Newsroom
If you have media questions or if you would like to speak with
Shriver Center experts, please contact Joanna
VanderWoude, Media Relations Associate at 312.263.3830 ext. 253
(office) or 219.644.8216 (cell).
Poverty Scorecard 2007
A downloadable version of the Scorecard is available here.
To listen to Sen. John Edwards talk about the importance of the Scorecard on the teleconference release call, please click here.
Shriver Center Press Releases
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
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)
Click here for pdf."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."
Students Also Need Health Insurance, Daily Herald (Aug. 30, 2008)
Social Workers Aim to Help Abuse Victims Finish School, Daily Herald (Aug. 7. 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."
"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."Click here for pdf.
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."Click here for pdf.
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.Click here for pdf.
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."Click here for pdf.
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."Click here for pdf.
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."Click here for pdf.
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
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(312) 263-3830 (voice); (312) 263-3846 (fax).