Core Solutions to Poverty A Look at Minnesota’s Legislative Commission to End Poverty Gregory...

Core Solutions to PovertyA Look at Minnesota’s Legislative Commission to End Poverty

Gregory Gray, Executive Director

August 10, 2009

Table of Contents

Brief Introduction What Did Minnesota Do Group Exercise A Word from the Experts Minnesota’s Recommendations Compare and Contrast What is Poverty? Q & A

Introduction Gregory Gray

Director or Governmental and External Affairs, Community Action of Minneapolis

Executive Director, Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota.

Two Term State Representative from Minnesota

Background in Finance, Accounting and Law.

Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020

Commission enacted into law in 2006 9 members appointed from the Minnesota

House of Representatives 9 members appointed from the Minnesota

Senate 2 non-voting members appointed by the

Governor.

Commission’s Guiding Principles

Consistent and persistent approach that includes participation of people of faith, nonprofit agencies, government and business.

All people should be provided with those things that protect human dignity and make for a healthy life.

All people are intended to live well together as a whole community, seeking the common good, avoiding wide disparities between those who have to little to live on and those who have a disproportionate share of the nation’s goods.


All people need to work together to overcome poverty, and this work transcends both any particular political theory or party and any particular economic theory or structure.

Alliances are needed between the faith community, nonprofit agencies, government, business and others.

Overcoming poverty involves both acts of direct service to alleviate the outcomes of poverty and advocacy to change those structures that result in people living in poverty.


Government is neither solely responsible for alleviating poverty nor removed from that responsibility. Government is the vehicle by which people order their live based on their shared vision.

2007 HHS Poverty Guidelines

Household Size 2007 Poverty Guideline

1 $10,210

2 13,690

3 17,170

4 20,650

6 27,610

Commission Work Plan

Phase I – Setting the Vision

Phase II – Explore the Solutions

Phase III – Create a Plan of Action.


Monthly Hearings at the State Capitol– State Demographer– State Economist– Various Non-Profits that Serve the Poor– General Public– Federal and Municipal Officials– Others


Statewide “Listening Tours” of Minnesota Poverty– Food shelves– Emergency Shelters– Meet with Poor and those who Directly Serve

them.

Quick Facts about Poverty in Minnesota

Minnesota has the 8th lowest poverty rate. 9.8% of Minnesotans live below the federal

poverty line.– Approximately 464 thousand Minnesotans meet

the federal standard for “poor”.– Another 719 thousand Minnesotans have income

between 100% and 200% of the federal poverty line.


Minnesota’s poverty rate have risen over 2 percentage points over the last decade.

Minnesota has some of the greatest disparities in poverty by racial group.– While less then 7% of Minnesota’s white

population is poor, about 33% of the African American population is poor.

– Nationally, less then 26% of African Americans are considered poor.


Poverty is balanced between Minneapolis/St. Paul (41%) and Greater Minnesota (39%).

There are 4 key poverty characteristics– Educational Status– Family Status– Disability– Race and Ethnicity


Children under the age of 18 represent the single largest age group in poverty. 31% of those living in poverty in Minnesota are children.


• A third (34%) of Americans were poor for at least 2 months during the 4 year period

• 2% were poor every month of the 4 years

• Half (51%) of poverty spells last 4 months or less

• 80% of poverty spells last 1 year or less

Phase II – Exploring the Solutions

Note Key Issues Identified in Phase I– Health Care– Child Care– Affordable Housing– Transportation– Living Wage Jobs– Education– Criminal Justice Issues– Race & Gender Discrimination

Phase II – Exploring the Solutions

Determine “Best Practices”– Review other reports on poverty.– Accept input from interested parties.– Retreat to deliberate on definition of poverty.– Break into subcommittees to examine issues and

potential recommendations.

Group Exercise

Break into small groups and prepare a list of at least Five things you believe are critical to ending or reducing poverty.

A Word from the ExpertsCommunity Action Partnership – Rooting Out Poverty Report

Maximize Participation (advocacy, community building)

Build and Economy that Works for Everyone (transportation, asset building, financial literacy)

Invest for the Future (education)

A Word from the ExpertsCommunity Action Partnership – Rooting Out Poverty Report

Maximize Equality of Opportunity (equal justice, mentor programs)

Ensure Healthy People and Places (access to health care, housing

A Word from the ExpertsConnecticut Commission on Children

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Child Care Housing Subsidies Health Care High Quality Childhood Education Improved Safety Net Family Structure

A Word for the ExpertsCenter for American Progress

Raise Minimum Wage Expand EITC Promote Unions Guarantee Child Care Assistance Housing Vouchers Youth Programs Ex-Offender Reintegration Programs Improve Unemployment Insurance

Minnesota’s Recommendations Achieving Economic Self-Sufficiency

Expand Educational opportunity– Early Childhood– Increase Graduation Rates– Make postsecondary education more accessable.

Minnesota’s RecommendationsAchieving Economic Self-Sufficiency

Make work pay– Increase Minimum Wage– Increase Working Family Credit– Examine Tax Policies– Encourage employers to provide opportunities for

workers to improve their skills.

Minnesota’s Recommendations Achieving Economic Self-Sufficiency

Temporary Support/Supplemental Income.– Eliminate distinctions between unemployed and

those receiving other assistance.– Eliminate “Cliffs”– More flexible income supports.

Minnesota’s Recommendations Building Financial and Developmental Assets.

Supporting affordable housing– Encourage the Federal Government– Remove unnecessary Zoning restrictions– Require “Comprehensive Housing Plans”– Attention the emergency shelter needs– Examine the mortgage interest deduction.


Increase consumer financial literacy.– Incorporate Financial Literacy training into the

elementary and middle school curriculums.– Require financial literacy training as prerequisite

for certain public assistance programs.– Ban or further regulate certain high cost services

such as “PayDay Loans or Refund Anticipation Loans.


Required additional disclosures for certain financial transactions

Encourage business to develop competing products.

Consider altering or eliminating certain “Asset Drawdown” requirements.

Promote Individual Development Accounts. (IDA’s)


Government should support those programs that nurture “developmental assets”

Foster one on one relationships between youth and caring adults.

Support Community Building programs.


– Work to reduce teen pregnancy and support teen parents.

Education School based clinics Support programs that allow young mothers to stay in

school. Child rearing classes Promote the rights and responsibilities of noncustodial

parents.


Meeting individual and community transportation needs.– Keep transit fares affordable– Eliminate service gaps– Align transportation with economic development.– Support programs that sell and repair cars for low

income families and minimal cost.

Minnesota’s Recommendations Remove Barriers and Obstacles to Rising out of Poverty

Continue to work to end racism.– Disparities Impact Statement

Confront the Health Needs of the Poor.– Guarantee all Minnesotans access to health care

including mental health treatment and chemical dependency treatment.

Final ThoughtsCommon Themes

We know there are only three ways to move anindividual or family from poverty to prosperity:

• Increase their income• Decrease their expenses• A combination of both

Final ThoughtsWe Know What Works

Income supports (EITC, Unemployment Insurance, disability, ect.)

Safety Net Program (Housing subsidies, Food Stamps, Childcare, Healthcare.

Access to Education

Questions / Answers

A discussion about poverty, what’s been done and what needs to be done.

Core Solutions to Poverty A Look at Minnesota’s Legislative Commission to End Poverty Gregory...

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