November 24, 2006
Getting Started And Getting the Job Done
After six weeks on the job I can honestly say that while I feel a little overwhelmed with all there is to do, I am equally excited about the possibilities of what can happen through the efforts of the Alabama Poverty Project. With each day comes a clearer vision of our work, awareness of (at least) one more resource, one more reason to be encouraged.
One thing that is very clear is that the APP is needed as a resource for information – data, articles from various sources, books, and other things – that help all those who work in the cause of the poor to more effectively do their work.
In particular, our website will be a primary location for such resources. Site visitors right now can check out, among other things, an online version of Picture of Poverty, take a look at some suggested reading, follow links to other helpful sites, and peruse a syllabus our Wayne Flynt created for a course on poverty at Samford.
And now here is, humble as it may be, my first ever effort at a blog. Since it is my full-time, everyday work to be about matters related to poverty, I will be encountering new resources on a regular basis. How selfish it would be of me not to share! So once a week I’ll be posting what I have found right here. This will bring regular new content to the site and make it, I hope, more useful all the time.
I’ll save the commentary for next time and move on to what I hope you came here for:
Minimum Wage Overview
Since the Democrat’s have identified a hike in the minimum wage as being near the top of their agenda in the new Congress, here’s a link to the Economic Policy Institute’s policy guide on the issue. There’s a lot of information here, but check out first their “Facts at a Glance.” Alabama is one of only five states without a minimum wage law. I wonder why that issue had little traction during the recent governor’s race?
By the Numbers
Here’s a very helpful page on the Kaiser Family Foundation site. Primarily about Medicaid, there is also some good information about basic poverty numbers, comparing Alabama and national figures.
Poverty and the Next Presidential Campaign
There’s no doubt that John Edwards is already running for the presidency, and it looks like poverty will be a major, if not defining, issue for his campaign. I’m not being partisan here, but I’m hopeful this will help to open a window a little wider for discussion of poverty. Check out his short overview of the problems. Of course, this is not a one-party issue. There’s a lot of commonality being found, for instance, in the ONE campaign.
Getting the Benefits for Which a Family Qualifies
A lot of low-income folks are missing out on governmental benefits for which they qualify. I recently met the development director the National Council of Churches. He told me that 35 billion dollars in qualified benefits goes unclaimed in the U.S. each year. The reason? Most often those who qualify just don’t know that they do. One possible solution – The Benefit Bank. (The NCC is helping to raise support.) This “Turbo-Tax-like” computer program takes in all necessary information and then spits out all the forms necessary to apply for benefits both federal and state. It would take a lot of money to bring this to Alabama, but would result in significant help for many of our citizens, far outstripping the initial cost. Anybody out there interested in taking this on?
My Humble Opinion
And finally, here is a link to an op-ed piece I have written, published by a number of Alabama newspapers over the past few weeks, most recently the Mobile Register. But the Decatur Daily keeps their archives freely available for longer, so…
Let Me Hear From You!
You can always reach me by email at director@alabamapoverty.org. Feel free to share you own opinion and any websites or publications you believe would be helpful to the APP community. We are a research-driven organization and we need many researchers to contribute to the cause!
(205) 939-1408