New Half in Ten Coalition in Virginia Documents Hardship Across the State

Virginia advocates are beginning to develop Half in Ten priorities as part of the national campaign to end hunger and poverty in America. They have jumped in with both feet, focusing particularly on faith community partnerships. They deployed a team of videographers in June to document the stories of individuals and families in situational poverty throughout the state. The www.blankstreetproject.com team has been collecting stories of those affected by unemployment, predatory lending, and health care disparities, posting vignettes to their website and garnering media attention for their work. The project will culminate in a documentary film. These stories are a vital way to highlight the reasons that poverty exists and the prescriptions to overcome its grip.

More than 150 advocates from across the state came to the Interfaith Center’s annual lobby day at the General Assembly, January 19. Noted political blogger and developer of Richmond Sunlight Waldo Jaquith addresses the group at the Holocaust Museum follow

The Virginia Interfaith Center recently named Ali Faruk, one of its leading policy analysts, as the lead staff person on Virginia’s Half in Ten campaign. Ali is developing a multi-year strategy to educate the public and decision makers on the causes of poverty and the ways we can work at both policy and program levels to reduce its power over the most vulnerable families. We look forward to presenting this plan to you in next month’s update.