I could point to a lot of facts right now to support the call for fair tax reform. I could speak to the fact that we probably have more than 2 million people living in poverty in Illinois at this moment. I could cite data about how we cannot cut our way out of the budget hole. I could bring up Illinois’ position as one of the lowest tax states in the nation. These are arguments that many people have made ad nauseum over the past few months and with increasing urgency in the past weeks and days.
I am going to step away from these facts for a moment and make a different appeal. Who are we as a state? What do we care about? What makes us proud to live here? What do we value? I know we are not a monolith. The answers to these questions vary, but at the end of the day, I think most of us – including our elected officials – have commonly held values:
Fairness
Community
Dignity
Opportunity
These are the values embedded in the preamble to our state’s Constitution, which states Illinois has a core goal of eliminating poverty, as well as the legislation that established the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty that every member of the legislature voted for. These core values are not only in our documents, they also guide us when we make decisions, especially the tough ones.
Our elected officials have to make one of the tougher decisions they have ever made in the next few days. Do they vote to increase the taxes in our state as part of balancing our state’s budget? There are arguments from all sides about the economic benefit or pain the tax may bring, about the role of budget cuts and ethics reforms, about the political calculations that must be considered, and those factors are all well and good, but the bottom line is this – What will preserve and create fairness, community, dignity, and opportunity?
We know that without a tax increase human services funding will be drastically cut. How bad the “doomsday” scenario is depends on who you are talking to, but anywhere from 30-50% cuts are likely. That translates into eliminating programs for homeless youth, services for those living in supportive housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment, health care options, programs for the elderly, childcare assistance, and so on. The list is long. Thousands and thousands of individuals that are trying to get over the barriers in front of them will find that those barriers just multiplied and got much bigger.
All of these threatened programs are the manifestation of our commonly held values –human rights values. These programs ensure that those that are often left out and forgotten have a chance. They make sure that people are treated with respect regardless of where they are at in their lives. They create a community that says we value life, and family, and never giving up on someone. It is these programs and services that make me proud to live in Illinois. I think it is safe to say that supporting and advancing such programs is the reason that many of our elected officials entered office in the first place.
Being true to our values is not easy or expedient, but it is necessary. When the vote finally comes to increase our taxes so all of the programs and supports we have put in place do not disappear, our legislators need to be true to our values. They need to vote for that increase. They need to vote for fairness, community, dignity, and opportunity. If they do that, they can easily come back to their districts with their head held high knowing they looked out for those who do not have a voice.
5/28/2009
To Care About Human Rights in Illinois is To Vote for a Tax Increase
5/26/2009
Illinois Poverty News Weekly
May 18th to May 24
40,000 families struggle to survive -Lake County News-Sun, 5/18/2009
Quinn: Doomsday Budget Would Have "Awful Human Toll" -Progress Illinois, 5/18/2009
Illinois Unemployment Rate Reaches 9.4% -The Huffington Post, 5/21/2009
5/21/2009
General Assembly Eliminates the Wrong Door in Illinois
On the heels of the passage of HB2383, which expanded access to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), HB745 - The No Wrong Door Bill - unanimously passed out of the Senate this week. As with HB2383, this bill is really about making the support systems needed by people facing poverty work for them. This bill puts in place some common sense changes.
- Creates a "No Wrong Door" policy for applications - Allows initial applications for TANF, Food Stamps, and Medical to be submitted at any Department of Human Services (IDHS) office, not limited to the office that is assigned to a person based on home address.
- Gives clients a choice of location for ongoing case management - Allows clients to self-identify the IDHS local office where they'd like to have their case to be housed and managed, rather that being assigned simply based on home address, consistent with their place of employment, child care location, or related service need.
- Automatically waives face-to-face interviews when an applicant reports earned income. The concept being that if you are reporting earned income, the face-to-face interview only makes it harder for you to work, not easier.
The not-so-obvious level is the issue of dignity. Human rights, if nothing else, is about dignity. We are inserting choice into a system that too often robs those who use it of their dignity. Our support systems should not only provide tangible support, but should also provide support that builds confidence. The simple act of being able to chose which office works best for your needs does that. Telling people that if they are working, they do not need to take off work for a meeting to prove they are working, does that. People need to believe in themselves and subtle changes such as this, especially when combined with the provision of HB2383, take us one step closer to realizing human rights in Illinois. Read More......
35 Years of Progress in Children's Economic Wellbeing Down the Drain
According to the 2009 Child Wellbeing Index- Special Focus Report, “Anticipating the Impacts of a 2008-2010 Recession” we are in the process of witnessing the undoing of over three decades of national progress in Childhood Economic Wellbeing. All of the data is from 2007, the most recent year of available information.
The Childhood Wellbeing Index is based on seven domains: Family Economic Wellbeing, Health, Safety/Behavioral, Educational Attainment, Community Connectedness, Social Relationships, and Emotional/Spiritual Wellbeing.
On the national level, by 2010:
-The percentage of children living in poverty is projected to increase to 21%
-27% (8 million) of children will have at least one parent not working full-time, year-round
-Annual Family Incomes will drop from $59,200 in 2007 to $55,700
-Single female-headed household incomes will drop from $24,950 in 2007 to $23,000
-Single male-headed household incomes will drop from $38,100 in 2007 to $33,300
The 2007 rate of child poverty in Illinois is 16.6% which is down from 17.1% in 2006. Which is good, but as the CWI report states, minority families “tend to be more sensitive to economic fluctuations, (and) will be affected most by these changes.” Here is the breakdown of childhood poverty by race:
Total Illinois Child Poverty: 16.6%
African American Child Poverty: 38.6%
Asian American Child Poverty: 10.8%
Latino Child Poverty: 21%
Caucasian Child Poverty: 8.5%
We know that minorities are being particularly hard hit by the recession, and we know that children experience poverty at a greater rate than adults. Put these things together and the discrepancy shown above is just going to get worse.
Here are some other things that we know:
-Community violence tends to increase during times of economic downturn due to cuts in juvenile prevention programs, cuts in the police force, and (let’s be real here) increased anger, frustration, fear and desperation.
Violence prevention programs are on the chopping block from the Illinois budget. At a time when we are predicting an increase in violence, does this make sense? No. Call your legislator now.
-More and more families are at increased risk of homelessness due to the combination of the collapse of the housing market and the increase of unemployment.
Cuts to homeless prevention, affordable housing, and homeless education programs are currently being discussed in Springfield as a way of balancing the budget. Does this make sense? No. Call your legislator now.
Scary as these numbers are, they are not inevitable. There are steps that the state of Illinois can take to prevent these predictions from coming true. But we need to take the steps, the hard steps, and we need to take them now.
5/20/2009
Action Alert: Today! Reform an Unfair Tax System in Illinois
In Illinois, the poorest families pay more in taxes than the wealthiest families. Our economy is in need of recovery and your Senators and Representatives will be making difficult decisions in the days ahead... and you need to be involved!
Beginning TODAY, legislators are voting on parts of next year's budget. Call your state Senator and Representative and tell him or her to:
- increase Earned Income Tax Credit for needy families,
- reform the state tax code into a progressive model,
- and preserve existing health and human services programs for those neediest of families.
Taxes Paid (as Percentage of Income)
5% Illinois' Wealthiest Families
13% Illinois' Poorest Families
Without this tax increase, each state agency could lose 30% of its budget. The neediest members of our communities would:
- lose access to emergency food and shelter
- lose services and housing for homeless youth
- lose available affordable housing
- lose funding for mental health and addictions treatment
Illinois has one of the most unbalanced tax systems in the country, and a sizable state budget deficit. Help correct this injustice, and preserve existing health and human services programs.
5/18/2009
On Race, Shame, and Action in Illinois
From Race in the Recession,
“In Illinois in 2007, African American and Hispanic people made up 29.4% of the population but 54.4% of the population living in poverty. The 2007 Illinois unemployment rate was 5%. The unemployment rate for African Americans in Illinois was 10.7% and 5.6% for Hispanics. The Illinois poverty rate was 12%. For Hispanics in Illinois it was 17.6%. 28% for African Americans (2008 Report on Illinois Poverty).”
From May 19th to June 6th 2008, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism, Dr. Doudou Diene came to the United States to monitor, advise and make public reports on the human rights situation in this country. Doug Schenkelberg, of The From Poverty To Opportunity Campaign, provided testimony about the intersection of poverty and race in Illinois when Dr. Diene came to visit Chicago. The official report (pdf) of this mission, which was released on May 8th, hits on many of the themes we spoke to in our testimony last year. It also carries a series of recommendations for the US to make to greater moves against racism, marginalization and oppression within its borders:
Four Key Recommendations:
1: Congress should establish a bipartisan commission to evaluate the progress and failures in the fight against racism as well as the continued process of resegregation in housing and education, and to develop responses to these trends;
2: The government should reassess existing legislation on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance with two primary guidelines: the overlap between poverty and race or ethnicity; and the connection between fighting racism and the realization of a democratic, egalitarian and interactive multiculturalism and stronger community relations;
3: Government should intensify efforts to enforce civil rights laws;
4: Government should clarify to law enforcement agencies and officials the obligation of equal treatment and the prohibition of racial profiling.
In light of the continuing economic distress this country is experiencing, it seems unlikely that things have gotten better since the 2008 Report on Illinois Poverty came out... and things haven’t.
According to the 2009 Report on Illinois Poverty shows that while some progress has been made… it really isn’t much.
Poverty
The number of African Americans Illinoisans living in poverty has decreased by about twelve thousand and the percentage of the total African American Illinoisan population in poverty has decreased by half a percentage point.
African Americans make up 14.7% of the Illinois population but are 33.3% of Illinoisans in poverty.
Latinos make up 14.9% of the Illinois population but are 19.9% of Illinoisans in poverty.
Keep in mind that these numbers are from the 2007 census data, the most recent data available.
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Services, the African American unemployment rate was twice that of Caucasians in 2008.
Education
The percentage of African Americans in Illinois with less than a high school diploma is 19.20%. For Latinos the percentage is 40.9%. Only 9% of Caucasians have less than a high school diploma.
While 20.5% of Caucasian Illinoisans have a bachelor’s degree, only 11.6% of African Americans and 7.7% of Latinos can say the same.
After reading these sobering numbers, keep two things in mind:
1) one of the core beliefs of the Campaign:
Inequality and discrimination play a central role in the existence of poverty.
2) When the federal government ratifies an international human rights treaty, such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, states, like Illinois, are obligated to follow the terms of those treaties.
Now, with that in mind, this series of recommendations made by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism are just that: recommendations. But, in the world of international human rights, the most powerful instrument is shame. Shame is what brings about change. Shame is what makes those in power heed to recommendations such as these. Shame is power.
But if no one knows about his documentation, if no one talks about the recommendations, there will be no shame. Shame requires many eyes. And unless we actively work to train those eyes on the unacceptable legacy of racism in this country, this report will have no power.
And that is why we are putting this report out to you.
There are over two thousand individual endorsers and almost three hundred organizational endorsers of the From Poverty To Opportunity Campaign. They – you - are the eyes of this Campaign. You are the ones that can get others to look at this report and look at the latest Poverty Report and press for action.
Illinois, the focus of the Campaign, has the same responsibilities to address the impact of racism as the nation as a whole. We must hold our state, our government, our communities, and each other accountable for making progress on these recommendations.
Even if the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Race means little to you, remember that the reality of the intersection of poverty and race are important to you. Remember that while the American government cannot truly be held accountable by the United Nations for paying attention to these recommendations, the American and Illinois government can be held accountable by us.
Here is one thing you can do right now:
Support progressive tax reform in Illinois that protects those in poverty while generating the revenue needed to address the states structural deficit and the basic human rights of its’ residents.
We need to ask our leaders to make the hard decisions so we can make real progress on these issues. That is our responsibility and theirs. That is how we use our collective power as a Campaign and as residents of Illinois to make change happen and shame go away.
Illinois Poverty News Weekly
May 11th to May 17th
Quinn stands firm on proposed income tax increase -Chicago Tribune, 5/14/2009
TANF Reform Bill On Its Way To Gov. Quinn -Progress Illinois, 5/15/2009
Knox County Housing Authority outlines plans for stimulus -Galesburg Register-Mail, 5/16/2009
5/15/2009
Video: HB2383 Debated on the Senate Floor
Thanks to Progress Illinois, a video of the floor debate on HB2383 is available. The debate is a great sign of the support for this legislation and its importance. Even the dissenting speech by Senator Dale Righter concluded with the line "I rise in reluctant opposition."
As the primary sponsor, Senator Kwame Raoul, notes in his closing remarks, "When we have a financial crisis and the nation and the state catch a cold, people in poor communities catch the flu." The passage of this legislation is a tangible sign of the support for ensuring no one goes hungry, no one is without support, no one is without opportunity. When we talk are realizing human rights in Illinois, this is what we are talking about.
5/14/2009
Breaking News - HB2383 passes the Senate
The Illinois Senate just passed the HB2383, helping thousands on families experiencing extreme poverty. Thanks to all of you that responded to the call to action. It made a huge difference. The bill now goes to the governor!
Read More......5/13/2009
Action Alert:make your voice heard to help end poverty in Illinois
The idea behind public safety net programs and services is that the government will be responsible for ensuring that all citizens are provided the opportunity to maintain a minimum level of wellbeing. Unemployment insurance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, housing assistance: These exist because we as a country are responsible for providing a minimum standard of living for people who are not able to achieve that standard on their own.
The New York Times just issued a report of public safety-net service variations in take-up across states.
9%: Share of poor children and parents that receive cash welfare
43%: Share of unemployed that received benefits
30%: Share of eligible households that receive housing benefits
79%: Share of eligible people that receive food stamps
38%: Share of uninsured poor adults covered by government programs
77%: Share of uninsured low-income children covered by government programs
The most shocking of these figures should be fairly obvious.
Of the poor children and parents in
The national average is 29% and the state with the highest cash welfare take-up rate is
A number of things should stand out from these numbers:
- There is great variation between states. This is the point of the Times piece and there are all sorts of reason why this would be the case: size, population, state economy, infrastructure, distance, level of technology, systemic inequality of access.
- No state provides cash welfare to even half of the people who are eligible for the aid. The national average is 29% and the state that most successfully provides this service is only at 49%. Not that we should really take consolation in the fact that no state is doing this well.
We know that there are almost 1.5 million Illinoisans living in poverty, meaning a meaning a family of three making no more than $17,600 per year. We know that there are over 670,000 Illinoisans living in extreme poverty (meaning half of the poverty line: A family of three earning $8,800 per year). But in order to be eligible for cash aid a family of three cannot earn more than 33% of the poverty line, meaning that not even all of the 670,000 Illinoisans in extreme poverty qualify for the cash assistance.
And yes, all of this is ridiculous.
House Bill 2383 (Burns/Collins) is a key step in correcting this problem to provide more access to the thousands of the people in need of assistance by increasing the maximum income from 33% to 50% of the federal poverty line so that all of the people of Illinois who are living and struggling extreme poverty would be eligible for this support.
Your Senator needs to hear from you now to support legislation that will lift thousands in
HB 2383 makes several needed changes to the TANF program:
1. Makes all families living in “extreme poverty” (below 50% Federal Poverty Line, $9156 a year for family of three) eligible for TANF.
2. Encourages parents to seek employment and allows families to receive limited assistance until their earnings have lifted them out of poverty.
3. Provides applicants with more timely assistance to stabilize their lives and then a thorough assessment to guide their assignment to work activities.
4. Protects victims of violence by expanding crisis assistance and extending protection to victims of sexual violence.
Take action NOW to ensure that this bill makes it to the governor’s desk. More than 600,000 Illinoisans living in extreme poverty are counting on you
5/11/2009
Illinois Poverty News Weekly
May 3th to May 10th
Poverty is not a permanent condition –The Southern, 5/03/2009
Heartland Alliance Releases 2009 Report on Illinois Poverty –The Illinois Legal Advocate, 5/03/2009
Prevailing wage bill in Illinois House limbo –The Southern, 5/6/2009
Job cuts hit 6-month low in April, Illinois mass layoffs also decline –The Chicago Sun-Times, 5/07/2009
5/08/2009
Campaign Lobby Day & Rally For The Common Good
In a word, it was spectacular.
Photography by Erin Klee http://www.erinklee.com/
Rally participants spoke to their legislators about the things that are important to them, how affordable housing, Food Stamps, child care, health care, and the Earned Income Tax Credit affects their lives, what has helped and what has stood in the way of accessing opportunities to get out of poverty, and how different pieces of legislation in the legislature will affect their lives, for good or bad.
Rally participants also took on the daunting task of talking to legislators about proposed budget cuts to important social supports, pointing out that balancing the budget by reducing the services that the state provides to those Illinoisans in the greatest need of support and assistance is irresponsible and only going to reinforce peoples’ poverty as well as their alienation from and resentment toward the government.
There are two key things that happened in the course of this event:
1. Legislators heard what was important to the people who will be most affected by safety net legislation. Legislators got to hear what was important, why it was important, and what it meant on a very real, very personal level.
2. The people who will be most affected by safety net legislation were heard by their legislators. This may seem like a simple point, a switching to the passive voice, but it was tremendously important to some of the people at the rally.
One man told me, “I remember coming here once when I was a kid and thinking that it was so big and busy and impressive, and it still is, but… I don’t know… I never thought of, you know, me walking into a senator’s office. Me! Talking to a Senator! Telling her what I thought and she listened!”
Another spoke about seeing “all these important people walking around all busy and doing important sh**… and I just saw my representative coming out of the men’s room. This is incredible!”
People were thankful for and inspired by the experience. And by people, I mean both Rally participants and legislators.
“I got a little scared, that first time talking to a senator’s secretary. My voice started, you know, stuttering and I got a little lost in my head. But I got through it. I said what I wanted to say. I asked her to pass the senator my thanks for supporting us and the bills that are going to help us and handed her some information. The next person I talked to was easier and it was just like that: Easier and easier. I’m loving this.”
photography by Erin Klee http://www.erinklee.com/
5/04/2009
Illinois Poverty News Weekly
April 27 to May 4
Forum to focus on problems brought on by recession _The News-Gazette, 4/30/2009
Food drive expected to collect 53,000 meals –The Fox Valley Village Sun, 5/01/2009
State receives recovery funds for low-income homes –Daily-Chronicle, 5/02/2009
Weekly unemployment claims decrease in Illinois, economists remain cautious –Medill Report, 4/30/2009
