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Welcome to the Webinar
For the best audio today, call in using a landline.
The phone number and 3-digit Audio Pin are
located under “your Audio Options”.
Working and Poor
The State of Poverty in Ohio
a statewide coalition of over 475 organizations working together to promote health and human service budget and policy solutions so that all Ohioans live better lives.
Advocates for Ohio’s Future is…
AOF’S WORK AOF believes all Ohioans should have the opportunity to
participate in the economy, afford the basics, be healthy and safe
AOF coalition members share the goal of eliminating poverty, the effects of poverty
AOF believes that work should allow workers to lift themselves out of poverty
Work with organizations and individual supporters who share our mission and goals.
Deborah WeinsteinExecutive Director
Coalition on Human Needs
Bill SundermeyerState Director
Advocates for Ohio’s Future
Hannah HalbertPolicy Liaison
Policy Matters Ohio
www.policymattersohio.org
Hannah Halbert Researcher [email protected] 614-221-4505
Our Mission:To create a more vibrant, equitable,
sustainable, inclusive Ohio
www.policymattersohio.org
4 out of
every 5
Americans will experience unemployment, rely on a public program for the poor, or live at least one year in or near poverty.
289,000 Ohioans
Policy changes
lives
162,000 children
lived above poverty each year from 2011 to 2013, due to the EITC and Child Care Tax Credits.
61 percent of hungry household
s
in America participated in a
federal food and nutrition assistance
program in 2014.
Economic Growth Leaves the Poorest Americans Behind
Deborah WeinsteinOctober 29, 2015
The economy alone won’t lift enough people out of poverty.
But effective public programswork.
What the economy does…
Top 5%: Average incomes rose from $325,000 in 2010 to $346,000 in 2014.
Bottom Fifth: Average incomes dropped from $12,280 to $11,900.
20 million needlessly poor
22 million
How many fewer poor people if we cut
poverty in half by 2020
2 millionHow many fewer poor
people if we keep reducing poverty at the
current rate
Poverty costs too muchChildren who have • Head Start• Nutritious food• Secure housing• Health careFamilies who have• Stable jobs• Secure income contribute to shared economic growth
• After the SNAP cut in 2013, households with babies and toddlers were 23% more likely to be “food insecure” (thus more subject to bad health, falling behind in school)
-- Children’s HealthWatch
And yet…Instead of investing, we’ve been cutting (FY’s ’10-’15):Job training for adults, youth: - 18%K-12 low-income school aid: - 10%Juvenile Justice state grants: - 45% Substance abuse treatment: - 28% Public housing capital funds: - 32%Home heating aid: - 40%
Still Deeper, in 2013
Sequestration:• 67,000 rental vouchers still lost• 57,000 children denied Head Start• Millions of meals to home-bound seniors not
deliveredSNAP (food stamps) cut:
Amount per meal dropped from $1.70 to $1.40
The wrong direction:
As Halloween approaches, Congress was scaring us
From Bad to Catastrophic:
• Temporary spending bill will expire December 11 – but need action now to stop sequester cuts.
• Federal borrowing authority will expire November 3.
But…
Breaking news: maybe a deal
Paid for by:
• Grab-bag of misc. savings
• SSDI restrictions – advocates very concerned
• Repeal of ACA auto-enrollment
Don’t know yet if it will have enough
support.
Speaker Boehner’s gift:• Extends debt limit
through 2017• Raises sequester caps:
o $66b in FY 2016o $46b in FY 2017o Evenly split between defense and
domestic• Medicare premium fix• SSDI fix• Small House Rotunda in U.S.
Capitol named “Freedom Foyer”
Stop the Cuts Advocacy Helped!
But deal illustrates the limits when fair tax increases are off the table.
We need to keep showing the choices.
Please stay in touch for next steps!
Strategies for Ohio
Bill Sundermeyer Advocates for Ohio’s Future
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Source: The Center for Community Solutions, “The Road from Childhood to Successful Adult-hood”
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Source: The Center for Community Solutions, “The Road from Childhood to Successful Adult-hood”
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Source: Ohio Department of Develop-ment, “Ohio African-Americans”
MOST IN-DEMAND JOBS DON’T PAYMost common Ohio jobs leave families still needing food aid, Medicaid or cash
assistance
Occupational GroupNumber
EmployedMedian
WageMedian Annual
PayPercent of Poverty
Level 2015Food Preparation and Serving 162,750 $8.85 $18,407 92%
Waiters and Waitresses 85,230 $8.86 $18,437 92%Cashiers 115,130 $9.19 $19,108 95%
Home Health Aides 68,900 $9.71 $20,208 101%Retail Sales 156,010 $9.90 $20,600 103%
Janitors and Cleaners 82,340 $10.43 $21,695 108%Laborer, Freight/Material Movers 98,510 $11.12 $23,129 115%
Stock Clerks and Order Filers 77,870 $11.16 $23,210 116%Nursing Assistants 69,390 $11.55 $24,023 120%
Office Clerks, General 99,250 $13.61 $28,292 141%Customer Service Representatives 77,630 $15.26 $31,745 158%
Registered Nurses 124,400 $29.64 $61,644 307%
Adapted from Policy Matters Ohio
Government is almost always wasteful and inefficient
Government often does a better job than people give it
credit for
Both/Neither/DK/Ref
2014 56 40 4
2013 55 39 6
Poor people today have it easy because they can get
government benefits without doing anything in return
Poor people have hard lives because government benefits
don’t go far enough to help them
Both/Neither/DK/Ref
2014 44 47 9
Dec. 2013 43 43 14
The government should do more to help needy
Americans, even if it means going deeper into debt
The government today can’t afford to do much more to help
the needy
Both/neither/DK/Ref
2014 43 51 6
2011 41 51 8
Racial discrimination is the main reason why black people can’t
get ahead these days
Black people who can’t get ahead in this country are mostly responsible for their own
condition
Both/Neither/DK/Ref
2014 27 63 10
2012 21 60 19
Source: Pew Research Center, “2014 Po-litical Polarization and Typology Survey”
FRAME A: SYMPATHY FOR THE POOR
In a weak economy the working poor have to take any job they can get.
Imagine the plight of a single mother working a low-wage job. Even at
$10 an hour, she earns only about $20,000 per year with few benefits
like healthcare and paid leave. Who could support a family on $20,000
a year? The working poor frequently need to choose between buying
food and paying the rent. We need to ask our government officials to
find a way to address these problems and help the most vulnerable.
Source: Frameworks, “Communicating About Poverty and Low-Wage Work”
FRAME B: RESPONSIBLE ECONOMIC PLANNING
The nation is relying too heavily on low-wage service sector jobs from national companies without insisting that they pay workers good wages and benefits. Creating prosperity tomorrow requires responsible planning today. Too many companies and decision makers focus on the short-term profits and short-term thinking to the detriment of our workforce. And when we allow one part of the workforce to weaken and struggle, it weighs down the economy for us all, resulting in a lower standard of living. Our nation needs to change its short-term thinking and start building good-paying jobs with benefits, and a strong economy for the long-term. With better planning we can repair the nation’s economic engine and create a future with a strong economy and good paying jobs for our workers.
Source: Frameworks, “Communicating About Poverty and Low-Wage Work”
Which frame do you think is the most effective?
KEY ELEMENTS OF FRAMESResponsible Economic Planning Sympathy for the PoorThe issues are the economy, jobs, and the future
of prosperity. The issues are poverty, the poor, and the working poor.
The relevant values are responsibility, vision, stewardship, interdependence.
The relevant values are sympathy, disparities, the Golden Rule, and generosity.
The economy is a system that can be influenced; humans have the power to influence economic decisions.
The economy is irrelevant, or it is cyclical, uncontrollable.
Trends, broader influences are integral to the story.
Profiles of sad individuals are integral to the story.
The reader’s relationship to the problem is connective, it is about “us.”
The reader’s relationship to the problem is separate; it is about “them.”
Solutions are the focus; the problem is manageable.
Problems are the focus; the issue is overwhelming.
Responsibility for fixing the problem lies with citizens collectively. Strengthening communities is one of the objectives for action.
Responsibility for fixing the problem rests with the individuals who are having the problem.
Source: Frameworks, “Communicating About Poverty and Low-Wage Work”
FRAMING GUIDELINES
Source: Topos Partnership, “Framing Guidelines”
POSSIBLE ACTIONS TO IMPACT POVERTY AND INCREASE THE MIDDLE CLASS Create jobs The best pathway out of poverty is a well-paying job. Raise the minimum wage In the late 1960s a full time worker earning the
minimum wage could lift a family of three out of poverty. The minimum wage in Ohio, while above the federal minimum wage, needs to be increased to $15.00 in order to accomplish the prior ability to lift a family of three out of poverty.
Improve the Earned Income Tax Credit for Ohio Ohio’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) could be a much more powerful tool for helping working families make ends meet and provide for their children. Just 7 percent of Ohio’s poorest workers – those earning $19,000 or less – see any benefit from the credit, and the benefit is modest.[1] Unlike the federal credit, Ohio’s EITC cannot exceed what a taxpayer owes in income taxes.
Support pay equity There are currently significant gaps in pay rates for women vs men in Ohio.
Provide paid leave and paid sick days The United States is the only developed country in the world without paid family and medical leave and paid sick days , making it difficult for families to balance work and family without having to sacrifice needed income. Paid leave is an important anti-poverty policy, as having a child is one of the leading causes of economic hardship.
Establish work schedules that work Low-wage and hourly jobs increasingly come with unpredictable and constantly shifting work schedules, which means workers struggle even more to balance erratic work hours with caring for their families.
Invest in affordable, high-quality child care and early education The lack of affordable, high-quality child care and early education serves as a major barrier to reaching the middle class. One year of child care for an infant can cost more than a year of tuition at a four year public college.
Build strong, accessible health care and behavioral health care systems. Access to affordable health care to prevent and manage illness is critical to healthy, learning children, and a strong workforce.
PRACTICE FRAMING YOUR MESSAGE You are talking to your state senator on Tuesday morning before the
Senate takes up the proposed State Budget. You raise the topic of the need to increase state funding for: Education, Food, Health Care, Housing, Jobs, Medicaid, Skill
Training, Transportation, Wages, other
Economic/Society Responsibility Argument
Individual’s Responsibility Argument
HOW YOU CAN HELP Respond to “Act Now” requests (email)
Calls, emails are critical Share info, help others become advocates
@advocates4OH Facebook.com/advocatesforohio @CoalitionHN @PolicyMattersOH
Q&Awith Hannah, Debbie and Bill
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