Join Congressmember Karen Bass, Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta, GRACE/ECPCA CEO Conway Collis and movement partners this Thursday, 3-26-20, from 9:30-10:30am, for an End Child Poverty California Movement Action Call as we address the COVID-19 crisis together. [MEETING LINK & CALL-IN INFO BELOW]
What started as a health crisis, COVID-19 is quickly turning into an economic catastrophe for vulnerable Californians.
We’re mobilizing support for the Anti-poverty Stimulus Package, sharing resources and addressing the COVID-19 crisis together. Congressmember Bass will update us on the Federal response (unless the House is called into session and she needs to vote at the time of the call).
The Action Call is open to motivated Californians across the state and End Child Poverty CA Movement partners and collaborators. Join us and share the link: https://www.endchildpovertyca.org/action-call-2/.
Congressmember Karen Bass speaks at an End Child Poverty rally, April 2017. Photo credit: Valerie Goodloe
Call-in & Video Conferencing Information
This is a Zoom Video Conference with Phone-In Option Time: Mar 26, 2020 09:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
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The following one -time payments respond to the current COVID-19 crisis for California’s most vulnerable children and families. They also provide an immediate economic stimulus as research shows that 80% of cash supports are spent locally.
Prior to the pandemic, California families were already faced with health, hunger, and housing instability. COVID-19 has exacerbated this crisis. We need to provide immediate cash assistance for vulnerable families NOW to allow parents and caregivers to stay home with their children, purchase necessities, and keep their families housed as California addresses this health and economic crisis.
Proposal # 1 Child Poverty Emergency Safety Net Payment
Families living in deep poverty will be hardest hit by the COVID-19 economic downturn. This safety net payment will help increase stability during this health crisis. A one-time cash payment of up to $1,200 would be paid through the counties via the general assistance program to families with at least one child ages 6 or under and with income and earnings at 70% of the Federal Poverty Line, irrespective of immigration status.
Cost estimate: One-time GF cost of $150 million. Counties would also incur administrative costs, which would be reimbursable from the state.
The Cal EITC is well positioned to provide cash to lower-wage workers. We propose that all taxpayers eligible for 2019 expanded California EITC would be eligible immediately for a second credit equal to one-half the size of the credit they were eligible for in 2019. In addition, ITIN filers should be included in this payment.
Cost estimate: One-time GF cost of approximately $550 million.
Proposal #3: Emergency Assistance Payments.
One-time emergency assistance from the state to the counties to provide a necessary supplement for the General Assistance program. The funds would be distributed by the counties to households with children having incomes of less than 70 percent of the federal poverty line who are not otherwise eligible for assistance through the first two proposals. This includes families with a recent job loss, were unable to work in the prior year or have major health expenditures. The funds would be available on a one-time basis for emergency needs such as food, prescription drugs, rents needed to avoid eviction, or car repair.
Cost Estimate: Variable, but recommended GF allocation of $300 million. Need for Immediate Implementation Through Recommended Payment Mechanisms
Given the urgency of the moment, the priority is to quickly and efficiently get cash in the hands of low-income families with children who are in dire need of immediate resources to protect them from the drastic COVID-19 economic downturn. Existing safety net programs such as CalWORKs and Cal EITC are designed to promote self-sufficiency and upward mobility over the long-term, but there are barriers to quickly modifying these programs to provide short term emergency relief.
Many Californian’s experiencing deep poverty are not able to participate in existing safety net programs for various reasons, including citizenship status (which limits eligibility for public programs) and disabilities of parents or children. According to estimates prepared by Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, approximately 80 percent of children in families living in deep poverty do not participate in CalWORKs. Moreover, the emphasis on job training and employment is less relevant in today’s extraordinary circumstance, since near term job prospects are extremely limited.
A one-time cash payment of up to $1,200 paid through the counties via the general assistance program to families with at least one child age 6 or under and with income and earnings at 70% of the Federal Poverty Line, irrespective of immigration status. Families living in deep poverty will be hardest hit by the COVID-19 economic downturn. This safety net payment will help increase stability during this health crisis.
2) Supplemental Emergency CalEITC Payments
The Cal EITC is well positioned to provide cash to lower-wage workers. We propose that all taxpayers eligible for 2019 expanded California EITC would be eligible immediately for a second credit equal to one-half the size of the credit they were eligible for in 2019. In addition, ITIN filers should be included in this payment.
3) Emergency Assistance Payments
A one-time emergency assistance payment from the state to the counties to provide a necessary supplement for the General Assistance program. The funds would be distributed by the
counties to households with children having incomes of less than 70 percent of the federal poverty line who are not otherwise eligible for assistance through the first two proposals. This includes families with a recent job loss, were unable to work in the prior year or have major health expenditures. The funds would be available on a one-time basis for emergency needs such as food, prescription drugs, rents needed to avoid eviction, or car repair.
“Children and families in poverty were struggling with housing and food insecurity prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. With it has come increased job losses or reduced hours, additional health issues and even more trauma and insecurity,” End Child Poverty CA Co-Chairs Dolores Huerta and Conway Collis wrote in today’s letter. “Existing safety net programs such as CalWORKs and Cal EITC are designed to promote self-sufficiency and upward mobility over the long-term, but there are barriers to quickly modifying these
programs to provide short term emergency relief. Many Californians experiencing deep poverty are not able to participate in existing safety net programs for various reasons, including citizenship status (which limits eligibility for public programs) and disabilities of parents or children. According to estimates prepared by Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, approximately 80 percent of children in families living in deep poverty do not participate in CalWORKs.Moreover, the emphasis on job training and employment is less relevant in today’s
extraordinary circumstance, since near term job prospects are extremely limited.”
The full letter, which includes additional details about the emergency members, is here.
ABOUT END CHILD POVERTY CA
On both both a percentage and numerical basis, California’schild poverty crisis ranks as the worst in America. Almost 2 million California children live in poverty, with 400,000 of them in deep poverty — below 50 percent of the state poverty line and growing up in families working hard to survive on less than about $13,400 annually. State legislation created the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force (Co-Chaired by Collis) to develop an anti-poverty plan to be released just before the new governor and legislature took office in January 2019. The End Child Poverty CA campaign then rallied people and organizations and as a movement urged the state to adopt the Task Force’s End Child Poverty Plan, which would end deep child poverty in just four years when fully implemented. The plan would also reduce overall child poverty by 50 percent over the next decade.
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Governor Newsom:
To help carry out your efforts to bolster the safety net for our most vulnerable families and provide direct economic stimulus we urge you to consider adoption of the one-time emergency measures listed below. Children and families in poverty were struggling with housing and food insecurity prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. With it has come increased job losses or reduced hours, additional health issues and even more trauma and insecurity. The proposals on the attached memo include:
One- time Child Poverty Emergency Safety Net Payment
One-time Supplemental Emergency CalEITC payment, to include families with ITIN filers
One-time Emergency Assistance Payments
Thank you for your leadership and for considering the immediate implementation of these emergency
income supports for these families in desperate need of assistance.
For further information or follow up please contact Conway Collis at conwaycollis@grace-inc.org or (626) 356–4205 or Jackie Wong at jackiewong@grace-in.org or (916) 498–3320.
Sincerely,
Dolores Huerta President, Dolores Huerta Foundation
and
Conway Collis President and CEO, GRACE & End Child Poverty California
CC: Ann O’Leary, Ana Matosantos, Keely Bosler Attachment
COVID-19 ANTI-POVERTY STIMULUS PACKAGE
The following one -time payments respond to the current COVID-19 crisis for
California’s most vulnerable children and families. They also provide an immediate
economic stimulus as research shows that 80% of cash supports are spent locally.
Prior to the pandemic, California families were already faced with health, hunger, and
housing instability. COVID-19 has exacerbated this crisis. We need to provide
immediate cash assistance for vulnerable families NOW to allow parents and caregivers
to stay home with their children, purchase necessities, and keep their families housed as
California addresses this health and economic crisis.
Proposal # 1 Child Poverty Emergency Safety Net Payment
Families living in deep poverty will be hardest hit by the COVID-19 economic downturn.
This safety net payment will help increase stability during this health crisis. A one-time
cash payment of up to $1,200 would be paid through the counties via the general
assistance program to families with at least one child ages 6 or under and with income
and earnings at 70% of the Federal Poverty Line, irrespective of immigration status.
Cost estimate: One-time GF cost of $150 million. Counties would also incur
administrative costs, which would be reimbursable from the state.
The Cal EITC is well positioned to provide cash to lower-wage workers. We propose that
all taxpayers eligible for 2019 expanded California EITC would be eligible immediately
for a second credit equal to one-half the size of the credit they were eligible for in 2019.
In addition, ITIN filers should be included in this payment.
Cost estimate: One-time GF cost of approximately $550 million.
Proposal #3: Emergency Assistance Payments.
One-time emergency assistance from the state to the counties to provide a necessary
supplement for the General Assistance program. The funds would be distributed by the
counties to households with children having incomes of less than 70 percent of the
federal poverty line who are not otherwise eligible for assistance through the first two
proposals. This includes families with a recent job loss, were unable to work in the prior
year or have major health expenditures. The funds would be available on a one-time
basis for emergency needs such as food, prescription drugs, rents needed to avoid
eviction, or car repair.
Cost Estimate: Variable, but recommended GF allocation of $300 million. Need for Immediate Implementation Through Recommended Payment Mechanisms
Given the urgency of the moment, the priority is to quickly and efficiently get cash in the
hands of low-income families with children who are in dire need of immediate resources
to protect them from the drastic COVID-19 economic downturn. Existing safety net
programs such as CalWORKs and Cal EITC are designed to promote self-sufficiency and
upward mobility over the long-term, but there are barriers to quickly modifying these
programs to provide short term emergency relief.
Many Californian’s experiencing deep poverty are not able to participate in existing
safety net programs for various reasons, including citizenship status (which limits
eligibility for public programs) and disabilities of parents or children. According to
estimates prepared by Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, approximately 80
percent of children in families living in deep poverty do not participate in CalWORKs.
Moreover, the emphasis on job training and employment is less relevant in today’s
extraordinary circumstance, since near term job prospects are extremely limited.
Nuestro objetivo para este año es claro como el cristal: aprobar el resto del Plan para Acabar con la Pobreza Infantil. Para hacerlo, necesitamos todas las manos en el timón para demostrarle a los legisladores que estamos firmes y que no vamos a descansar hasta que ningún niño en California viva en pobreza extrema.
En octubre, estuvimos en San Bernardino, uniendo fuerzas con nuestros hermanos y hermanas del Inland Empire en este movimiento. En enero, llevamos el movimiento a Sacramento — y varios líderes legislativos y nuevos colaboradores se unieron a nosotros. El 21 de febrero de 2020, llevaremos nuestro movimiento a Los Ángeles, la Ciudad de los Sueños, junto a la líder de derechos civiles y fundadora de la Fundación Dolores Huerta, Dolores Huerta.
TODOS los niños en California deben crecer con salud, comida y alojamiento. Las familias que trabajan de dos a tres empleos y gastan su dinero localmente para a mantener la prosperidad económica de California no deben quedar atrás — y sus hijos no deben sufrir debido a las decisiones políticas fallidas del pasado. Es por eso que este año, abogamos por la aprobación del Crédito Tributario por la Pobreza Infantil, que brindará a las familias viviendo en extrema pobreza el dinero necesario para poder estabilizarse.
Pero no vamos a para ahí. También estamos luchando por el acceso al cuidado infantil para las decenas de miles de familias que están en la lista de espera subsidiada para el cuidado infantil en California. Cuidado infantil que sea seguro, confiable, y cercano al hogar es vital para los padres y les permite que continúen trabajando para mantener a sus familias.
La creación de apoyo político para estos elementos del Plan para Terminar con la Pobreza Infantil nos llevará a todos a – nuestras voces y apoyo financiero. Nosotros esperamos contar con sus voces y apoyo en el lanzamiento de nuestra campaña de Los Ángeles el 21 de febrero.
The Los Angeles launch and press conference will feature civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, Senator Holly Mitchell, and others. In collaboration with the Dolores Huerta Foundation, we’re proud to announce the primary sponsors for this event are St. John’s Well Child and Family Center and Crystal Stairs.
Join us at 10 a.m. for snacks and welcome. The press conference will start at 10:30 a.m. and will be followed by neighborhood community outreach. This is a free event.
Help make the L.A. 2020 Launch great:
==> Share the Facebook event page, and mark that you’re interested and/or coming:
The End Child Poverty in California campaign is sponsored by GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage) and the End Child Poverty Institute to end extreme child poverty and reduce overall child poverty in California. In close partnership with the Dolores Huerta Foundation, we are working to increase support and community engagement across the state. We invite you to be part of the movement to address the highest child poverty rate in the nation by implementing simple solutions to a complex issue. Read our 2020 priorities.
Child poverty is not a fact of nature. Together, we’ll make sure ALL our children are healthy, fed, and housed.
Before the pandemic we had approximately 2 million children in poverty and 450,000 childrenin extreme poverty. The pandemic has exacerbated the situation for families working hard toget ahead. In 2019 the state budget invested $4.8 Billion in End Child Poverty Plan recommendations and preserved and built on them in 2020. We still have much work to do.
#EndChildPovertyCA 2021 Movement Priorities
Coordination of Services: Continue to improve the cost-effectiveness of programs that support families, focusing on community-based, collaborative, research-based solutions.
Child Care: Improve access and availability to childcare and address the childcare crisisas exacerbated by the Pandemicby adequately meeting the business needs of child careproviders. Child care is a lifeline to keep parents working and families stable.
Housing: Increase overall housing availability and reduce evictions so that children and families don’t face the trauma and stress of homelessness, exacerbated by the pandemic recession.
Health Care: Strengthen and expand community based and school-based health careclinics to meet families where they are so that they can get the care they need. Within anequity framework provide COVID vaccines in high needs communities and ensure healthaccess for ALL families and children irregardless of immigration status.
Safety Net: Continue to expand on the CAEITC the Young Child Tax Credit. Supportefforts to expand Pandemic EBT sothat families can feed their families, during thiseconomic crisis. Increase cash policies so that families can meet basic needs (i.e.,increase SSI payments, UI for ITIN filers, etc.…)
Download a printable version of the 2021 #EndChildPovertyCA Priorities
The End Child Poverty in California campaign is sponsored by GRACE (Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change, Engage) and the End Child Poverty Institute to end extreme child poverty and reduce overall child poverty in California. In close partnership with the Dolores Huerta Foundation, we are working to increase support and community engagement across the state. We invite you to be part of the movement to address the highest child poverty rate in the nation by implementing simple solutions to a complex issue.
In January, California legislators got a visit from parents, children, and #EndChildPovertyCA partners who came to Sacramento with a simple message: We have the solutions to end extreme child poverty — now we need the political champions to join our movement.
Parents, children, and partners at the #Together4Kids2020 advocacy event in Sacramento where we sent the message that ALL our kids should be healthy, fed, & housed
In Sacramento, Parent Voices California parent Monique Rosas reminded legislators that California’s child poverty rate isn’t a failure of people — it’s a result of divestment in public systems for communities and families. “Not being able to afford childcare or housing has a lot to do with the broken system, not the people,” she said. “We will continue to fight until our children are housed, fed, and supported in love.”
We have a chance to repair that broken system this year, and support among our elected leaders is growing. The Governor’s budget already includes three of our five legislative priorities for 2020: These are wins you helped achieve! And now, we’re going all in to tell legislators that it’s time to pass all five.
We are so grateful to our partner, the California Alternative Payment Program Association, for organizing #Together4Kids2020, and to dozens of partners like Children Now, California Association of Food Banks, Parent Voices California, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Hayward Promise Neighborhood, Alameda County Community Food Bank, and MORE who showed up with their voices and their signs!
California is the richest place in the nation, with more millionaires and billionaires than any other state. Ending extreme child poverty here isn’t a pipe dream. It’s something we can and will achieve — with the help of our legislators, our partners, and you.
In Solidarity, Jackie Thu-Huong Wong Vice President of Policy and Advocacy End Child Poverty CA
La semana pasada, los legisladores de California recibieron una visita de padres, hijos y colaboradores de #EndChildPovertyCA que llegaron a Sacramento con un mensaje sencillo: tenemos las soluciones para acabar con la pobreza infantil extrema — ahora necesitamos que los campeones políticos se unan a nuestro movimiento.
En Sacramento, una madre de Parent Voices California, Monique Rosas, les recordó a los legisladores que la tasa de pobreza infantil de California no es un fracaso de las personas — es el resultado de la desinversión en sistemas públicos para comunidades y familias. “No poder pagar el cuidado de niños o la vivienda tiene mucho que ver con un sistema roto, no con las personas,” dijo. “Continuaremos luchando hasta que nuestros hijos sean alojados, alimentados y apoyados en el amor.”
Tenemos la oportunidad de reparar ese sistema roto este año, y el apoyo entre nuestros líderes electos está creciendo. El presupuesto del Gobernador incluye tres de nuestras cinco prioridades legislativas para 2020, y ahora vamos a decirle a los legisladores que es hora de aprobar las cinco.
California es el lugar más rico de la nación, con más millonarios y multimillonarios que cualquier otro estado. Este mensaje de Abigail Disney que testificando en una audiencia para una de nuestras prioridades de política lo resume: “En el lugar más feliz del mundo, tenemos empleados y [familias] que viven usando cupones de alimentos y en automóviles.”
Acabar con la pobreza infantil extrema aquí no es un sueño imposible. Es algo que podemos lograr y lo lograremos, con la ayuda de nuestros legisladores, nuestros colaboradores y usted.
En Solaridad, Jackie Thu-Huong Wong Vice Presidente de Política y Defensa Acabar con la Pobreza Infantil en CA
There’s a question we should be asking our leaders in 2020: What kind of people are we in California?
If you ask me, Californians are people who don’t shy away from tough problems. We’ve saved lives by passing the country’s strictest gun-safety laws. We’ve fought climate change by implementing ambitious clean-air rules. We’re pioneers. And we know that, in our fight to end extreme child poverty, we can make California a model for the nation.
Californians come together at the End Child Poverty Plan rally in Weedpatch, Cal. – May 2019
We’re the only state with a research-based, achievable plan for ending deep child poverty, and we’re counting on our leaders in Sacramento to make it a reality. But California’s otherwise solid 2020-2021 state budget proposal, which Governor Newsom released Jan. 10, is missing an absolutely crucial element of the plan: the Child Poverty Tax Credit. Read our full statement on the budget here.
The Child Poverty Tax Credit is a critical tool for lifting 450,000 children out of extreme poverty — and they can’t wait another year. Right now, too many parents have to choose between paying rent, putting food on the table or paying for transportation to work. They’re losing jobs because they don’t have the sick leave to take care of their children or the child care to cover their schedules. Many are living with their kids in cars, with no water or power.
Without the Child Poverty Tax Credit, the hurdles are enormous for California parents to climb out of poverty and give their kids an equal chance at a better life.
California parents are striving to build a bright future for their kids, and your signature is a powerful symbol that you’re with them. We look forward to sharing this petition — and your voice — with our elected officials soon.
Let’s do this,
Conway Collis President and CEO Grace and End Child Poverty California
