The Center for Global Policy Solutions -- a think tank focusing on vulnerable populations in the US --issued a report this week, "Overlooked but Not Forgotten: Social Security Lifts Millions More Children Out of Poverty." It reconfirms the important role that Social Security plays in reducing childhood impoverishment. The executive summary of the report, which was released on January 12, confirms that Social Security is not only an economic necessity for many seniors, but it is also a critical support for more than 3 million children:
"Social Security's role in lifting millions of Americans out of poverty has been widely documented. However, the national focus on the program's income assistance for senior citizens has obscured the fact that Social Security is also one of the federal government's largest antipoverty programs for children. It serves more children than such discretionary programs as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
In 2014, there were 3.2 million children under age 18 directly receiving Social Security income benefits either as the surviving dependent of a parent or guardian who had died, the dependent of a disabled worker, or the dependent of a retiree. Many of these children come from the nation's most economically vulnerable households. As a result, Social Security is often the only financial safeguard protecting them from the harmful effects of poverty."
WHY WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO FACE POVERTY AFTER RETIREMENT
CBS News, July 11, 2016
During their working years, women tend to earn less than men, and when they retire, they're more likely to live in poverty.
These are women who raised children and cared for sick and elderly family members, often taking what savings and income they had and spending it on things besides their own retirement security.
The National Institute on Retirement Security, a nonprofit research center, reports that women are 80 percent more likely than men to be impoverished at age 65 and older. Women age 75 to 79 are three times more likely.
While experts cite a pay gap as a major cause for retirement insecurity, other factors play a role, from single parenthood and divorce to the fact that women typically live longer than men.
Over the last month or so, I have testified about America's anti-poverty policies before two Congressional committees-the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on May 24 and the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 22. Both hearings offered the opportunity to highlight the important accomplishments of the national safety net, show how the low-wage labor market and remaining gaps in the safety net take a serious toll on too many Americans, and sketch a vision of next steps to strengthen opportunity and reduce poverty.
First, the nation's core economic security programs are highly effective: they cut poverty almost in half, improve nutrition and health care for millions of people, and promote work. In 2014, the Census Bureau's analysis of the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) showed that refundable tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and child tax credit (CTC), reduced overall poverty (as measured by the SPM) by 3.1 percentage points and child poverty by a remarkable 7.1 percentage points. Similarly, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits reduced overall poverty by 1.5 percentage points and child poverty by 2.8 percent. Researchers at Columbia University who used similar methods to analyze the effect of these key programs over time found that in 2012, the most recent year available to them, government tax and transfer policies reduced the share of people who are poor by almost half, from 29 percent to 16 percent. By contrast, in 1967, tax and transfer programs reduced poverty by just 1 percentage point, from 27 percent to 26 percent.
Join Community Action Partnership and the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) for an inspiring webinar on free and for-purchase fatherhood resources to help fathers better engage in their children's lives.
The webinar will feature Community Action Agencies that are currently incorporating father engagement tools into their offerings. Edith Rivera and David Bryant of Community Action of Central Texas will discuss their successful implementations of the "24/7 Dad" and "Understanding Dad" programs, and other NFI resources and training.
This webinar is free, but registration is required - Registertoday.
Upcoming Trainings from the Learning Communities Resource Center
Social and economic conditions have changed dramatically since the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Yet 46.7 million people in the U.S. live in poverty, 15.5 million of whom are children. As the U.S. Census Bureau reported in its annual estimates on income, poverty and health insurance coverage, the poverty rate for 2014 was 14.8 percent, unchanged from 2013. This Poverty Trends webinar series will offer in-depth information on the state of poverty in America and will provide participating agencies with resources on how to analyze their community data on the poverty level and provide tools for anti-poverty advocacy on the local and state level.
This webinar series is designed to improve the effectiveness of Community Action Programs (CAP) agencies working on the frontline of addressing family homelessness. Building on the research and information shared in ourprevious twowebinars, this next presentation will provide a deeper dive into the various processes and challenges of implementing innovative homelessness strategieswithin the Community Action network.
These sessions of the Community Economic Development Webinar Series are hosted in partnership with the California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA).
Assessing the Use of Debt (Loans) in Community Development: Upsides and Downsides
Monday, July 27, 2016 2pm ET (1pm CT/12pm MT/11am PT)
Level: Intermediate
This is an intermediate session for those organizations that are considering using debt in a proposed CED project or are thinking of taking out a note (debt) on existing properties. Many projects can afford to fill project financing gaps with debt, but should you? This session will focus on the considerations you should make before taking on debt. You will learn basic underwriting from experienced lenders who have financed many community development and related commercial projects. What types of projects and tenants can best withstand debt? Where are the best sources for obtaining debt? How much debt could I afford or will be limited to? These are some of the questions that will be answered during this session.
During this webinar, you will hear from experts in program design and implementation, policy advocacy and coalition building in and with communities and organizations of color. Come to learn and to share your own ideas and experiences. You will leave with resources, ideas and a renewed commitment to addressing racial wealth inequality through your own programs, advocacy and partnerships.
