U.S. Poverty Weekly Update June 25, 2019
Quote of the Week
“We must address this housing crisis, and we can begin by shifting tax resources to support a ‘Renters Tax Credit’ for low- and moderate-income renters.”
– RESULTS Columbus, OH volunteer Ginnie Vogts in a June 20 letter to the editor in The Columbus Dispatch
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The U.S. Poverty National Webinar is next Tuesday, July 2 at 8:00 pm ET. Ellen Nissenbaum, Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, will talk to us about the importance of tax policy in fighting poverty. Please make plans for where and with whom you will do the webinar. We will have more about the webinar in next week’s Update.
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Got Two Minutes? Send a Message with Your Letters (June Action)
27 letters. That’s what RESULTS advocates from Detroit have already collected for their lobby meetings at the RESULTS International Conference next month. Imagine the impact they will have when, in addition to making a strong case for affordable housing, they can hand their members of Congress stacks of letters from constituents saying the same thing. These letters will not only build support for more affordable housing, they will send a message to lawmakers that RESULTS volunteers know how to build political will, that they have power.
You can do this too. Ask people you know to help you by writing letters you can deliver. Detroit (and others) are ready to send their message. In your next lobby meeting, what message do you want to send?
TAKE ACTION: Take two minutes to contact the next persons on your list and ask them to write letters to their members of Congress about housing. The June Action has information on how best to reach out to people and gather letters to deliver in upcoming lobby meeting. For writing them, give people our new Outreach Action Sheet. If you have questions, please contact Jos Linn.
Got Ten Minutes? Lobby Meetings Are Opportunities to Make Difference
Over the next 10 weeks, you have a lot of opportunities to influence lawmakers on how best to increase prosperity and reduce poverty in America. That’s because you will have multiple chances to tell members of Congress face-to-face what to do.
Opportunity #1: The RESULTS International Conference. In three weeks, over 300 advocates from around the country will be in Washington, DC to lobby Congress on Capitol Hill (July 16). This is our most powerful day of advocacy all year.
Opportunity #2: The August Recess. Every year from late July/early August through Labor Day, Congress leaves Washington to do work back in their home states and districts. This is one of the best chances to sit down with them for an extended conversation on the issues.
Opportunity #3: The July 4 Recess. Congress will be on recess all next week with members of Congress interacting with constituents in town halls and public events. In fact, July 4 parades are a great place to catch them for a quick conversation.
So, there you have it. Three opportunities to speak to decision-makers about the issues you care about most. Three opportunities to make a difference. Three opportunities knocking at your door. Will you answer?
TAKE ACTION: Take ten minutes to schedule lobby meetings with members of Congress to talk about housing. Follow these instructions for scheduling your lobby meeting in DC or back home. If you are coming to the RESULTS International Conference, prioritize scheduling those lobby meetings first. Please do not wait until the last minute (if you cannot get a face-to-face meeting with your members of Congress during the Conference, you can ask for one during the August recess). If you are not coming to the Conference, contact offices to ask about events next week and request a face-to-face meeting for August. Be sure to read our new policy briefs on the Conference Resources page to help with background for any meetings you have.
Got Twenty Minutes? Use Recent Poverty Events for New Letters to the Editor
The Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) is a national call for moral revival in recruiting people across the country to challenge issues such as racism, poverty, and the environment. Last April, the campaign released a Moral Agenda and Declaration of Fundamental Rights in response to these issues and others. Last week, the Campaign held A National Call for Moral Revival which included the Poor People’s Moral Budget demonstrating how to enact the demands of the Campaign. During a hearing on Capitol Hill, Rev. Dr. William Barber emphasized how important it is for individuals to have a sustainable wage to lift them out of poverty, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis said that with a moral budget, Congress can create more jobs, protect resources, and build stronger economy to expand opportunities for low income families. In addition, PPC held a town hall last week where some of the presidential candidates appeared to talk about their plans for poverty. The Democratic candidates will have their first formal debates this week. Help make poverty a part of the discussion by using these events as a hook for new media.
TAKE ACTION: Take twenty minutes to submit a letter to the editor about housing. Start with our online letter to the editor action and then edit the text using the recent events above as a hook. You could also use what the candidates are saying about housing from the Our Homes, Our Votes website. Once you have a letter written that you like, proofread it, check the word count, and then hit “Send.” If you need help with your letter, please contact Jos Linn. When your letter gets published, please let us know by filling out our RESULTS Media Tracker.
Quick News
Join (and invite others to) HUD Rule Webinar Tomorrow. Tomorrow is a “virtual day of action” for advocates opposed to the Trump Administration’s new housing rule designed to take housing assistance from “mixed status” immigrant families. Join housing and immigration advocates for a webinar tomorrow, June 26 at 2:00 pm ET about the rule and how to oppose it. Sign up here and invite housing groups you reached out to in May to dial in. If you haven’t submitted your own comment yet, use the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ state-by-state immigration data to submit your comment opposing the rule. The deadline to comment is July 9.
Vote for Grassroots Board Member. The Grassroots Board election has officially begun. The nominees for the seat are Maxine Thomas of RESULTS Indianapolis and Bill Cosgrove of RESULTS Salt Lake City. Grassroots Board Members represent the volunteers on the Board of Directors, who work with the Executive Director in shaping the direction of RESULTS. The term for each elected member is three years, beginning in August. To learn more about the Grassroots Board, the candidates, and how to vote, see this RESULTS Blog post.
Check Out the Conference Agenda. The full agenda for the RESULTS International Conference is now online. Check out all the great choices you’ll have when you get to DC! And see our Conference Checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything before you get there.
Last Days to Apply for Gap Funding for Conference Flights. If you are a current, active RESULTS volunteer and need help with your flight to DC, please apply for gap funding ASAP! To receive assistance, we must book your flight by this Friday, June 30.
New Report Highlights “Housing Wage” Gap. Last week, the National Low Income Housing Coalition released their annual Out of Reach Report, which sets an “annual housing wage,” the minimum hourly wage needed to secure affordable housing. For this year, the national housing wage for a modest two-bedroom apartment is $22.96/hr. Read the report, understand how your state fares, and explore the graphics on their website.
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#.
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#.
Saturday, July 13-Tuesday, July 16, 2019: RESULTS International Conference. Register today at www.resultsconference.org!
Tuesday, June 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, 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 lobby meetings in our Lobby Report Form and report any published media in our Grassroots Media Form.
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.