Economic Empowerment

Making welfare reform work, both practically and morally, means, "making work pay." Working-poor families need health insurance, childcare, transportation assistance, and decent, affordable housing. See "Model Initiatives" and "Talking Points."

April 14, 2008	Foreclosure Prevention Programs These state initiative can help prevent families from losing their homes in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis.
July 27, 2007	Supporting Underserved Communities Depositing city money in targeted financial institutions at below-market rates in banks can spur economic activity.
July 27, 2007	Promoting Responsible Fatherhood In addition to financial support, fathers should become involved in supporting their children with personal time and attention.
July 27, 2007	Preventing Teen Pregnancy These proven community-based teen pregnancy prevention programs will bolster a young woman's economic prospects.
July 27, 2007	Promoting Financial Literacy Workers must have access to what may be the most critical tool they need to prosper in the New Economy - financial literacy.
July 27, 2007	Urban Housing Development Urban areas can be revitalized by creating public/private partnerships that finance housing development.
July 27, 2007	Paid Family Medical Leave States can create an employee-financed system that will pay workers during family and medical leave.
July 27, 2007	Transitional Jobs These initiatives provide an ideal way to help hard-to-employ recipients make the transition into the workforce. More
July 27, 2007	Earn & Learn These local initiatives provide low-wage workers, as well welfare leavers, opportunities for education and career advancement.
July 27, 2007	Child Care Report Cards Parents need access to reliable information about the quality of their children's daytime care facilities.
July 27, 2007	Individual Development Accounts IDAs help working families build assets, obtain financial independence and move up the economic ladder. Also a briefing.
July 27, 2007	Earned Income Tax Credit The earned income tax credit can help prevent families with a full-time worker from having to live in poverty.
July 27, 2007	Modernizing Unemployment Insurance The system should be transformed from a "safety net" into a "trampoline" through a variety of reforms.
June 30, 2003	Tackling Predatory Lenders Today's victims can be rescued while others can be spared the experience through education on the basics of credit.
April 1, 2003	Helping Make Work Pay In a number of ways, mayors can help the working poor and their local economies at the same time.
February 1, 2003	Welfare to (Steady) Work Indiana's "Keys to Work" initiative gives rewards and responsibilities to folks leaving welfare for employment.
August 1, 2002	Getting Back to Work in Denver Denver's one-stop shop and innovative funding strategy is helping workers get back on the job.
August 3, 2001	Banking the Poor Banks should be encouraged to compete with fringe institutions for basic services to the poor.
February 1, 2001	Making Work Pay Welfare reform got many people jobs - now they need to make a decent living. Also, a Welfare Reform Progress Report.
January 19, 2001	Sales Tax Holiday New Democrat Governors are finding that a sales tax holiday is simple, easy to implement, and fair.
August 1, 2000	Welfare-to-Work Success Minnesota's strategy boosts self-sufficiency and marriage rates while reducing domestic violence and kids getting in trouble.
June 26, 2000	Leap Loans Sallie Mae and the AFL-CIO are making attractive education and training loans available to union members and their families.
January 17, 2000	Rewarding Work with Opportunity Clinton wants to expand the EITC, eliminate the marriage penalty and raise the credit for families with more than two kids.
November 8, 1999	Self-Service Job Replacement This "one-stop job center" empowers citizens with info, bringing services to the customer and promoting lifelong learning.
September 1, 1999	Highway to Opportunity Milwaukee firms and groups are helping low-income workers buy cars.
September 1, 1999	Getting There For many working-poor families, a car is the key to upward mobility.
August 2, 1999	Making Work Pay The Third Way Reducing working poverty requires a bigger EITC, child care, health care to the uninsured, and affordable housing.
July 19, 1999	Working with Fathers Giving communities new tools to promote two-parent families and acceptance of personal responsibility by absent fathers.
September 11, 1998	Auto Choice Lower auto insurance premiums - with an "opt out" of high-priced policies - can increase car ownership and access to jobs.
July 10, 1998	Employment Maintenance Organizations This experiment creates a broker for customized employment services for welfare recipients at a fixed cost to taxpayers.
April 4, 1998	Housing Vouchers for Welfare Recipients Let welfare recipients use portable subsidies to obtain new housing that is closer to jobs and transportation.
March 27, 1998	"Smart Cards" ATM-like cards that federal assistance recipients can use instead of checks, paper food stamps, etc., while eliminating fraud.
March 6, 1998	"Soft-second" Mortgages Use gov't loan guarantees to make homeownership a reality for low-income families who practice responsible citizenship.
December 1, 1997	Faith-Based Social Services They can become a more active partner without violating anyone's freedom of religion.
September 1, 1997	Making Welfare Work Colorado should provide counties incentives to move recipients into private-sector work as quickly as possible.
July 1, 1997	Welfare-to-Work & Child Care To keep the progress on welfare reform going, Colorado must offer supports for child care, health care, and transportation.
June 23, 1995	Second Chance Homes They invoke society's values, require responsibility and engage communities in solving the problem.

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