February 19 , 2007

So Much to Learn!

My education continues. Last Thursday I attended the “Let Justice Roll” Poverty & Policy Conference, presented by Arise Citizens’ Policy Project and the Birmingham-Southern Chapter of Alabama Arise. A good crowd of folks from all over the state came together to learn more about the issues we care about, issues that impact low-wealth folks in Alabama.

I left inspired about what can be done and overwhelmed again with all the various aspects of poverty that need to be addressed – and so much more I want/need to know!

I attended three workshops. In the one on changes in long-term care Medicaid reform I heard about the problems we face with people being able to make the choices they and their doctors deem best for them; we were also reminded that the new proposed budget from President Bush includes some significant cuts in such programs and in particular the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Our congressional representatives need to hear from us.

In a workshop on predatory lending I got new information about the way minorities in particular are being targeted for what are called “sub-prime” loans, loans that strip the equity from homes that represent for most their primary location of personal asset wealth. These are high-priced loans designed to trap borrowers into bad loans with high fees and high interest. They are usually refinances. These kinds of loans are growing as part of the market share and are resulting in more and more foreclosures over time. You can learn more at the Center for Responsible Lending website.

The Challenge of Affordable Housing

The third workshop I attended dealt with the shortage of low-rental housing stock. Simply put, there is simply not enough decent housing available for those with very low incomes. This results in folks having to pay a higher percentage of their incomes for rent.

The “rule of thumb” measure used by pretty much everyone is that a family should pay no more than 30% of total income on housing. But in Alabama we have a lot of folks who are paying much more. These are described as Renter Households with Severe Burden, that is, they spend more than 50% of their income on rent. We have 100,000 households like that in our state. Most of these, over 76%, are from households with incomes below 30% of the Area Median Income. Over 94% of households so describe are severely burdened.

These figures come from The National Housing Trust Fund Campaign. This group holds that the problem is simply that there aren’t enough housing units available for low-income families. They are proposing a National Housing Trust Fund that will result in one and a half million new low-income housing units being made available to meet the obvious need. Go to this page to learn more about Alabama or to search data by county. An excellent resource! Here’s how they start to deal with the basic needs of Alabama households:

In Alabama, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $549. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities, without paying more than 30% of income on housing, a household must earn $1,829 monthly or $21,946 annually. Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates into a Housing Wage of $10.55.

 

Justice in the Courts

There were several very good speeches at the conference. The keynote came from Sue Bell Cobb, our new Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice. She peeled back some of my lack of awareness of justice issues for the poor in the one place where justice should absolutely be available to every citizen – the courtroom.

Here’s a new term for me – pro se litigation, that is, a court proceeding that takes place with one or more of the litigants having no legal representation. Chief Justice Cobb spoke about her creation of the Alabama Access to Justice Commission, taking on personally the task of recruiting members. The purpose of the Commission will be to address the needs of low-wealth people who have little to no ability to pay an attorney to represent them.

While some litigants choose to represent themselves, many others simply have no choice. When vulnerable folks are in court to deal with very personal and life-changing issues as divorce and child custody or bankruptcy, the need for adequate representation often goes unmet - to bad results.

We need to be aware of Justice Cobb’s efforts with the Alabama Access to Justice Commission, giving our support where and when we can.

Linking Wellness and Economic Conditions

Nancy Francisco Stewart, a professor of social work at Jacksonville State, and a member of the APP board of directors, just had a very good column published in the Anniston Star. In it she uses recent data to point to the connection between good health and adequate income.

Self-perception, she writes, is a significant factor in wellness. Here’s part of what she reports: “Those with lowest income, nearly a quarter of those below $15,000, report the poorest health. Yet, just 1.2 percent of those with an income of more than $50,000 describe themselves as in poor health. Less than one in 10 respondents with low incomes were in “very good general health” in contrast to nearly one in two of those at the upper incomes.”

It should surprise no one that people generally are healthier at higher income levels. Nancy had done a good job of helping us better understand the particulars. Thanks, Nancy!

Quoting Disraeli

One more thing from Chief Justice Cobb, quoting Benjamin Disraeli who said, “Justice is truth in action.” There is work to do to bring about the world – the state – we want to see. Let’s put what we know to work, so that what we envision will come to pass!

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