The Poverty and Unemployment Work Group is continuing to form. The following policies were proposed in the 2022 NC SHIP report are under consideration.

Poverty:

• Create and expand legislation and advocate with employers to provide paid family medical leave, earned paid sick leave, kin care, and safe days for all caregivers
• Ease negative impact of “benefits cliffs” caused by reductions in benefits, by lengthening phase-out periods
• Eliminate taxation on sanitary products including menstrual supplies, diapers, and breastfeeding supplies
• Expand Medicaid eligibility
• Expand the availability and amount of childcare subsidies to reflect the cost of care more adequately
• Raise the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour
• Restore the North Carolina Earned Income Tax Credit
• Support “early college while in high school” programs, such as REaCH and SEarCH

Unemployment:

• Create and expand legislation and advocate with employers to provide paid family medical leave, earned paid sick leave, kin care, and safe days for all caregivers
• Expand access to higher educational opportunities
• Expand transit options in rural and low-income communities
• Improve access to personal finance credit scores
• Increase access to affordable childcare
• Increase access to broadband internet
• Pass fair chance hiring policies for county and local employees, and work with employers to pass fair chance hiring policies for themselves
• Seek a national health insurance / national service program, e.g., An Economic Bill of Rights for the 21st Century
• Shift funding from industrial recruitment to support small businesses and social enterprises
• Support people with disabilities and those in recovery, veterans, and reentry populations to live their lives as fully included members of the community by implementing key employment initiatives like Competitive Integrated Employment and Employment First

As of July 1, 2023, the Poverty and Unemployment Work Group is continuing to form and has not prioritized the policies/programs from the 2022 NC SHIP. 

May 2023, Co-Lead Planning Meeting

Discussion:

Co-Leads: Fenaba Addo and Marionna Poke-Stewart

• Identified the following goals and tasks to provide a strategy to increase work group members.
  • Present a brief (2-3 slide presentation) at the State Conference/ OEO Workshop to 33 Executive Directors and respective staff of the community action agencies in North Carolina.
  • Send the Effect of COVID & Poverty.
  • Provide access for someone to follow-up at the June 14th Executive Management meeting (12-1:30pm) regarding work group members.
  • Share background/ comparison for proposed policies.
  • Touchbase on results of briefer comments from conference.

April 11, 2023, Community Council Orientation

Co-Leads: Fenaba Addo and Marionna Poke-Stewart (New NCDHHS Co-Lead)

Discussion:

• Completed orientation to NC SHIP Community Council, including background, structure, and process.
• Reviewed proposed policies from 2022 NC SHIP report.
• Discussed potential work group members and a new Community Co-Lead.
• Identified action steps:
  • Schedule co-leader planning meeting.
  • Share copy of effects of COVID-19 and poverty report
  • Share background/ comparison for proposed policies

September 12, 2022, 1:30 to 2:00 pm, Co-Lead Planning Meeting

Co-Leads: Fenaba Addo and Carla West

Discussion:

• Discussed updates on potential work group members the co-leads had contacted. 
• Continued discussions on potential work group members and next steps.

August 23, 2022, 8:30 to 9:00 am, Co-Lead Planning Meeting

Co-Leads: Fenaba Addo, L.A. Jones (absent), and Carla West

Discussion:

• Decision made to reschedule the meeting and for that meeting to be an opportunity for the co-leads to plan and organize for the first work group meeting.
• Discussed co-leads contacting potential work group members and continuing to add to the list.
• Discussed inviting established groups and partners and then asking them if they would recommend program participants.
• Reviewed NC SHIP Community Council work groups are tasked with prioritizing/ selecting policies they would like to work on for the year, identifying strategies, and creating an action plan.