Tag: Safety Net
How your shadow credit score could decide whether you get an apartment
The vast tenant screening industry is subject to less regulation than credit scoring agencies, even though experts warn that algorithms could introduce racial or other illegal biases that can prevent people from getting housing. by Erin…
Senate GOP Agenda Would Hike Taxes on Poorest 40% by Average of $1,000
By contrast, the plan unveiled by Republican Sen. Rick Scott would not increase taxes on the top 1% by a single penny. by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Monday, March 7, 2022 The policy agenda that Republican…
In San Francisco, hundreds of homes sit vacant
In spite of a growing Department of Homelessness with an annual budget of $598 million, eligible people still wait months or even years after being approved for assisted housing. Meanwhile, hundreds of units remain unused. by…
Welfare is no substitute for a child tax credit
Some in Congress say the child tax credit isn’t needed because Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is a success. Our reporting found it’s marked by repeated failures. by Eli Hager, ProPublica Those in Congress…
Tlaib, Jones bill could cut US child poverty 2/3
“With the Senate failing to extend the CTC, we must do more to protect our young people,” said Rep. Mondaire Jones. “By creating a universal, monthly child allowance, the End Child Poverty Act will do exactly…
Reno Seeks to purchase motels as affordable housing instead of letting developers demolish them
The mayor of Reno did little to stop the razing of motels that housed low-income residents or to replace lost units. Following a ProPublica investigation, that may change. by Anjeanette Damon For more than…
UMW coal miners’ union rebukes Manchin for effort to kill Build Back Better
“Manchin has lost the coal miners with this latest betrayal,” said one labor reporter. by Julia Conley, Common Dreams Tuesday, December 21, 2021 The push for passage of the Build Back Better Act got a…
Build Back Better verges on collapse as Manchin attempts to kill child tax credit
“Put the bill on the floor and make him explain that he voted it down because he wanted to cut all of the money for families with children,” suggested one progressive commentator. by Jake Johnson, Common…
Utah makes welfare so hard to get, some feel they must join the LDS church to get aid
Utah’s safety net for the poor is so intertwined with the LDS Church that individual bishops often decide who receives assistance. Some deny help unless a person goes to services or gets baptized. by Eli Hager,…
Reno developer plans to demolish motel that serves as housing lifeline
Jeffrey Jacobs has been buying and demolishing Reno motels for years. He promises the low-income tenants who live there he’ll find them a better place. Displaced residents of the Castaway Inn paint a fuller picture of…
He Tore Down Motels Where Poor Residents Lived During a Housing Crisis. City Leaders Did Nothing.
by Anjeanette Damon, photography by David Calvert, special to ProPublica November 12, 2021 Co-published with Reno Gazette Journal For most of his life, Ernest Block has managed to stay one step ahead of homelessness. When he…
St. Jude hoards billions while patient families drain their savings
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital promises not to bill families. But the cost of having a child at the hospital for cancer care leaves some families so strapped for money that parents share tips on spending…
West Virginia constituents decry ‘Immorality’ of Joe Manchin
“West Virginia has been locked into an economy that forces workers into low-wage jobs with no hope for advancement, and after decades of this our hope is dwindling,” said one West Virginian. “The cuts that Sen….
‘Bottom Line,’ says Bernie Sanders, deal must include Medicare expansion, lower drug prices
“That’s what the American people want.” by Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams Tuesday, October 26, 2021 As congressional leadership pushes Democrats to “act like we are winning” even as a few corporate-backed party members and business lobbyists…
Emergency broadband now
by Wade Rathke October 23, 2021 New Orleans One of the pandemic programs that may be cruising below the radar, but which could be a critical step on lowering the digital divide, is the FCC’s…
The pandemic has made it harder for one in three Americans to obtain healthy, affordable food
by Sheril Kirshenbaum, Michigan State University and Douglas Buhler, Michigan State University October 26, 2021 COVID-19 has made food access more challenging for many communities. In Michigan State University’s Fall 2021 Food Literacy and Engagement Poll,…
While roadblocking Party agenda, Sinema absconds to Europe for fundraising
“She might as well start fundraising for McConnell at this point.” by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Thursday, October 14, 2021 With President Joe Biden’s popular legislative agenda hanging in the balance largely due to her obstruction,…
Essential, low-wage workers share why they need reconciliation package
‘Please Help Us’ “We’ve heard the voices of the poor. We’ve heard the voices crying out, demanding justice. All I want to know right now, Joe Manchin, is which side are you on?” by Jessica Corbett,…
Mean-tested versus entitlements
by Wade Rathke October 10, 2021 Pearl River I hate being one of those “I told you so” people, but anyone listening knows we predicted the “deal” on the social services infrastructure package would come…
‘We had a deal’: Warren joins Sanders and house progressives in fight for Biden’s agenda
“The agreement from the beginning was that all the pieces would move together,” said the Massachusetts Democrat. “I don’t want to see that deal broken.” by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Wednesday, September 29, 2021 Sen. Elizabeth…
Sanders says there’s ‘no excuse’ for any Democrat to oppose lowering drug prices
“Now is the time for Congress to show courage and stand up to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry.” by Jake Johnson, Common Dreams Thursday, September 16, 2021 After three House Democrats voted against a key…
Postcard from Thermal: surviving the climate gap in Eastern Coachella Valley
In the climate crisis, it’s possible to live in the same place but inhabit different worlds. by Elizabeth Weil and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons, ProPublica August 19, 2021 The first thing to know about Thermal, California,…
Poor People’s Campaign to march against Manchin obstructionism in West Virginia
‘We Are Coming’ “Manchin’s positions are wrong, constitutionally inconsistent, historically inaccurate, morally indefensible, economically insane, and politically unacceptable,” said the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. by Brett Wilkins, Staff Writer June 8, 2021 …
Biden faces backlash over ‘shameful’ capitulation to GOP governors as they end unemployment lifelines
“You only take back the lifeline when people aren’t drowning,” said Claire Guzdar of the Groundwork Collaborative. by Jake Johnson, Staff Writer June 5, 2021 Biden administration officials publicly signaled Friday that they have no intention…
