RESULTS Campaigns Weekly Update September 8, 2020

Quote of the Week 

“Our RESULTS chapters have had multiple conversations with our senators’ offices, but we’re not getting clear answers on what they’re willing to commit to in terms of assistance for North Carolinians who are really struggling.” 

– RESULTS Raleigh volunteer Lindsay Saunders in an August 27 new interview with the Public News Service in North Carolina 

Table of Contents 

• Global Poverty Campaigns Update 
• U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update 
• RESULTS Announcements 
• Upcoming Events 
• Grassroots Resources 

Global Poverty Campaigns Update  

QUICK ACTION Write a letter to the editor on prioritizing global health and education during the COVID-19 crisis  

Got Fifteen Minutes? Make your plan to join us for the September national webinar 

Join us for the Saturday, September 12 RESULTS National Webinar. Why? The Senate is back this week. The House is back next week. Your voices are needed now. Congress still has not passed a COVID-19 supplemental spending bill to address the crises in global health, hunger, and nutrition. Fortunately, your voices are being heard. The House HEROES Act included no money for international development back in May, but after hearing from you, House leadership included an additional $10 billion for COVID-19 in the FY21 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations spending bill. And though foreign aid has not been a priority for them, the Senate included $4.4 billion for international development (mostly for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance) in their HEALS Act bill. We must keep up the pressure. Join us on Saturday to learn what we must do next.  

TAKE ACTION: Join us on Saturday for the RESULTS National Webinar! 

• 1:00-1:30 pm: U.S. Poverty Campaigns update  
• 1:30-2:00 pm ET: Grassroots actions, successes, and shares 
• 2:00-2:30 pm: Global Poverty Campaigns update 

To join the webinar, log in at https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828 or dial by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828. You must register for the webinar in order to join; please fill out our new webinar registration form to receive the password (look for an e-mail from RESULTS this Thursday). The slides for the webinar will be available on our National Webinars page on Friday afternoon. 

Got Another Fifteen Minutes? Get published on a necessary emergency response package  

With the Senate back in session this week and the House returning next week, we have a fresh chance to make ourselves heard on the next COVID-19 relief package. True, we are still waiting for congressional and White House negotiators to reach an agreement. But you have remained hard at work. Thank you for your steady wave of meetings, calls, emails, and media.  

As we seek a relief package that will truly help people, our best tactic continues to be media. You have been doing great with this; keep it up! The positive pressure you can build by writing, getting published, leveraging your publications on social media, and sending your published letters to your legislators is invaluable. We must build on the success you are having in your advocacy and maintain this pressure for a deal to get done.  

As you likely remember, we are asking for a global response of no less than $20 billion for development assistance in the next emergency response package, with a designation of $10 billion of that to be used as follows: 

• $4 billion over two years for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria 
• $4 billion for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance 
• $2 billion for anti-hunger programs, with at least $500 million for nutrition 

TAKE ACTION: Development assistance of at least $20 billion must be part of a response to the global pandemic. Your letters do make a difference, so don’t hesitate to write. Use our online action alert to write your letter to the editor on how Congress and the Administration must act now to mitigate the global health impacts of COVID-19.  Then report it to us when you get published.  

QUICK NEWS ON GLOBAL POVERTY 

September Action Sheet. COVID-19 is having a devastating impact in low-income nations. The World Bank estimates that the COVID-19 pandemic could drive over 70 million people into extreme poverty. The current generation of students is at risk of losing $10 trillion in earnings over time due to pandemic-related school closures. And according to the Stop TB Partnership, disruptions to health services could cause an additional 6.3 million cases of tuberculosis and an additional 1.4 million TB deaths between 2020 and 2025. Utilize our September Action Sheet to enlist others to write a letter to the editor, letting members of Congress know that a (minimum) $20 billion global emergency response package is what’s needed – and what leadership must work for – to face the COVID-19 crisis globally. 

Please report. Make sure all your hard work gets logged in our lobby, media, and outreach report forms. Having a record of your work is incredibly helpful to us as we track our progress forward. Reporting when you get published will also help us compile and leverage your COVID-19-related media. You can find all the report forms online. Why not catch up through August? 

U.S. Poverty Campaigns Update 

QUICK ACTION Tell Congress to fund emergency rental assistance 

Got Sixty to Ninety Minutes? Join Saturday’s webinar to celebrate recent housing victory and push for more 

Finally, some good news! Last week, the Centers for Disease Control issued a nationwide eviction moratorium starting September 4 through December 31, 2020 protecting millions of renters from eviction until the end of the year. This is a great victory that you helped make happen with your advocacy over the last few months. But more must be done (see more below). Join us for the RESULTS National Webinar this Saturday, September 12 at 1:00 pm ET to find out what you can do to build on this victory. For our U.S. Poverty section of the webinar, we are thrilled to have Kali Daugherty as our guest speaker. In addition to being a RESULTS volunteer and Expert on Poverty, Kali is the Lead Community Intervention Specialist with the Milwaukee County Housing Division. She will share about her experience working on housing and homelessness issues in her community and what additional policies and resources are needed to protect renters in the current crisis. We’ll also celebrate your recent media successes and how you can use the media to get a final COVID-19 bill passed. Join us! 

TAKE ACTION: Take sixty to ninety minutes to join the RESULTS this Saturday, September 12 at 1:00 pm ET. We’ll return to our normal webinar format this month: 

• 1:00-1:30pm: U.S. Poverty Campaigns update with Kali Daugherty 
• 1:30-2:00pm ET: Grassroots actions, successes, and shares 
• 2:00-2:30pm: Global Poverty Campaigns update 

To join the webinar, login at: https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828 or dial by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828. You must register for the webinar to receive the webinar password (look for an e-mail from RESULTS this Thursday). The slides for the webinar will be available on our National Webinars page on Friday afternoon.  

Got Fifteen Minutes? Welcome Congress back to DC with media on housing and SNAP 

Last week’s national eviction moratorium issued by the CDC was long-overdue. With 30-40 million people potentially facing eviction by the end of the year, this action offers millions of Americans a welcomed sigh of relief. You should feel proud – your meetings, calls, e-mails, and media helped make this possible. But it’s still only part of the solution low-income Americans need right now. The moratorium alone only delays the real problem renters are facing –they still can’t pay the rent. Their rent is still accruing while the moratorium is in place. Congress must allocate at least $100 billion in rental assistance as soon as possible. This will help tenants get caught up on back rent and stay current on the rent while the moratorium is in effect. It also helps landlords get paid and meet their own financial obligations. Read our September 2 entry on the RESULTS coronavirus blog for more about housing.   

Furthermore, housing is not the only crisis Americans are dealing with. In mid-July, 29 million Americans reported that they did not enough food to eat in the previous seven days (new data will come out tomorrow). The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is was designed to help in times like this. Increased SNAP benefits helped millions stay out of poverty in the Great Recession a decade ago. We need to do that again. Thus, in addition to rental assistance, Congress must include a 15 percent increase in the maximum SNAP benefit the next COVID-19 bill. 

TAKE ACTION: Take fifteen minutes to keep using local media to pressure Congress and the President to pass a COVID-19 bill that keeps Americans housed and fed. Use our updated housing LTE alert and online SNAP LTE alert to submit letters to the editor calling on Congress and the President by name to act now. When you get published, please send a copy of your letter to your congressional housing aides, share on social media, and let RESULTS know. 

QUICK NEWS ON U.S. POVERTY 

Help renters take advantage of new moratorium. The new eviction moratorium does not automatically stop all evictions. In order to be protected, eligible renters must sign a declarative statement and send it to their landlord ASAP. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition has a new resource that explains the moratorium and draft declaration form renters can use. Please share this resource with people you know. 

Join Census poverty data webinar next Tuesday. The U.S. Census will release its national poverty data for 2019 on Tuesday, September 15. Join RESULTS Director of U.S. Poverty Campaigns Meredith Dodson for an overview of the new data and how to use it in your advocacy next Tuesday, September 15 at 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. 

Join tax policy webinar on September 16. Tax policy can help reduce inequality and provide services that help everyone thrive. Join the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) for a webinar with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and other experts to discuss the importance of tax equity in narrowing racial and economic inequities and advancing progressive policies. This free webinar is Wednesday, September 16 at 2:00 pm ET. Sign up today.  

RESULTS Announcements 

Remember to register for Saturday’s National Webinar. Starting this weekend, you will need a password to access our monthly national webinars. Please fill out our webinar registration form to receive the password later this week.  

Join Righteous Mind practice webinar tonight. The Righteous Mind discussion group will meet on Tuesday, September 8 at 9:00 pm ET to continue applying ideas from the book to their RESULTS work. If you are interested in putting your knowledge into practice, join the meeting here, meeting ID 655 036 085, passcode 641539. If you’d like to suggest other actions for the book club, e-mail Jim Driggers.  

Register for “Racial Equity and Housing Justice During and After COVID-19” with Ta-Nehisi Coates. NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute and NLIHC will host a conversation on housing and racial equity after the pandemic with award winning journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates on October 6, at 1:00 pm ET. Register today for this live-stream event at: https://bit.ly/32yRqi6. 

Visit coronavirus blog for updates. Read the RESULTS coronavirus blog for the latest updates and actions you can take.  

Receive action alerts via text. We are setting up a system to send some of our action alerts via text. If you’d like to receive text action alerts, please text RESULTS to 50457 to sign up for text action alerts. 

Upcoming Events 

Congressional schedule. Members of Congress are returning to DC. Submit your remote meeting requests today. 

Tuesday, September 8: Putting The Righteous Mind into Practice webinar, 9:00 pm ET. Join the meeting using this link, meeting ID: 655 036 085, passcode: 641539. 

Saturday, September 12: RESULTS National Webinar, 1:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/994444828. You can also join by phone at (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 994 444 828. Please register for the webinar to receive the password to login.  

Tuesday, September 15: U.S. Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 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.  

Tuesday, September 15: Latest Household Pulse Survey Results and 2019 Poverty Data Overview, 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. 

Monday, September 21: Global Poverty Free Agents Webinars, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/464361707 or, by phone, (669) 900-6833 or (929) 436-2866, meeting ID 464361707. 

Tuesday, September 23: New Advocate Orientation, 8:30 pm ET. Sign up online. 

Wednesday, October 7: Action Network Community of Practice, 8:30 pm ET. Join at https://results.zoom.us/j/427674133 or by phone at (929) 436-2866 or (669) 900-6833, meeting ID: 427 674 133 

Grassroots Resources 

Learn about the RESULTS Experts on Poverty. 

To update volunteer info (e.g. subscribe to the Weekly Update or action alerts, add new advocate information, update an existing advocate’s information or preferences), use our Volunteer Information Form.  

Find actions and volunteer resources on our Current Volunteers page, including our anti-oppression resources. 

Remember to please report your recent grassroots successes in lobby meetings, media pieces, and outreach activities. 

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for the RESULTS/REF Board, please e-mail Lindsay Saunders at [email protected]. View Board minutes and Annual Reports. 

RESULTS Staff directory.