Bree Easterling News Today

New research spells out Clevelanders’ complex feelings about crisis response, first responders, and public safety The people most likely to interact with emergency responders should have a say in the county’s developing care response program, say local advocates and researchers. A new report from Policy Matters Ohio and REACH (Responding with...

Numeric news from Policy Matters 45.6%: Share of revenue collected into Ohio’s General Revenue Fund that came from the sales tax last year. That share has increased dramatically in the last 20 years, as Ohio leaders repeatedly cut the income tax (the only progressive tax in the state) and raised the sales...

Numeric news from Policy Matters $9,697: Average annual cost of child care for one infant in Ohio. $138,528: Minimum annual household income required to make that amount “affordable” according to benchmarks set by the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. $65,720: Median annual household income in Ohio. That means the typical Ohio...

Numeric news from Policy Matters 41, 43, 45: Number of days it took for UAW’s Stand Up Strike to force concessions from Ford, Stellantis and GM, respectively. The tentative agreements with each of the Big 3 aren’t yet ratified and the details are still emerging, but our Work & Wages...

Policy Matters Ohio is proud to announce the promotions of three fellows to permanent staff positions. We are also delighted to welcome Sarah Rodenberg as our new Communications Associate and to recognize the educational achievement of Senior Researcher Michael Shields. Two fellows — Guillermo Bervejillo, PhD., and Tanisha Pruitt,...

Numeric news from Policy Matters 4: Number of days (as of this writing) remaining for Ohioans to defeat Issue 1 by voting NO on (or before) the Aug. 8th election. Some voters polling places have changed, so double-check where you will go to vote. Finally, check out the Ohio Voter Guide...

Tanisha Pruitt, PhD | Bree Easterling Juneteenth, often celebrated on June 19th, commemorates the day the last enslaved Black Americans were released from slavery. This joyous moment took place in Galveston, Texas more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth reminds us of our shared responsibility to...

Numeric news from Policy Matters 15,000: When the Ohio House included in its budget bill a proposal that would help 15,000 kids get child care, we noted it as an all-too-rare example of legislators putting public resources to good use. State Senate leadership cut that proposal. They also removed measures that...

We don’t call the police when someone is having a heart attack, so why should we have to call law enforcement for a loved one experiencing a mental health crisis?

Bree Easterling has joined Policy Matters Ohio as the organization’s new public safety fellow. In their role, Easterling will be working with community members, advocates, elected officials and other key stakeholders to establish a “care response” model in Cleveland. Care response, or alternative response, is a “health first” approach to emergency...