How Much is Really Enough? Understanding Self-Sufficiency in the Border Region

1. How Much is Really Enough?Understanding Self-Sufficiencyin the Border Region Diana Pearce, Senior Lecturer & Director, Center for Woman's Welfare University of Washington, School of Social Work pearce@u.washington.edu

2. Overview • The Self-Sufficiency Standard: • The Why • The What • The How • The Where

3. Median Income Compared toFederal Poverty Level Family of 4, 1963-2010 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplements, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/historical/families/index.html, U.S. Social Security Administration, Annual Statistical Supplemental, Table 3.E8—Poverty guidelines for families of specified size, 1965–2010 (in dollars), http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2010/3e.html#table3.e8, and Gordon Fisher, U.S. Social Security Administration, The Development and History of the Poverty Thresholds, http://www.ssa.gov/history/fisheronpoverty.html.

4. The Federal Poverty Level is Too Low

5. The Federal Poverty Level does not vary by Family Composition The Federal Poverty Level is $23,050 for all 3 of these families

6. The Federal Poverty Level does not Vary by Place Is the cost of living the same in these counties?

7. What is the Self-Sufficiency Standard?

8. Income Adequacy Should Measure the Market Basket of Needs

9. How is the Standard Calculated? Monthly SSS= $5,889 Monthly SSS = $4,494

10. The Standard Varies by Place and Family Type

11. Laura Penny Executive Director

12. Users of the Self-Sufficiency Standard in Arizona include: • Non-profit organizations - for public policy advocacy • Government entities - for evaluating economic development proposals • Individual businesses and business groups - to address childcare costs for their workers

13. The “Crunch”: The SSS reveals how Earnings & the CPI Are Not Keeping up with Real Costs

14. The SSS Changes the Picture of Income Inadequacy

15. The SSS Shows the Impact of the Great Recession

16. Using the Standard • Online tools help with: • Financial literacy & basic budgeting • Accessing benefits • Exploring strategies to achieve financial, educational, and career goals

17. Standard Shows Impact of Works Supports Total Wage Needed to Meet Basic Needs Without Work Supports: $3,901 per month Pima County, AZ 2012One Adult, One Preschooler, One School-age Child Total Wage Needed to Meet Basic Needs With Work Supports: $1,167 per month

18. Standard is Used to Analyze Wages $23.60 per hourHourly Self-Sufficiency Wage: One Adult, One Preschooler, and One School-age Child in Pinal County, AZ

19. Making Progress Toward Self-Sufficiency • Seattle-King County: • Using the Self-Sufficiency Standard & the online calculator with clients, 2004-2008, 69% of customers had wages at 100% or above their specific Standard at exit

20. Self-Sufficiency Standard www.selfsufficiencystandard.org Diana Pearce, Senior Lecturer & Director Center for Woman's Welfare University of Washington School of Social Work pearce@u.washington.edu