PathWays PA Policy Blog

From our friends at the National Low Income Housing Coalition : NLIHC will host a Twitter chat on Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 2:00 pm EST to discuss the findings from its newly released reports, The GAP: Affordable Housing Gap Analysis 2016 and Out of Reach 2016. The 30-minute chat will provide participants an opportunity to engage in a conversation about the shortage of affordable and available housing for extremely low income households and the mismatch between prevailing wages and rents throughout the country. The chat will also discuss policy solutions to address the housing affordability crisis in America. Participants will be able to ask questions to NLIHC’s President and CEO Diane Yentel and Vice President Research Andrew Aurand about NLIHC’s research, the state of affordable housing in America, and practical solutions. The Coalition’s official Twitter account is @NLIHC and the hashtag for the Twitter chat is #HousingGap . Read NLIHC’s Gap Report at: http://nlihc.org/resea...

King v. Burwell was decided on today by the United States Supreme Court, essentially allowing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to survive by upholding that ACA subsidies should be available in states that don't have their own exchanges. This allows  an estimated 6.4 million Americans to keep the tax subsidies that help them afford health coverage. The key question of the case centered on whether or not the federal government had the right to create an insurance market to help low-to-middle income Americans buy health insurance. Challengers in the case argued that the legislative language of the law only allowed for subsidized insurance in states that set up their own insurance exchanges, and not allowed  in states that relied on the federal marketplace. Thirty-four states currently rely on the federal marketplace - including Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court ultimately rejected this argument. Chief Justice John G. Roberts delivered the majority opinion, writing that "the...

From our friends at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Yesterday, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Summer Meals Act, S. 2527 . It is a bipartisan bill that will enhance efforts to expand the reach of the Summer Food Program to low-income children and significantly simplify the administration of the program for sponsors.  Please contact your Senators and ask them to cosponsor Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski's (R-AK) Summer Meals Act (S.2527). This legislation would expand access to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) for low-income children and simplify administration of the program for SFSP sponsors.

PathWays PA will be joining with advocates from all over Pennsylvania in a statewide push to raise the minimum wage tomorrow. Please join us at 10:00 AM tomorrow where workers will testify before a Democratic policy hearing at Cabrini College, asking the legislature to vote on an increase in the minimum wage. Cabrini is located at 610 King of Prussia Road, and the hearing will take place in the Grace Hall Boardroom . There are ONE MILLION low-wage workers in Pennsylvania who could use the boost from a higher minimum wage. Click here for more information.  PathWays PA is a member of the Raise the Wage Coalition, seeking in increase Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $10.10.

With an enormous workforce of more than 10 million people, the restaurant industry is one of our country's fastest growing and largest economic sectors; it also produces the lowest paying jobs in the country. Gloria Steinem helped us launch the campaign by sharing her story of living off tips - watch and share the video . Saru Jayaraman, our co-director and co-founder, talks about the campaign with media justice organization, Women's Media Center - read the feature . Share your story and follow the campaign on Twitter #LivingOffTips.

Find a diaper bank near you 33% of the women interviewed for a study published this week in the journal " Pediatrics " said they'd experienced a time when they could not afford to buy the diapers their kids needed. One in ten women reported that they would “stretch” the diapers when their supply was running short by leaving a wet diaper on their child or by partially cleaning the diaper and reusing it. Diapers are such a concern that low-income families rank it along with food and housing as a top stressor. This concern is especially real for single moms, a group who tend to be the most economically vulnerable with a poverty rate of 15%. 6% of a single, full-time working mother's gross income goes to purchasing diapers. Unfortunately neither WIC nor SNAP (food stamps) include their costs. One women,  Debbie Bloom of Warwick, PA , said she spent $30 per week on diapers. The costs were so high that "she often paid her credit cards late, incurring penalties...

Three presidents have come and gone. Bubbles have inflated and burst. The tipped minimum wage is still $2.13 an hour. Almost a quarter of American children have a parent who makes the minimum wage. Raising the floor for all workers, including tipped workers, will give a jolt to the economy by putting money in the hands of people who will spend it in their communities. Click here to ask the House and Senate to raise the minimum wage.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education has changed course on a decade-old policy that kept millions of dollars in federal food subsidies from low-income children who are in child care with relatives and neighbors. Starting this month, relatives and neighbors providing state-approved child-care services to low-income children will be able to apply for the aid. An Education Department official estimated the program could bring in $3 million more each month for the state's child-care system, depending on how many providers sign up. Qualifying relatives or neighbors would receive an average of $1,000 a year per child. Call 1-855-252-6325 for more information.

VSP Vision Care and NBA star Tyreke Evans are offering free eye exams and glasses to low-income residents in Chester, PA from September 24-29, 2012. Sites will be as follows: Monday, September 24th, 2012 Stester Elementary School 8:00am-5:00pm Students Only Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 Chester Boys and Girls Club 11:00am-3:00pm Open to Public Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 Columbus Elementary and Chester High 8:00am-5:00pm Students Only Thursday, September, 27th, 2012 J. Lewis Crozer Library 8:00am-5:00pm Open to Public Friday, September 28th, 2012 Showalter Middle School 8:00am-12:00pm Students Only Saturday, September 29th, 2012 9th Street Youth and Community Center 9:00am-4:00pm Open to Public Qualifications to receive services on the mobile clinic: --Family income at or under 200% of poverty level --Is not enrolled in Medicaid or any other vision insurance --Is a U.S. citizen or documented immigrant with a Social Security ...