Who are the Experts on Poverty?
The Experts on Poverty, launched in 2015, are a diverse team of advocates from across the country. They use their firsthand experience of poverty to push for more effective government policies to support low-income Americans. All the Experts have personal experience with food insecurity, lack of affordable and accessible housing, housing instability, and/or programs such as SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), tax credits, or other federal “safety net” assistance that help millions of Americans make ends meet.
The Experts on Poverty played a key role in RESULTS’ shift to housing policy and are helping shape our U.S. poverty policy strategies and priorities. Experts receive training, support, and inspiration to become stronger leaders in the anti-poverty movement, shifting the narrative around those who experience poverty and highlighting the way anti-poverty policies affect their everyday lives.
Kali Daugherty
At tax time in 2013, I received credits that would forever change my family’s life.
Asia Bijan Thompson
“I think it’s really important for policymakers to think about the faces of these programs and the families that it impacts and to approach all legislation involving anti-poverty programs from a human level.”
Aaron Carrillo
“I know just how critical refundable tax credits were to my family growing up, but I also know that there are gaps in the policies that means millions of families and workers are still left out. And now today as a young adult, I’m one of them.”
Yolanda Gordon
“At one point in my life, I relied on government programs to provide for my family. To some people, I was just a statistic. I identify as many things, and this does not define who I am – it is just one part of my story. I am also an advocate.”
Maureen Bowling
“To have your own home is just one of those basic essential needs, like healthcare and food on the table. To not have that robs you a bit of your basic humanity.”
Clara Moore
“Here’s what I’ve discovered: You can work hard, do all the right things and still teeter on the edge of poverty.”
Maxine Thomas
“The Experts on Poverty program is like a family, and we have support and guidance from the RESULTS team, who are equipping us with information and support to use our voices in the best possible way. The platform we have now through the Experts group is phenomenal.”
Qiana Torregano
“RESULTS is the first organization that asked me to tell my story. My passions are embedded in the work of being an effective advocate. My father and grandfather initially inspired me to become an advocate, but the children of New Orleans & Baton Rouge, Louisiana are my true inspiration to stand up and effectively and innovatively provide the platform for them to do the same.”
Sharvonne Williams
“In order for my community to become a safer and a more supportive environment, I must be the catalyst for that change. I love being able to say, ‘Congress works for me.’ I know my voice matters. It’s important to share with my elected officials and let them know that I am worth listening to and that I can make change.”