Scot Aid’s Post

TOMORROW 4/2 is the Child Tax Credit Day of Action. Join us and many more partners for the #ChildTaxCredit Digital Day of Action. Every child deserves the chance to grow and thrive. The #CTC provides needed assistance as families face rising costs, and we know that it can lift millions of children out of poverty. ☑ Contact your Senators using the FRAC Action Network: https://p2a.co/770JA2E ☑ Spread the word with this toolkit: bit.ly/CTCDayofAction

What does Christmas look like for the millions of children in the UK living in poverty?   For too many, it means a season marked by cold homes, empty tables, and no gifts under the tree.   Child poverty remains a harsh reality for 5.2 million children in the UK—over one-third of all children. This Christmas, frontline workers fear that struggling families will be in a worse financial position than ever, leaving children without basic essentials like warmth, food, and joy.   In our latest report by Beatrice Travis, Political Consultant for Children, Education and Skills, we explore: - The current state of child poverty in the UK - Projections for children’s experiences this holiday season - The Government's response and its limitations - Calls from stakeholders for urgent action to break the cycle of poverty   Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/d72sMpeQ

NEW TODAY: My team at New America's Better Life Lab spent the last two years working with families with young children to understand the impact unprecedented pandemic aid had on them: overwhelmingly positive effects, stabilizing them during unemployment, increased housing security, improved access to healthcare, more cash on hand for emergencies, and a more positive outlook, including the chance to think about the future. But when that aid ended, many families were back where they started or worse off: struggling to juggle child care with low-paying, difficult work, time poverty, a lack of healthcare, and making tradeoffs to pay some bills while debts mounted on others. One participant called it a "trap." And this time, it came with the knowledge that policymakers could make things better, if they chose to, but simply aren't choosing to. We assess how dominant narratives about poverty diverge starkly with stories we heard from study participants, and make the case for new, truer narratives, particularly in the midst of a growing movement to slash federal spending on families even further. https://lnkd.in/gwPGgi3X

🔒 Child Lock: Lasting Change for Children, Locked In Right now, 4.3 million children in the UK are living in poverty and this figure will only continue to rise without urgent action. Today we are launching our Child Lock campaign. We are calling on the UK government to protect child-related benefits in the Autumn budget to raise them annually in line with either inflation or average earnings, similar to the State Pension Triple Lock. Coupled with scrapping the two-child limit & benefit cap, 400,000 children would be lifted out of poverty in the next decade. Join us in demanding lasting change for children. Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3UjRqOw

SAfE is proud to have signed Good Company Surrey’s End Poverty Pledge, committing to do whatever we can to work towards a poverty-free future in Surrey. With the cost-of-living crisis, an ever-increasing number of people have needed support because they cannot afford life’s essentials. The cost of school uniform and school activities means that low-income families are feeling the financial impact, with detrimental effects on their children’s learning. Good Company Surrey are calling on local residents, service providers, and businesses to sign up to an End Poverty Pledge. The aim is to build a movement of people and organisations committed to doing what we can locally to reduce poverty and improve the lives of those who are experiencing financial hardship. More information here: https://lnkd.in/dtaeHVaQ

Read our latest #SpotlightExclusive: Growing Body of Evidence Builds Case for Direct Cash Assistance for Families. Full piece here: https://lnkd.in/e3RAyAbN

A simple and effective way to disrupt poverty is to give money to those who need it most. Guaranteed income initiatives provide recurring, direct cash payments to targeted groups of individuals. These programs are one way to give families meaningful, monthly, no-strings-attached payments. In this brief (https://buff.ly/3JKpjSW), Economic Mobility Pathways interviews eight social service organizations implementing guaranteed income programs. If your social service organization is looking to implement a guaranteed income program, read this brief to learn more about program design and process, implementation challenges, lessons learned, and early programmatic outcomes. #PeerTA #TANF #TA #TechnicalAssistance #OFA #ACF #HumanServices #SocialServices #GuaranteedIncome #Finances #Families #CashAssistance #Income #Money

Congress and the new administration are setting their policy agenda—an agenda that will shape the future of programs for people who experience hunger and poverty. This is a pivotal moment for us to speak truth to power and urge our leaders to act with compassion and justice. This week, my colleagues and I in the Circle of Protection sent a letter to Congress and the President, urging them to protect and fund programs that assist people in poverty—such as SNAP, Medicaid, international aid, and housing—and to craft tax policies that reduce poverty, including an expansion of the Child Tax Credit. These priorities, outlined in the letter, are rooted in faith and reflect our collective commitment to justice and compassion. 📖 Read the full letter and learn more: circleofprotection.us

You can read our Chief Impact Officer, Claire Reid's, commentary in today's Times Union Media Group on the power of cash as a tool to lift Capital Region families out of poverty. Link is below: Then make a plan to join us at The Blake Annex on November 18 at 2PM to hear from leading experts like Claire on how we can use cash to put all families on a path to prosperity. https://lnkd.in/eKipKsft

As someone who lost a parent to Covid, I know all too well the devastating impact of this pandemic. But what really strikes me is thinking about how different my own story could have been if this pandemic had hit 20 years earlier. As a first-generation, low-income student, I wouldn’t have had the safety net to keep going. Instead of attending an Ivy League school, I likely would have had to start working immediately just to help my family make ends meet. That’s why I’m so proud of the work we’ve done at Marked By Covid to champion #BabyBonds in California—providing eligible children with a financial foundation for their future. And now, we’re taking the next step to ensure every child who is entitled to this benefit knows about it and can access it. This is about more than dollars in an account; it’s about giving kids a shot at the future they deserve, no matter what challenges life throws their way. Check out this article to learn more about the initiative and the difference it’s making. Let’s keep building a safety net that ensures no child’s future is cut short. 💜