U.S. Poverty Weekly Update July 2, 2019
Quote of the Week
“Across the U.S., there is a shortage of seven million rental homes for very low-income renters. Three out of four eligible low-income households are denied Federal Housing Assistance.”
–RESULTS Sierra Nevada, CA volunteer Lisa Schliff in a June 14 letter to the editor in The Union
Got Two Minutes (and 58 more)? Join Tonight’s National Webinar with Ellen Nissenbaum
Plan to get your Independence Day festivities started early by joining the U.S. Poverty National Webinar tonight, July 2 at 8:00pm ET. As we gear up for the RESULTS International Conference starting next week (it’s not too late to register!), we are excited to welcome one of favorite speakers from past conferences, Ellen Nissenbaum of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. If you’ve ever heard Ellen speak, then you know that there is no one with more knowledge or passion for using the tax code to help reduce poverty in America. Ellen will provide us an overview of what’s happening in Congress and share new developments on the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. Additionally, RESULTS staff will go into more depth about the renters’ tax credit and we’ll hear from Grassroots Board Nominees, Maxine Thomas and Bill Cosgrove. And of course, we’ll provide any last minute details you need to know about the upcoming Conference, including a reminder to gather your letters to deliver in lobby meetings. Please join us.
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to join and stay for the RESULTS U.S. Poverty National Webinar tonight, July 2 at 8:00 pm ET. Join online at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial in by phone at either (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801). If you login online, please list both your first and last names when prompted. Be sure to remind your groups and action networks of the webinar. The slides for the webinar will be available later today on the National Webinars page. If you have questions, please contact Jos Linn.
Got Ten Minutes? Check In about Your Letters (June Action)
This month, RESULTS volunteers are working to get housing letters written to deliver in upcoming lobby meetings. Many of you have reached out to your action networks and people you know asking them to write letters. Thank you! If you don’t have the letters in your possession yet, now is the time to check in with your letter-writers. Contact each person individually to see if they have questions and how things are going. Encourage them and remind them that their letters will make an important impact when they are hand-delivered in lobby meetings. Finally, please confirm when and where you will collect them before your next lobby meetings (either in DC or at home).
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to contact people who are writing letters for you. Offer them encouragement and support to finish. Also, coordinate when an where you will pick them up. And if there are people you have not reached out to yet, there is still time. The RESULTS Conference doesn’t start for another 11 days and the August recess is a month away. Ask people to write letters urging Congress to help low-income renters with a renters’ tax credit. The June Action has information on reaching out to people and our new Outreach Action Sheet has information to help them write their letters. If you have questions, please contact Jos Linn.
Got Twenty Minutes? New Data Shows Why We Need to Talk to Lawmakers about Housing
Each year the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard publishes its State of the Nation’s Housing report. This year’s report found that:
- Nationwide in 2017, there was a loss of 1 million low-cost rental units ($800/month).
- Nearly 50 percent of all renters were housing cost-burdened (paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing) as opposed to 22.5 percent of homeowners.
- Over 70 percent of households with incomes under $15,000 pay more than half their income towards housing costs. Overall, more than 10 million renters pay more than half their income on housing.
- Of those with low-incomes, 70 percent of Black, 63 percent of Hispanic, and just 35 percent of White households lived in high-poverty areas.
- Read more in the full report here.
These statistics highlight the urgent need for congressional action on housing. It is a problem that cannot be ignored any longer, at any level of government including Congress. Over the next two months, there will be multiple opportunities to meet with lawmakers to discuss how best to help low-income families struggling to put a roof over their heads. The most prominent is of course Advocacy Day at the RESULTS International Conference on July 16. However, not everyone can come to DC to meet with lawmakers. For those who cannot, Congress is on recess this week (July 4 recess) and again the entire month of August. Make your requests now and plan to use the Harvard Report and other info from RESULTS to make the case for affordable housing.
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to schedule lobby meetings with members of Congress to talk about housing. Follow these instructions for scheduling your lobby meetings:
- Download our sample lobby meeting request letter from the RESULTS website and personalize it to your member of Congress, list the issues you’ll discuss in your meeting, indicate who will be coming, and provide your contact info.
- Paste your request into an e-mail and send it to the scheduler (find scheduler/aide names).
- House staff e-mail formula: firstname.lastname at mail.house.gov
- Senate staff e-mail formula: firstname_lastname at senatorlastname.senate.gov
- Within 48 hours, follow up with the scheduler to see if your request was received and the status of it.
- Call the scheduler every 4-7 days until your meeting is scheduled.
- Enter each lobby meeting you schedule into this form: www.tinyurl.com/LobbyMeetings
- Once your meeting is scheduled, contact Meredith Dodson to set up a lobby meeting prep call.
- Confirm your meeting the day before it is scheduled to happen.
Also, call your local representative’s and senators’ offices this week to see if there are any town halls or public events (e.g. July 4 parades) your members of Congress will be attending. If so, plan to go and ask a question.
Quick News
Get Ready for your Trip to DC. If you are coming to the RESULTS Conference, be sure to review all the resources available to you on our Conference Resources page. If you have a question that cannot be answered there, please contact Jos Linn.
Last Week to Submit Comment on HUD housing rule. The deadline to submit comments opposing the Trump Administration’s new HUD housing rule on “mixed status” immigrant families is next Tuesday, July 9. Please submit your comment opposing the rule today.
Vote for Grassroots Board Member. To learn more about the Grassroots Board, the candidates, and how to vote, see this RESULTS Blog post.
Join Anti-Oppression Training on July 9. Join RESULTS for a training on our Call-in/Call-out Guide on how to appropriately respond to oppressive behavior. The call is Tuesday, July 9 at 9:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/837139277 or dial either (929) 436-2866 US or (669) 900-6833 US, Meeting ID: 837 139 277#.
Happy Independence Day! We wish you and yours a happy and safe Independence Day. All RESULTS offices will be closed on July 4.
Upcoming Events
Monday, July 1-Friday, July 5: Congressional recess. Request a meeting today.
Tuesday, July 2: RESULTS National Webinar, 8:00 pm ET. Guest speaker: Ellen Nissenbaum (CBPP). Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/873308801 or dial (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 873 308 801. Find recordings and slides from previous webinars on the National Webinars page.
Thursday, July 4: Independence Day. All RESULTS offices closed.
Tuesday, July 9: RESULTS Anti-Oppression Training, 9:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/837139277 or dial either (929) 436-2866 US or (669) 900-6833 US, Meeting ID: 837 139 277#.
Tuesday, July 23, U.S. Poverty Free Agents Calls, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at: https://results.zoom.us/j/324294681 or dial by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 324 294 681.
Saturday, July 13-Tuesday, July 16, 2019: RESULTS International Conference. Register today at www.resultsconference.org!
Saturday, August 10: RESULTS Joint U.S./Global Poverty National Webinar, 2:00 pm ET. Join at: https://www.fuzemeeting.com/fuze/f2988286/30204806 or dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 30204806.
Find other events on the RESULTS Events Calendar.
U.S. Poverty Staff time out of the office: Meredith Dodson, July 3-7. Jos Linn, July 5, 20-28.
Other Resources
Learn more about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty.
Do you have a new person in your RESULTS group or info to update? Use our Volunteer Information Form to add them.
Report your Grassroots Successes:
- When is your next lobby meeting?
- What happened at your last lobby meeting?
- What media have you gotten published?
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Steven McGee at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports (our new digital 2018 Annual Report is now available).
RESULTS Staff directory.