“This new measure is an important opportunity to focus policymaking on what works best to reduce poverty” said Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs and a Half in Ten partner. Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and also a Half in Ten partner, said “Work-related expenses such as child care and transportation are increasingly squeezing the family budgets of low-wage employees. It is imperative that policymakers have accurate data as they craft policies to respond to these challenges.”

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families will launch a plan to educate policymakers, service providers and the public on the importance of knowing the facts about poverty and how we can work together to reduce it. AACF is also creating a tool to educate policymakers and community leaders about the day-to-day realities of the lives of the impoverished.

A new report by the Half in Ten Campaign highlights the hardship that millions of families experienced in cities and towns across America in 2008, the first year of the Great Recession. The report compiles Census Bureau data on poverty in 2008 by congressional district, with additional breakdowns on child poverty, women in poverty, and poverty among racial minorities.

The Census Bureau released data throughout September that revealed growing poverty in 2008, spelling hard times for families who were struggling even before the recession. Half in Ten: The Campaign to Cut Poverty in Half in Ten Years and the Center for American Progress Action Fund have organized this data by congressional district (see attached), with additional breakdowns on child poverty, women in poverty, and poverty among racial minorities.

Poverty data by congressional district offers lawmakers a more detailed look at the growing poverty rates among their own constituents so that necessary policies to help those most in need can advance. Data reveal that race and gender disparities continue. Half in Ten and partners call for an extension of unemployment insurance to help prevent those searching for a job from slipping into poverty.

Half in Ten and the National Employment Law Project team up to support reforms to the unemployment insurance system in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In four months, 25 states have enacted reforms to modernize and expand their UI programs, and 21 states with high unemployment rates have extended benefits to cover an additional 13-20 weeks.

On Wednesday, October 29, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on Economic Recovery, Job Creation and Investment In America. Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, was among the distinguished witnesses who testified at the hearing.

The Center for American Progress’s Task Force on Poverty outlines its goals to promote decent work, provide economic opportunity for all, ensure economic security, and help people build wealth.