Page 28 - Poverty Issues News Today

Cars are Alabamas biggest export and the auto industry is a huge employer, responsible for about one in six Alabamians jobs, about 45,000 people. But even though the auto industry is growing, a new report contends workers are not getting the benefits they deserve. The "State of Working Alabama 2023" report from Alabama Arise argues the job quality and economic results are not what they should be. ...

By Tony Leys for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service Collaboration Myrna Peterson predicts self-driving vehicles will be a ticket out of isolation and loneliness for people like her, who live outside big cities and have disabilities that prevent them from driving. Peterson, who has quadriplegia, is an enthusiastic participant in an unusual test of autonomous vehicles in this corner of northern Minneso...

A new program from the Montana Legal Services Association is boosting legal assistance to people living on the states tribal land. The Tribal Advocate Incubator Project gives lay people the skills they need to help Montanas underserved Indigenous population. Right now, many of Montanas Indigenous people lack legal services or the money they need to pay for them. ...

Virginia legal advocates are partnering on a program to keep families together. The Family Preservation Project is a collaboration between the Virginia Poverty Law Center and the Virginia Legal Aid Justice Center. The goal is to create a better approach to family separation cases with improvements to the whole system. ...

January is National Poverty in America Awareness Month and in South Dakota, agencies assisting low-income individuals said access to affordable housing remains a pressing issue. The U.S. Census Bureau puts South Dakotas poverty rate at 12.5%. ...

Thats because 22 states are increasing the minimum wage in 2024. However, none of those increases are happening across the Mid-South.

The Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council has a wish list for the new legislative session. The group has just released its public-policy agenda, and is asking state lawmakers to increase funding for educational programs. The councils list includes three main priorities for the New Year: increasing employment opportunities for people living with disabilities, improving community living options, and addressing what the councils Public Policy Manager Carlyn Crowe said she worries could be a d...

Roughly 200,000 Minnesota households lack access to high-speed internet. Affordability is an issue for some, and two regions are ramping up outreach to connect them with federal aid to offset the costs. The Tri-County Action Program, which assists low-income households in the St. ...

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a new bill that would modernize the Federal Poverty Line, which hasnt been substantially updated since the 1960s. Many aid programs such as CalFresh, Head Start and Medi-Cal are pegged to the FPL - and raising the maximum people can make would help millions more low-income families qualify for aid. ...

As winter approaches, New Yorkers with disabilities are preparing to tackle a tough time of the year. One of the biggest challenges is getting around when snow and ice hasnt been removed. And on slick roads, paratransit services might be unreliable. ...