The Half in Ten campaign advocate for tested policy solutions – at the Federal, State, and even Local level - that will increase opportunity and cut poverty. Full List of Policy Solutions
By the Center for American Progress’ Joy Moses
Attached to Congress’ approval of the bailout package is a brief two sentence provision that will bring welcome relief to the families of over 13 million low-income children. The provision expands the reach of the Child Tax Credit, which will help families cope with the growing financial challenges associated with the current economy.
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By the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights’ Karen Tanenbaum
On September 10, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and the Advertising Council released a series of public service announcements, or PSAs, designed to educate consumers about predatory lending practices and how they can protect themselves from these practices.
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In light of the substantial (and rising) costs of child care in the United States, the National Women’s Law Center released an analysis of the child care policies enacted by various states. While some advances have been made in the last year or so, NWLC found that over the last decade, most states made no progress, and in many cases, have actually moved backward in dealing with this problem.
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By Jon Hurdle
Reuters
With the U.S. financial system in crisis due to surging mortgage defaults, a Philadelphia program designed to reduce foreclosure sales may provide a national model to keep people in their homes.
The program, based not on bailouts but reconciliation between borrowers and lenders, has been able to prevent at least temporarily the disposal of many of the properties in its purview.
The first such city-sponsored plan in the United States, it has also saved banks money because it is cheaper to renegotiate than foreclose.
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Lisa Donner, the Executive Director of Half in Ten, contributes to Politico’s “Dear 44: Ideas for the Next President” series:
What should the 44th president do about poverty in our great nation? He should make cutting poverty a clear goal of his administration and prioritize a set of initiatives that will make the most significant contributions to meeting it. We can — and should — cut poverty in half in the next 10 years.
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Victory for Low Income Children! Sen. Baucus Supports Expanded CTC!
In order to start cutting poverty in half, one of Half in Ten’s first priorities is to expand the Child Tax Credit to help millions of poor children in America. Current law denies the CTC to millions of poor children and their families simply because they earn too little to owe federal income tax. The House has approved H.R. 6049, expanding the CTC, and now it’s time for the Senate to do the same and help millions of children.
For years, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has called for regulatory measures to stanch the increasing problem of subprime lending and the resulting foreclosure crisis. Read more about their efforts across the nation.
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By the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights’ Alexander Botting
With high gas prices and a faltering economy, low-wage American workers are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their every day needs. On July 31, the House Committee on Education and Labor held a hearing to discuss the growing income gap between the American middle class and top income earners, and hear experts’ views on proposed policy solutions.
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By the Center for American Progress’ Andrew Jakobovics
Last week President Bush signed The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which provides almost $4 billion in grants to help states and localities stem the housing crisis by reducing downward pressure on local housing markets. States will be able to use the money to restore foreclosed properties to productive use.
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By the Center for American Progress’ David Madland
The job numbers released today by the Department of Labor provide further evidence that that the economy is not working for most Americans, with new indications that the labor market is likely to remain weak for some time. In July, the economy lost another 51,000 jobs, and unemployment increased to 5.7 percent from 5.5 percent, its highest level since March of 2004. Job losses were widespread, declining in construction, manufacturing and several service industries.
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