TACKLING POVERTY: THE ROLE OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
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Americansincreasingly face financial uncertainty as they struggle to make endsmeet during a period of rising food and fuel prices, a continuingmortgage crisis, and an overall economic downturn. Yet even beforethese latest challenges, a growing number of state and localgovernments launched comprehensive anti-poverty initiatives. Theseinclude special legislative caucuses, poverty reduction targets, andinformation-sharing summits.
On Monday, July28, 2008, a policy forum featuring two panels came together to explorethis growing trend. Speakers included advocates, experts, and state andlocal officials from Minnesota, Connecticut, Illinois and New YorkCity.
The forum was sponsored by the Half in Ten Campaign, National League of Cities and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. Following an introduction by Michael Laracy of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the panelists included:
Panel 1 National Overview of State and Local Efforts
- Joy Moses, policy analyst, Center for American Progress (Half in Ten Campaign)
- Susan Golonka, program director for Human Services, National
- Governors Association
- Jodie Levin-Epstein, deputy director, Center for Law and Social Policy (Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity)
- Clifford Johnson, executive director, Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, National League of Cities
Panel 2 State and City Perspectives
- MarkGreenberg (moderator), senior fellow and director, Poverty andProsperity Program, Center for American Progress (Half in Ten Campaign)
- Veronica White, executive director, New York City Center for Economic Opportunity
- Gregory Gray, executive director, Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020
- Jonathan Harris, chair, Connecticut Senate Human Services Committee
- Amy Rynell, director, Heartland Alliance Mid-America Institute on Poverty (IL)
To view media advisory and information on related events, click here.