GLT News Series: The Voices of Poverty

Check out this series of reports done by WGLT on poverty in McLean County. It is a great, in-depth look at what is happening in just one Illinois County.

GLT News Series: The Voices of Poverty

Bloomington-Normal is known for its high employment and has a reputation as a well-to-do white-collar community. But there are individuals and families in McLean County whose low-income status forces them to make daily choices between what most would consider necessities. The GLT Newsroom takes an in-depth look at the problem facing McLean County's poor through the series The Voices of Poverty in McLean County. During GLT news updates May 12th through 16th, listen to stories of how these people cope with a variety of issues ranging from transporation, to health care to housing...in their own words.

You can participate in this series.

Learn more and submit your question now.

Series Schedule:
Monday May 12--Preview
Tuesday May 13--Food
Wednesday May 14--Transportation
Thursday May 15--Housing
Friday May 16--Health Care

Read the Mid-America Institute on Poverty's 2008 Illinois report

The Voices of Poverty Pt. 1 (mp3) Air Date: 05/12/08Run time: 4:49Poverty knows no boundaries. Low income people and families are everywhere…even in a community known to be affluent, such as Bloomington-Normal. In the first of the five-part GLT News Series, "The Voices of Poverty" WGLT’s Willis Kern introduces you to some of the people who struggle everyday with issues many take for granted.

The Mid-America Institute on Poverty's Amy Rynell outlines some of the indicators of poverty in McLean County. (2:32)

The Voices of Poverty Pt. 2 (mp3) Air Date: 05/13/08Run time: 5:14In the last five years, home energy costs have gone up 60-percent. Food costs are up more than 20 percent, and gasoline prices have gone through the roof. This pushes quite a few people who were already close to the economic edge right over. In part two of the series Voices of Poverty, WGLT’s Charlie Schlenker reports on the problem of just getting fed.

The Mid-America Institute on Poverty's Amy Rynell:
discusses what's happening to wages in Illinois 1:03
outlines policy choices for a way forward 6:44


The Voices of Poverty Pt. 3 (mp3) Air Date: 05/14/08Run time: 4:36Getting around can present huge challenges, and consume a lot of time for people struggling to make ends meet. And with gasoline prices at historic highs, things are only getting worse. WGLT's Jim Browne looks at the issue of transportation in the third installment of the series, "The Voices of Poverty."

Safe Harbor Homeless Shelter resident Lynferd Keeran talks about how he gets around town.


The Voices of Poverty Pt. 4 (mp3) Air Date: 05/15/08Run time: 5:21Economic pressures eroding the housing market are being felt in McLean County. As Willis Kern reports in part four of the GLT News series The Voices of Poverty, more and more people are struggling to find a place to lay their heads at night.

Homeless Shelter residents Scott and Darlene talk about struggles they face.


The Voices of Poverty Pt. 5 (mp3) Air Date: 05/16/08Run time: 5:28The number one cause of bankruptcy in the U-S is medical bills incurred by a health crisis. And the poor and low income can afford health problems least of all. In the final part of the series Voices of Poverty, WGLT’s Charlie Schlenker sheds light on the size of the problem for people and providers in McLean County.

BroMenn Healthcare CEO Roger Hunt:
tells stories of people given charitable care 3:33
talks about people at risk of losing it all 1:14

Community Health Care Clinic Board President Kathryn Copley talks about when she was a patient at the clinic 7:42

Community Health Care Clinic Director Shirley Drazewski discusses coverage gaps 2:43

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Ask Your State Legislators to Support Affordable Housing in the Capital Budget

Support inclusion of an annual $100 million line item in the capital budget for the construction and preservation of affordable housing statewide.

Click here to make your voice heard!

Illinois has a critical shortage of affordable housing. More than 1.3 million households in Illinois pay more than 35% of their income for housing, leaving too little for other basic necessities. Illinois under invests in affordable housing. Many states spend substantially more. California spends three times more per capita. New York spends four times more per capita. Florida spends seven times more per capita. Massachusetts spends ten times more per capita.Affordable housing belongs in the capital budget for many reasons. Affordable housing is a long-term asset that serves a public purpose. Like roads, bridges and schools, affordable housing is also part of the basic infrastructure on which business and communities depend. Finally, housing construction and rehabilitation creates good high-wage jobs around the state.

Go to housingmatters.net to send a fax today!

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Call Senator Durbin to Urge Support for Housing Funding TODAY

Urge Senator Durbin to keep GSE funding for the Housing Trust Fund

Call (202) 224-2152 Now Before Tuesday’s Markup

The fight to protect resources for an affordable housing trust fund will continue next Tuesday, May 20, in the Senate Banking Committee. After yet another delay in the markup of Senator Dodd's major housing bill, we still have time to convince the Committee leadership to abandon their efforts to siphon Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac money from the Housing Trust Fund.

Reports indicate that a "deal" between Banking Committee Democrats and Republicans would give away GSE resources for the Housing Trust Fund to pay for the potential costs of the proposed new FHA foreclosure prevention program.

We must stand firm and make our voices heard in order to keep the GSE funds dedicated to the Housing Trust Fund.

Action Needed Now

Urge Senator Durbin to contact Banking Chair Dodd and Ranking Member Shelby, asking them to keep the GSE funding for a Housing Trust Fund as outlined in Reed Amendment #3, and NOT divert the funds to a new FHA program.

Call (202) 224-2152 Now Before Tuesday’s Markup

The "Reed Amendment #3" will:
Create a Housing Trust Fund with funding from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Target 75% of the funds to benefit extremely low income people.
Enable the Housing Trust Fund to accept other funds that Congress designates in the future.

Background

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will complete marking up the "The Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008" on Tuesday, May 20.

Responding to pressure from Ranking Member Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee appears to be on the verge of diverting funds designated for a housing trust fund for housing for the poorest Americans to pay for Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd’s (D-CT) new program to refinance homeowners facing foreclosure.

In his bill “The Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008,” Chairman Dodd proposes to allow the Federal Housing Administration to insure refinanced mortgages of homeowners who face foreclosure. The Congressional Budget Office estimates this new program creates a potential liability for the federal government of $1.7 billion.

Reports are that Senator Shelby will only agree to the new FHA program if it is paid for by non-taxpayer funds. Senator Dodd’s bill also creates a housing trust fund with resources from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to build or preserve rental housing for extremely low and very low income people. Senator Shelby wants those funds to be used to pay for the new FHA program instead.

“After the $30 billion taxpayer guaranteed bail out of Bear Sterns and the $25 billion Senate-passed taxpayer funded bail out for homebuilders, for Committee Republicans to insist that the taxpayers should not pay $1.7 billion to prevent homeowners from losing their homes, has to be called what it is - hypocrisy,” said Sheila Crowley, President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

In a letter to Chairman Dodd, the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign urged him to “identify other resources to pay for the new FHA program besides the only ones in this broad housing package that are dedicated to serving the poorest families in our country.”

A provision in the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act that was authored by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) would establish a housing trust with funds generated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac estimated to be about $500,000,000 a year. Trust fund dollars would go to the states to distribute to housing providers to build and operate rental housing that is affordable to families in the low wage work force and to seniors and disabled people on fixed income. Today, 71% of extremely low income renter households spend more than half of their income for housing, leaving them at risk of homelessness.

The Banking Committee will mark-up the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 on Tuesday, May 20. The National Housing Trust Fund Campaign calls on the members of the Banking Committee to reject the Shelby proposal and preserve the housing trust fund to help the people with the most serious housing problems, including those who have no home at all.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition is a membership organization dedicated solely to ending America’s affordable housing crisis. NLIHC educates, organize and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing within healthy neighborhoods for everyone.

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2008 State of Fair Housing in the 6-County Region and Blueprint for Change

This week, The Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance released its 2008 State of Fair Housing Report for the 6-County region. The report provides statistics and trends regarding discrimination complaints in the Chicago region and an examination of the structure of segregation and inequality throughout the region.

As was previously shown in The Segregation of Opportunities, the pattern of housing segregation correlates closely with patterns of inequality. This report expands on previous reports to provide further evidence of the costs of segregation.

The report also provides a Blueprint for Change that recommends ways to foster integration, improve access to housing options, and promote sustainable development throughout the region.

You can view it at CAFHA's website here.

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Act Now: Help Ensure Funding for the National Housing Trust Fund!

From the National Low-Income Housing Coalition Click here to go to their alert.


Urgent! Call NOW to Include National Housing Trust Fund in Critical Legislation!

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee will mark up the "The Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008" on Thursday, May 15 at 10am.

This bill includes provisions to require the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to contribute funds to support affordable housing. However, it does NOT include S. 2523, the Kerry-Snowe National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act, as urged by the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign.

Instead the new bill would allocate only 65% of the aforementioned GSE funds to an "affordable housing fund" at HUD. The rest would go to a fund at the Department of Treasury that can support non-housing activities and does not require deep income targeting in any housing activities.

Make calls NOW to Banking Committee leadership, as well as your own senators, to urge that 100% of the GSE funds be used for housing for extremely low income people and that S. 2523, the Kerry-Snowe National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act, is added as an amendment to the bill on Thursday.

This may be our last opportunity to make the National Housing Trust Fund a reality in the 110th Congress.

Please take THREE QUICK ACTIONS NOW:

1. Call Senator Dodd at (202) 224-2823 and ask him to include S. 2523 in the bill and to assure that 100% of the GSE funds are used for housing for extremely low income people.
2. Call Senator Shelby at (202) 224-5744 and ask him to include S. 2523 in the bill and to assure that 100% of the GSE funds are used for housing for extremely low income people.
3. Call and email BOTH of your own senators and ask them to:

• Urge Senators Dodd and Shelby to include S. 2523 in the bill and to assure that 100% of the GSE funds are used for housing for extremely low income people.
• Cosponsor S. 2523, if they have not already done so.

Click here to get your senators' phone numbers and email addresses.
Click here to see if your senators have already cosponsored S. 2523.

THEN, please forward this alert to everyone you know. The strength of our appeal will be in our numbers.

REMEMBER to email us at outreach@nlihc.org, or call us at 202.662.1530, to report the results of your calls. Any information we can gather from you could be immensely valuable as the bill moves forward.

Amendments to the bill must be filed by 5pm EDT on Tuesday, May 13, 2008. We will send you a second alert concerning amendments to be supported or opposed.

Thank you for your time and support.

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Oak Park Votes to End Poverty & Realize Human Rights

The Village of Oak Park adopted a resolution last week expressing their support for the creation of the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty. It reads:

R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR CREATION OF AND FULL FUNDING FOR THE ILLINOIS COMMISSION ON THE ELIMINATION OF POVERTY


WHEREAS, the Illinois Constitution was established, in part, to eliminate poverty and inequality; and

WHEREAS, freedom from poverty is a basic human right; and

WHEREAS Illinois poverty rate is unacceptably high, with over 1.5 million Illinoisans living at or below poverty level, and child poverty rate, with nearly one in five Illinois children (17.7%) living in poverty; and

WHEREAS poverty eradication requires specific, measurable plans and policies;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that I, David Pope, President of the Village of Oak Park, and the Board of Trustees, do hereby strongly support creation and full funding for the Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, as described in the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty Act (HB 4369).

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution be sent to Illinois Senators Don Harmon and Kimberly Lightford, Illinois Representatives LaShawn K. Ford, Deborah Graham, and Karen A. Yarbrough, as well as our neighboring communities belonging to the West Central Municipal Conference.

BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that this Resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption and approval as provided by law.

This is just another sign of the growing support for taking comprehensive action on ending poverty and realizing human rights in Illinois. Moreover, it is an example of something simple local communities can do to publicly express their support.

The legislation came out of a senate committee last week on a unanimous vote in favor. It should go before the full Senate this week or next. Is your senator a sponsor? If he or she is, give them a call to say thank you and ask them to get just one colleague to sign on as well. If not, ask them to add their name as a sponsor today.

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Action Alert: Ask Legislators to Fund Effort to End Poverty!

Every member of the House of Representatives voted in favor of establishing the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty. But our work is not done yet! We still need your help to make sure the Commission has funding to do its work.

Members of the Illinois House of Representatives this week are making their list of budget priorities for next year. Each member needs to hear from you about backing up their vote for the Commission with funding.

Take action, and ask your legislator to include $450,000 in the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget so the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty can do its work!

While the preamble to our Constitution states that a core goal of Illinois government is to eliminate poverty and inequality, we currently have more than 1.5 million individuals experiencing poverty and close to 700,000 individuals experiencing extreme poverty, defined as those living below 50 percent of the federal poverty line.

HB 4369, which passed the House unanimously in April, establishes the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty to create a substantive, measurable plan to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015. Funding - a total of $450,000 - needs to be included in the FY09 budget to support the activities of this Commission. A total of $200,000 will support overall Commission activities and a one-time appropriation of $250,000 will support the creation of a poverty elimination strategy that will allow us to bring in the expertise and create and test models to help reach the Commission's goals.

Click here to take action.

You can also call your representatives district or Springfield office with this same message. To find their phone number, click here and either search by your home address or the legislators name, if you already know it.

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