http://povertylaw.org/ The Sargent Shriver National Center On Poverty Law, All Rights Reserved Zope 3 2006-08-21T19:36:58Z 2006-08-21T19:36:58Z http://www.povertylaw.org/news-and-events/poverty-action-report/august-2006/perspective michellenicolet <h3 class="subheading">Clear Lessons Teach that Focus Should Shift to Poverty Policy </h3><p>When the welfare reform law, formally known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, was signed into law, it was undoubtedly a controversial piece of legislation. With the tenth anniversary of the law coming up next week, controversy threatens to cloud a clear analysis of this legislation, once again.</p><p>It is clear that the welfare reform law did reduce caseloads. What is unclear (and also the more pressing concern) is whether it reduced poverty as well. Unfortunately, the answer is no.</p><p>While the legacy of this legislation must feel like a victory for bureaucrats inside the beltway, families in communities across the country cannot share in their triumph. The fact remains that while welfare reform reduced caseloads, it did little to reduce poverty. More and more children are being born into poverty in America, and more and more parents are struggling to care for them. We have a duty to our fellow citizens to use this anniversary as an opportunity to discuss, not how we can get more people out of welfare offices, but how we can get more people out of the state of poverty.</p><p>To focus public efforts solely on welfare caseload reduction and not on attacking poverty would ignore the lessons of the last ten years. The leading lessons are the following. <br /><br />1. With work supports and a strong economy, people will find and maintain jobs. Significant investments were made in the federal earned income tax credit, state earned income credits, child care subsidy programs, health coverage expansions for workers and their families, and other work supports. Combined with the strong economy at the end of <br />the decade, these changes produced a massive increase in low-wage entry-level work, and a corresponding decrease in the welfare caseloads. <br /><br />2. Entry-level work is not a bridge out of poverty. Entry-level work may produce modest wage increases as the worker gains experience, but not enough to escape poverty and attain family-sustaining income. The ranks of the working poor grew in the past ten years. Child poverty, after a brief decline during the boom years, has increased every year since 2000. A recent report based on census data from the National Center on Children and Poverty reveals that poverty in the Midwest grew the most in working families, more so than in nonworking families. Without education, and training, higher-paying jobs are still unattainable.<br /><br />3. Personal motivation isn't always cause of poverty. The welfare reform law assumed that all anyone needed to go to work successfully was motivation and a strong sense of responsibility. It is often more complicated than that. Troubled families can and do succeed if they have appropriate additional help to overcome barriers to employment—treatment of medical conditions, elimination of physical abuse and danger, case management, and other social services.  <br /><br />4. We must recognize the work of caregivers. The best example of this kind of family is one with a single parent and a child suffering from serious medical issues calling for constant care and vigilance. The family, the community, and the public purse are probably all best served by allowing these parents to choose to be a caregiver for the child with support from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The federal welfare reform law was not flexible enough to consider these kinds of families.<br /><br /></p><h3 class="subheading">Federal policymakers ignore the lessons of the first ten years</h3><p>Sadly, when Congress reauthorized the TANF program in February 2006, the lessons from the past ten years went unheeded. The dominant theme of the new law, and especially the new implementing rules that the Bush administration has announced, is TANF caseload reduction, not poverty alleviation. The administration limits state flexibility, mandates caseload reduction at the expense of smarter antipoverty programming, and creates substantial new layers of unnecessary bureaucracy and personnel demands on the states.<br /><br />New rules limit state flexibility to programs appropriately for working poor to increase earnings, for chronically unemployed to succeed in employment, and for specially challenged families to have a humane safety net. The rules actively impede implementation of effective mixed strategies to address employment issues, instead insisting that each strategy remain in its solitary silo. And the rules intensify mindless bureaucratic paperwork and personnel demands on the states, operationalizing a panicky fear that some state somewhere might “game” the system in order to allow a family to receive assistance without making the maximum work effort according to federal preferences.<br /><br /></p><h3 class="subheading">States can heed the lessons of the first ten years</h3><p>There are still ways to address the issues raised by the federal TANF rules. New rules for the most part are not mandated by the statute and can be changed. Comment on those rules can be filed by August 28, and then the federal agency will issue final rules. Concerned advocates and organizations should file comments. The Shriver Center (www.povertylaw.org) will have model comments relevant to Illinois and similar states. Additional model comments are available from the Center on Law and Social Policy (www.clasp.org) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (www.cbpp.org).<br /><br />In spite of the shortsighted federal rules, states retain substantial choice and freedom of movement. In large part the answer to the question of “Now what?” is the same as it was the first time ten years ago—the focus shifts to the states, and the responsibility rests there for adapting the federal TANF policies into effective antipoverty policies that put the lessons of the fist ten years to productive use.  <br /><br />For more information, contact the author at <a href="mailto:johnbouman@povertylaw.org" target="_self">johnbouman@povertylaw.org</a>.<br /><br /></p>

When the welfare reform law, formally known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, was signed into law, it was undoubtedly a controversial piece of legislation. With the tenth anniversary of the law coming up next week, controversy threatens to cloud a clear analysis of this legislation, once again. It is clear that the welfare reform law did reduce caseloads. What is unclear (and also the more pressing concern) is whether it reduced poverty as well. Unfortunately, the answer is no.

2006-08-21T20:42:24Z http://www.povertylaw.org/news-and-events/poverty-action-report/august-2006/cr michellenicolet <p>After publishing back-to-back special issues of <i>Clearinghouse Review: Journal of Poverty Law and Policy</i>, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law is beginning to plan for next year’s special issue.</p><p>Each year the Shriver Center publishes an issue that covers a particular aspect of poverty law in depth. In selecting a topic editors solicit input from Shriver Center attorneys and other experienced poverty law advocates from around the country and then solicit articles from nationally recognized experts on that topic. For 2007, the editors are considering, among other possibilities, “The Criminalization of Poverty and Barriers to Reentry,” “Work: Does It Work to Reduce Poverty?” and “Barriers Faced by Low-Income People with Disabilities.” However, the editors are in the early stages of planning, and a final decision might be a topic that has not yet been suggested.</p><p>The editors are asking, “What do you think? What aspect of poverty law—whether newly emerging or heretofore inadequately addressed, whether one of the above or something we haven’t yet thought of—would be most helpful to low-income people and their advocates as the <i>Clearinghouse Review</i> special issue topic for 2007?” Send suggestions to <a href="mailto:ilzehirsh@povertylaw.org" target="_self">Ilze Hirsh</a>, editor. The editors appreciate your input.<br /><br /></p>

After publishing back-to-back special issues of Clearinghouse Review: Journal of Poverty Law and Policy, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law is beginning to plan for next year’s special issue. The editors are asking, “What do you think?

2006-08-21T20:49:22Z http://www.povertylaw.org/news-and-events/poverty-action-report/august-2006/scorecard michellenicolet <p>A yardstick against which to measure the effectiveness of members of Congress on issues of poverty and economic fairness has been newly developed by the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. The Shriver Center’s <a href="http://www.povertylaw.org//advocacy/publications/scorecard.pdf" target="_self">2006 Congressional Midterm Report</a> will help constituents evaluate their congressional delegation on how it responds to the needs of low-income Americans.<br /><br />With the 2006 Congressional Midterm Report, antipoverty advocates across the United States can evaluate how every member of Congress represents low-income Americans. The Report includes<br /><br /></p><ul><li>descriptions of 12 newly introduced bills affecting low-income Americans;</li><li>position statements from nationally recognized Shriver Center advocates; and</li><li>voting records of every member of the 109th Congress on key issues for low-income Americans.</li></ul><p><br />The Report, nearly one year after Katrina and the nationwide discussion about poverty and abandoned communities, has the effect of goading Congress to create antipoverty strategies and invest in services for the poor.<br /><br />The Report implicitly directs attention to the questions: Who should be held accountable for the economic conditions in the state of poverty within every state? Who should be responsible for identifying the investments to improve the lives of low-wage workers, advance families toward economic security, and create communities of opportunity?<br /><br />The Report stems from the Shriver Center’s view that the private sector alone cannot narrow the widening gap between rich and poor. The Shriver Center urges leadership from national policymakers who must recognize that they represent not only the geographic states of America but also American citizens living in the state of poverty..<br /><br />Download the 2006 Midterm Congressional Report from <a href="http://www.povertylaw.org//advocacy/publications/scorecard.pdf" target="_self">http://www.povertylaw.org//advocacy/publications/scorecard.pdf.&gt;</a><br /><br />The Shriver Center cautions that the 2006 Midterm Congressional Report should be used only to evaluate sitting legislators, not to influence how organizations or individuals should vote in any upcoming elections.<br /><br />For more information on the Shriver Center’s Midterm Congressional Report, contact <a href="mailto:rikeeshacannon@povertylaw.org" target="_self">Rikeesha Cannon</a>, media relations director.<br /><br /></p> 2006-08-21T20:55:08Z http://www.povertylaw.org/news-and-events/poverty-action-report/august-2006/horner michellenicolet <p>William Wilen’s article about his work as housing litigation director of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law appears in the inaugural issue of <i>Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy</i>. Drawing on his experience and success in working on the Henry Horner public housing development, Wilen’s article, “The Horner Model: Successfully Redeveloping Public Housing,” recounts the history of Horner and its redevelopment from Wilen’s point of view as legal counsel.<br /><br />Northwestern University describes <i>Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy</i> as an interdisciplinary journal featuring articles that assess the impact of law and social policy on communities. The journal covers civil liberties, civil rights, and social policy issues. The maiden issue, dated Spring 2006 and released this month, draws from a public housing symposium in which Wilen participated. <br /><br />The redevelopment of the Governor Henry Horner public housing development on Chicago’s Near West Side began in 1995 as a result of a class action lawsuit that tenants filed in 1991. Wilen first represented the tenants in 1990 when he was with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago. For the last ten years, he has been the tenants’ attorney from the Shriver Center.<br /><br />The Horner model offers policymakers, developers, and advocates alike a critical lesson, according to Wilen. “If demolition has been phased, if reasonable screening procedures are in place, if there is effective resident participation in the redevelopment process, if there are enforceable procedures to protect residents’ interests, and if there are adequate social services and representation for all of the residents, then public housing redevelopment will have a much better chance for success,” Wilen writes. <br /><br />To read the full text of Wilen’s article, “The Horner Model: Successfully Redeveloping Public Housing,”<br />visit the <a href="http://www.law.northwestern.edu/journals/njlsp/" target="_self"><i>Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy</i> website</a>.<br /><br /></p>

William Wilen’s article about his work as housing litigation director of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law appears in the inaugural issue of Northwestern Journal of Law and Social Policy. Drawing on his experience and success in working on the Henry Horner public housing development, Wilen’s article, “The Horner Model: Successfully Redeveloping Public Housing,” recounts the history of Horner and its redevelopment from Wilen’s point of view as legal counsel.

2006-08-22T15:37:04Z http://www.povertylaw.org/news-and-events/poverty-action-report/august-2006/rebuilding michellenicolet <h3 align="center" class="subheading">Rebuilding America's Lower Ninth<br />Calendar of Events<br />August 21—September 1, 2006</h3><p><b>Women, Welfare, and Poverty<br />Chicago, Illinois</b></p><p>Join the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law and the Chicago Foundation for Women as we assess the impact of welfare reform on women in poverty and promote new ways to rebuild the lives and communities devastated by poverty across the nation. <br /></p><p>Speakers:</p><ul><li>Hannah Rosenthal, Chicago Foundation for Women</li><li>John Bouman, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law</li><li>Barbara Flynn Currie, Illinois Representative</li><li>Peter Edelman, Georgetown Law Professor</li><li>Julie Hamos, Illinois Representative</li></ul><p>When: August 21, 2006, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.<br />Where: Chicago Foundation for Women, 1 East Wacker Drive, 20th Floor<br />RSVP: 312.577-2801 ext. 229 or email <a href="mailto:rsvp@cfw.org" target="_self">RSVP@cfw.org</a></p><p><b>Antipoverty Advocacy and the Press<br />Chicago, Illinois</b></p><p>As part of the Rebuilding America’s Lower Ninth campaign, the Shriver Center and the Donor’s Forum of Chicago’s Grantmakers Concerned with Poverty Committee will stage a forum for funders to understand the strategic relationship between grantmakers and advocates as we engage media professionals about solutions to poverty in our community.</p><p>Speakers:</p><ul><li>Alycia Tate, Chicago Reporter</li><li>Mary Ann Fergus, Chicago Tribune</li><li>Amy Rynell, Heartland Alliance</li><li>John Bouman, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law</li></ul><p>When:   Wednesday, August 23, 2006, 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.<br />Where:  Donors Forum of Chicago Conference Room<br />Contact <a href="mailto:rikeeshacannon@povertylaw.org" target="_self">Rikeesha Cannon</a><br /> <br /><b>Ending Poverty in Every Community<br />Concordia, Kansas </b><br /></p><p>Join Rita McLennon, executive director of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, who will moderate a panel discussion on “Women, Welfare, and the War on Poverty.” A screening of American Idealist, a new documentary about R. Sargent Shriver, who prosecuted the War on Poverty, will follow.</p><p>Speakers:</p><ul><li>Rita McLennon, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law</li><li>D. Milo Mumgaard, Nebraska Appleseed</li><li>Marilyn Harp, Kansas Legal Services</li><li>S. Esther Pineda of the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Concordia, Kansas</li></ul><p>When: Thursday, August 31, 2006, 1:00 p.m.–4 :00 p.m. <br />Where: Nazareth Motherhouse, 13th and Washington St., Concordia, Kansas<br />RSVP: S. Carm Thibault (785) 823-8764 or <a href="mailto:carmthibault@yahoo.com" target="_self">carmthibault@yahoo.com</a><br /> <br /><b>Engaging a New Generation of Activists: Antipoverty Teach-in and Strategy Forum<br />Oakland, California</b></p><p>Join the Shriver Center and Van Jones and other noted activists and organizers to share ideas about how our community—particularly our young people—can engage in progressive movements to end poverty. Participants in this antipoverty teach-in will focus on how to amplify the call for racial and economic justice in the Bay Area and build a movement for change across the country.</p><p>Speakers:</p><ul><li>Frank Chong, Ed.D., President, Laney College, Oakland, CA</li><li>Sharon Cornu, Central Labor Council of Alameda County, AFL-CIO</li><li>Van Jones, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights</li><li>Hallie Montoya Tansey, League of Young Voters</li><li>Bernida Reagan, Director of Social Responsibility, Port of Oakland</li><li>Nicky González Yuen, Ph.D., J.D., Peralta Community College Board and Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club in the East Bay</li></ul><p>When: Friday, September 1, 2006. 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.<br />Where: Laney College Theater, 900 Fallon Street, Oakland CA<br />RSVP: <a href="mailto:fightpoverty@youthlaw.org" target="_self">fightpoverty@youthlaw.org<br /></a> <br /><br /></p> 2006-08-22T15:50:03Z http://www.povertylaw.org/news-and-events/poverty-action-report/august-2006/transit michellenicolet <p>Tuesday, October 3, 2006<br />8:30 a.m.-4:30 p. m.<br /><br />Transit can mean many different things to different people; yet every community’s strength and livelihood is impacted by a good transit system.  Transit is important for:</p><ul><li>Workers getting to jobs</li><li>Families accessing childcare</li><li>Clients getting to services</li><li>Customers getting to businesses</li><li>Students getting to school</li><li>People connecting to community resources, including hospitals, shopping centers and local businesses</li><li>Communities concerned about congestion</li><li>Mobility for those with special needs</li><li>Rural, suburban, small and big city communities across the state</li><li>Communities concerned about air quality</li></ul><p><br />It’s Time for Transit! will feature:</p><ul><li>National and state speakers</li><li>Informative breakout sessions</li><li>A guide to the nuts and bolts of transit</li><li>Local solutions</li><li>How to get involved</li><li>Raising awareness of transit in your community</li><li>Building and funding strong transit solutions</li><li>Exploration into transit and economic development</li><li>Opportunity for networking and information-sharing</li></ul><p><br />It’s Time for Transit! will take place on October 3, 2006 at Northern Illinois University – Naperville, located at 1120 E. Diehl Road, Naperville, IL 60563.  <br />Stay tuned to <a href="http://www.workwelfareandfamilies.org" target="_self">www.workwelfareandfamilies.org</a> for updates or contact us at <a href="mailto:wwf@workwelfareandfamilies.org" target="_self">wwf@workwelfareandfamilies.org</a> or 312-658-0225 x203.  It’s Time for Transit! is sponsored by the Regional Transportation Authority, Illinois Department of Transportation/Rural Transit Assistance Center, Illinois Public Transportation Association and Community Transportation Association of America. <br /><br /><br /></p>

Transit can mean many different things to different people; yet every community’s strength and livelihood is impacted by a good transit system. It’s Time for Transit! will take place on October 3, 2006 at Northern Illinois University – Naperville, located at 1120 E. Diehl Road, Naperville, IL 60563. Stay tuned to www.workwelfareandfamilies.org for updates.

2006-08-31T18:16:43Z http://www.povertylaw.org/news-and-events/poverty-action-report/august-2006/PARaugust2006.pdf amandafreund