1 / 20

Strategies for Overcoming Poverty Myths and Achieving United Way Advocacy Goals

Learn about United Way Advocacy's unique approach to increasing high school graduation rates, financial self-sufficiency, well-being scores, and access to essential needs in central Iowa. Discover the common myths of poverty and the challenges faced by individuals in poverty, along with barriers to exiting poverty and public assistance cliff effects. Get involved in discussions and solutions to combat these myths and achieve positive change.

johnsondonna
Download Presentation

Strategies for Overcoming Poverty Myths and Achieving United Way Advocacy Goals

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Myths of Poverty May 23, 2019

  2. About United Way Advocacy EDUCATION Increase the percentage of central Iowa students who graduate from high school to 95 percent by 2020. INCOME Increase the percentage of central Iowans who are financially self-sufficient to 75 percent by 2020. HEALTH Increase the Gallup Well-Being Index score to 64.5 by 2020. ESSENTIAL NEEDS Ensure that all central Iowans have access to food, shelter, and other basic needs. Without these needs being met, children cannot learn in school, families cannot be financially stable, and individuals cannot enjoy health and well-being.

  3. About United Way Advocacy Uniqueness Representing agency, non-profits, education & corporate partners Trusted Resource Data, research and reporting Consistent Presence & Lobby Days Staff and contract lobbyists present every day of legislative session Strong Advocates Board members, business leaders, donors, affinity groups, volunteer cabinets Consistent Communications Advocates stay apprised through weekly calls and newsletters, messaging advice

  4. The Myths of Poverty

  5. What We Hear… Anti-poverty programs induce “freeloading and laziness”. People know how to “work the system”. Poverty means only those at or below the Federal Poverty Level. Having a job means you are financially secure. Education alone solves poverty. People waste their benefits on luxuries.

  6. Wages 66 percent of all Iowa jobs pay less than $20/hour Over half of those pay less than $15/hour

  7. Medicaid Work-Reporting Requirements Medicaid Expansion population: 100-133%FPL – earned income Exempted groups must still register and/or be monitored by a reporting system or state eligibility staff Arkansas example: over 18,000 Medicaid participants lost coverage as a result of failure to report, not failure to work. Cumbersome reporting procedures, lack of access to website contributed. Kansas and Arkansas courts recently overturned these programs.

  8. What is Poverty?

  9. ALICE: A Study of Financial Hardshipin Iowa

  10. Barriers to Exiting Poverty Instability Lack of assets or emergency savings Unsteady work or work hours Lack of benefits – particularly medical insurance Mismatch Between Jobs and Skills Middle-skills gap Accessing higher education and training Increased cost of living Child care Transportation Lack of affordable housing Public Assistance “cliff effects” Gap between earnings and public benefits too great

  11. Questions & Discussion

More Related