GRACE & ECPCA reward funds that protects and makes key progress, requires daring imaginative and prescient of revenues and investments wanted to finish youngster poverty
— Shimica Gaskins
PASADENA, CA, USA, June 27, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Statement attributable to Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO, GRACE & End Child Poverty California:
At GRACE, we dare to dream of a future wherein each youngster is valued and free, and know that budgets, as statements of values, make important selections that have an effect on our means to finish poverty via public coverage. We’re grateful that this funds protects important progress, utilizing the restricted assets obtainable to make vital investments and put together for the following alternative to make important motion towards that objective.
Governor Newsom and Legislative leaders are applauded for making clear from the outset that, regardless of the funds downside, we might study from the errors of the devastating Nice Recession cuts. This funds ends the dialog that austerity is the precise method throughout downturns: anti-poverty packages are wanted extra throughout laborious occasions, and assist financial restoration via their super return on funding.
There are a number of End Child Poverty CA IMAGINE victories on this funds, together with:
Child care
• Historic restructuring of household charges based mostly in racist, sexist stereotypes about Black and Brown moms, capping charges at 1% of household earnings and stopping assortment of household payment money owed from the pandemic.
• We stand in solidarity with Child Care Suppliers United and all suppliers that our early training workforce wants everlasting fee reform and sustainable wages, not short-term stipends.
CalWORKs
• Everlasting 10% improve to CalWORKs grants, and a requirement to show grant ranges relative to the federal poverty stage together with the Help Unit +1 to replicate {that a} important share of households have an unaided grownup because of sanction, immigration standing, or different barrier. This can be a direct, materials step towards our mission of ending youngster poverty and we thank the Legislature and Governor for this achievement.
CalFresh
• Set up the CalFresh Minimal Pilot Program to offer 1 yr of CalFresh advantages of at the very least $50 a month, greater than double the $23 federal minimal. We thank Senator Menjivar for making this a precedence to deal with the unprecedented starvation cliff brought on by federal cuts. This can be a important step towards a everlasting, statewide minimal profit envisioned in Sen. Menjivar’s SB 600 and first launched in 2017 (AB 2297, Arambula).
Faculty & Summer season Meals For All
• $142 million to bolster California’s first-in-the-nation college meals for all.
• Maximize Summer season EBT participation to make sure as many low-income kids as doable obtain the profit to which they’re entitled. We thank Senator Skinner, who remarked that whereas this will seem small it unlocks practically $500 million in federally funded meals advantages to forestall youngster summer season starvation.
• Summer season EBT grew to become a nationwide program via the 2022 Omnibus, culminating a decade of advocacy led by California Members of Congress and anti-hunger advocates. We name on Congress to cross Rep. Mike Levin’s Cease Child Starvation Act to bolster Summer season EBT, together with throughout unanticipated disasters when kids are in biggest want.
Foster Youth
• Create a housing complement for youth in a supervised unbiased residing placement (SILP) to forestall youth homelessness.
• Forestall the Foster Youth Tax Credit score from debt interception, fulfilling the unique intent and stopping inequitable remedy for foster youth.
We’re disillusioned that regardless of the bigger, accelerated Managed Care Group tax, the set off for steady Medi-Cal protection for teenagers 0-5 stays and that the Complete Perinatal Companies Program profit was not prolonged.
Trying ahead, we’re ready to work with the Administration on what was not achieved, together with the Reimagine CalWORKs bundle to satisfy this very important program as anti-racist and household centered. We have a good time the progress made this primary yr, led by Asm. Arambula and Senators Menjivar and Rubio. Reimagine CalWORKs aligns with the Governor’s north star to finish youngster poverty by reforming sanctions that push 60,000 kids into deeper poverty.
We’re assured that something not completed was from an absence of assets, not an absence of shared imaginative and prescient for a extra simply, affluent California, and that low-income Californians have a sturdy security internet that provides them alternatives for his or her future.
California nonetheless has the best poverty fee of any state within the nation, and policymakers should proceed to behave. We name for complete approaches such because the Senate’s Plan that included extra equitable revenues in addition to investments in security internet packages, refundable tax credit, and different confirmed anti-poverty methods.
Our coalition of over 170 companions and allies seems to be ahead to partaking with the Governor, Administration, and Legislature to see all IMAGINE priorities are achieved as a part of a pathway to carry all kids and households out of poverty.
Linda Swank
GRACE & End Child Poverty CA
+1 626-356-4206
information@grace-inc.org
