping their kids healthy and making ends meet as the recession deepens, despite the opposition of Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria." -John Bouman and Bruce Lesley

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All Kids Plan Should Help All Kids, letter to the editor in Chicago Tribune (Jan. 19, 2009)

"llinois senators can contribute to the program's success in coming weeks: Voting yes for the State Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill provides much-needed funds to Illinois to finish the job of insuring all kids in Illinois." -John Bouman

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Success, Of a Fashion, With Welfare Reform, Peoria Journal Star (Dec. 17, 2008)

"The governor and the General Assembly did a 'good thing,' says Margaret Stapleton of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago, by approving the increase in the state budget."

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Access to Safe Credit, letter to the editor in New York Times (Dec. 15, 2008)

"A bill now before Congress, the Community Reinvestment Modernization Act, would effectively strengthen existing law and expand its application to insurance companies, securities firms, large credit unions and nondepository affiliates of banks. Congress should pass this legislation to ensure that communities of color have better access to safe credit in the future." -Karen Harris

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Critics Question Whether New Orleans Public Housing Will Meet Needs, Times-Picayune (Dec. 9, 2008)

"Since the requirement ended, the supply of public housing nationally has declined rapidly, according to the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. Between 2000 and 2008, HUD demolished 100,000 units of public housing and replaced 40,000, according to Shriver Center data."

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Fired Up and Ready to Go End Poverty, Salem News (Nov. 26, 2008)

"With the chant still echoing in my head, I turned to a blog post by an advocate I've admired for years, John Bouman, president of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. Noting that 'the State of Poverty is America's most populated state -- 37 million people,' the Shriver Center recommended a 12-point plan to confront poverty."

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Order to Stop FamilyCare Expansion Postponed, State Journal-Register (Nov. 12, 2008)

"It’s a situation that comes at the worst possible time as the economy withers, said Margaret Stapleton, an attorney with the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, which intervened in the case on behalf of four FamilyCare participants. 'We’re going into a recession. People desperately need to have health care available to them,' Stapleton said."

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Blagojevich's Health Care Expansion Remains in Limbo, Chicago Public Radio (Nov. 12, 2008)

"The lawsuit against Blagojevich's FamilyCare program has dragged on nearly a year. Margaret Stapleton is an attorney representing parents enrolled in FamilyCare. She says the ongoing litigation is putting a lot of people in jeopardy."

Click here to listen to news clip.

Don't Let Fight Over FamilyCare Hurt Low-Income Families, State Journal-Register op-ed (Oct. 29, 2008)

"The General Assembly will be back in session this fall. It can pass a clarifying amendment that will secure the FamilyCare program at its level prior to the attempted expansion. The governor should sign it. The money is already in the budget. The families will keep their coverage. The important argument over expansion to higher-income families can take its course separately, but first all concerned must ensure that they do no harm."

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Blagojevich Administration Announces Boost in Temporary Assistance for Low-Income Families, Polish News (Oct. 20, 2008)

"If families can't pay the bills, they can't focus on workforce participation. We're very pleased that the Governor and General Assembly took this step to allow the lowest income children and families to meet their ever-increasing needs," said John Bouman, president of the Shriver Center.

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Illinois Health Care Expansion Halted Again, Huffington Post, (Oct. 15, 2008)

"John M. Bouman, president of the Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law, which has intervened in the case on behalf of those receiving benefits, criticized the judge's decision, saying it would deprive the needy of health care.
'Now we're going to have to go back and negotiate a way to take people's health care benefits away from them; it's very sad,' Bouman said after the hearing."

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CHA Considers Work Exemption for Domestic Violence Victims, Chicago Public Radio (Sept. 9, 2008)

"WALZ: 'It may at times not be safe for a victim of violence to be working. There may still be ongoing violence or a threat of violence. It may be that they’re in the process of really needing to focus on emotional recovery.' Kate Walz is with the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. It worked with the mayor’s office on domestic violence on this issue."

Click here for sound clip.

Income Gap Between Rich, Poor Widens, Kankakee Daily Journal (Sept. 8, 2008)

"Since most people did not benefit as much from the past good business cycle, they have less of a cushion to fall back on, said Dan Lesser, a senior attorney at the Chicago-based Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. And the reduction in funding for training and assistance programs in Illinois, has created a greater struggle. 'We don't have the same kind of safety net and skills training programs we used to have, making it harder for people to bounce back,' Lesser said."

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Students Also Need Health Insurance, Daily Herald (Aug. 30, 2008)

"New binders and blue jeans are important to start your kids' school year off right, but making sure they have health insurance and a regular doctor who cares for them is an even higher priority. Parents whose children are uninsured should enroll them in All Kids."

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Social Workers Aim to Help Abuse Victims Finish School, Daily Herald (Aug. 7. 2008)

"Michaella Furman of the Shriver Center in Chicago told the task force about a 17-year-old girl who had been sexually abused as a young child and again as a teenager. Initially, the girl faced intimidation at school from the boys who had abused her and their friends. Even after she was given escorts to class, she still felt unsafe. Eventually, the school allowed her to learn at home, and she plans to graduate a semester early. The social workers pressed state leaders for more funding, more education and especially protocols for schools to follow when responding to physical and sexual violence."

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Task Force Holds Hearings on Keeping Pregnant, Parenting Teens from Dropping Out, Chicago Tribune (Aug. 6, 2008)

"Across Illinois, school districts wrestle with similar issues, said Wendy Pollack, director of the women's law and policy project at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago. The Ensuring Success in Schools Task Force was created at Pollack's suggestion, after she became frustrated with dropout rates and a lack of resources for youths. A number of young parents called her saying they had been forced out of school after too many child-care-related absences, she said."

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A Housing Site That Worked For Families, Chicago Tribune (July 6, 2008)

"We were able to make sure the redevelopment was done in an organized manner," said William Wilen, lead housing attorney for the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law who sued on behalf of Horner residents and won a consent decree.

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Task Force Tracks School Barriers Confronting Teens, Quincy Herald Whig (June 24, 2008)

"There's some good things going on (in the Quincy area), but more needs to be done," said task force member Wendy Pollack of Chicago, director of the Women's Law and Policy Project. "School districts and school personnel have to be educated about the issues, and there has to be protocols in place that are clear so that the things that do go wrong ... can be avoided."

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All Kids Helps Taxpayers, Too; letter to the editor in Chicago Sun-Times, (June 15, 2008)

"The stalemate in the current Springfield budget war should not obscure the history of cooperation and leadership that produced and maintains the All Kids program and enables thousands of children in Illinois to get the care they need, when they need it."

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State Plans Sought to Save for Retirement, Chicago Tribune (June 3, 2008)

"Already, many Americans are there. About 44 percent of retirees live on Social Security alone, which is not much. For retirees in Illinois, that means about $13,700 a year on average, according to Dory Rand, supervising attorney for the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law."

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For archives of Shriver Center in the news, click here.

Shriver Center Position Statements

S.1348 Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007

Measuring Poverty: On the Federal Poverty Level

Letter to our Potential New Leaders

Children's Health Coverage is Next Up for Congress

Shriver Center Experts

The advocates at the Sargent Shriver National Center On Poverty Law are respected as experts in a wide range of issues that affect low-income individuals and communities. To read more about each advocate’s area of expertise, click on their short bios below. Bios are in pdf form.

John Bouman
Dan Lesser
Wendy Pollack
Dory Rand
Margie Stapleton
Kate Walz
William Wilen