NLC Co-Hosts National Dialogue on Local Initiatives to Tackle Poverty
by Sarah Bainton Kahn
Municipal leadership to tackle poverty in local communities across the nation was a focus of a prominent national forum in Washington, D.C., last month.
“Tackling Poverty: The Role of State and Local Governments” was co-sponsored by NLC along with Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity, and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, two national campaigns that work to elevate and address the issue of poverty.
The forum featured two panels of state and local officials, advocates and national experts who are all engaged in poverty reduction efforts. The purpose of the event was to highlight the fact that a growing number of state and local governments are working to reduce or eliminate poverty through comprehensive initiatives.
City Leadership to Combat Poverty
Municipal leaders around the country are stepping up to tackle poverty head on. During the forum, Veronica White, executive director of New York City’s Center for Economic Opportunity, discussed Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Commission for Economic Opportunity. The commission was formed in 2006 to better understand and subsequently address poverty in New York City. The Center for Economic Opportunity was created to coordinate the process of turning the commission’s recommendations into policy and practice, and oversees 40 anti-poverty initiatives, many of which have been developed and launched by the center.
Other cities are also working to find ways to raise awareness about poverty and its consequences for the community. Step Up Savannah, a collaboration of local businesses, government and nonprofit agencies, neighborhood leaders and residents, works to address the persistent poverty that has hindered the economic development in Savannah, Ga.
The project has held quarterly poverty simulations as a strategy for bringing the community together and creating what Project Director Daniel Dodd calls “a common frame of reference.” These simulations provide a citywide opportunity to better understand the day-to-day struggles of the poor and break down common misconceptions.
Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline’s Poverty, Work, and Opportunity Task Force is another example of mayoral leadership in addressing poverty. This task force was created in January of 2007 to better understand the existing resources, challenges and opportunities for building a more economically stable city. The resulting report, Pathways to Opportunity, made recommendations — including the need for more adult education, job skills training and work supports — to help the city target its efforts.
Panelists Discuss Resources, National and State Strategies
During the forum, Clifford Johnson, executive director of NLC's Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute), described the range of technical assistance and peer support initiatives that NLC offers to municipal leaders seeking to address poverty in their cities, including the Poverty Reduction peer network and the Building Equitable Communities roundtable series.
He also highlighted some of the resources available to cities that are interested in promoting family economic success, including a report on combating poverty, which was produced by the YEF Institute and NLC’s Municipal Programs and Resources department.
Jodie Levin-Epstein, deputy director of the Center for Law and Social Policy, discussed the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Campaign, which was created to build momentum for national action next year to address poverty.
Mark Greenberg and Joy Moses, both from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, gave an overview of the Half in Ten: From Poverty to Prosperity campaign. The project, chaired by former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), seeks to reduce poverty in the U.S. by 50 percent within 10 years.
Panelists also highlighted state-level anti-poverty initiatives. Speakers from the Social, Economic and Workforce Programs division of the National Governors Association, the Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 and the Connecticut Human Services Committee described state efforts to understand and reduce poverty.
Details: To download NLC’s Combating Poverty: Emerging Strategies from the Nation’s Cities report, visit www.nlc.org/iyef. For more information about NLC’s poverty reduction work, contact Sarah Bainton Kahn at bainton@nlc.org, or Caterina Bummara at bummara@nlc.org.
To learn more about the Half in Ten and Spotlight on Poverty campaigns, visit: www.halfinten.org and www.spotlightonpoverty.org.
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