Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Needy Georgians may go hungry April 18, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson As published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on April 18, 2014. The state’s chronic underfunding of its human service agency is provoking the threat of a federal crackdown, as its food stamp program isn’t keeping up with the increase in Georgians eligible for benefits following the Great Recession. Food stamps help put meals on the […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia Legislature Moves to Keep Poor People Poor March 26, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 2 Comments on Georgia Legislature Moves to Keep Poor People Poor Almost 2 million low-income Georgians will find it harder to get ahead in the future, thanks to counterproductive policies adopted by state lawmakers in the just-concluded legislative session. Lawmakers took potshots at the poor from a variety of directions, ranging from erecting new barriers to food to limiting access to health care coverage. I’ll focus […] Read more »
Author Library Melissa Johnson Presentations Recovery or Bust: Georgia’s Poor Left Behind March 7, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Presentation: Melissa Johnson, Policy Analyst |March 4, 2014 Download the presentation. Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia’s Rush to Privatize Child Foster Care Could Lock in Reduced Funding March 5, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 3 Comments on Georgia’s Rush to Privatize Child Foster Care Could Lock in Reduced Funding Georgia lawmakers are in an unnecessary rush to reform the state’s child welfare system to meet a deadline that is likely to be extended. The push to adopt SB 350, a bill that would privatize all child welfare services except investigations, risks unintended consequences in order to squeeze major changes into the expedited 2014 legislative […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Drug Testing Food Stamp and Welfare Recipients is a Waste of Time and Money February 28, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Drug Testing Food Stamp and Welfare Recipients is a Waste of Time and Money Representatives in the Georgia House are considering a proposal to start “suspicion-based” drug testing for people who receive public assistance. If House Bill 772 becomes law, applicants for benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance could be required to take […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson New Report Shows Georgia’s Opportunity to Uplift Low-Income Working Moms February 25, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on New Report Shows Georgia’s Opportunity to Uplift Low-Income Working Moms Forty-one percent of Georgia’s low-income working families are headed by women and 46 percent of these mothers have no college education according to a new report by the Working Poor Families Project. Georgia was home to 402,000 low-income working families with children in 2012, the most recent figures available for the report. These represent more […] Read more »
Author Budget and Taxes Cash and Safety Net Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports Overview: Georgia’s 2015 Fiscal Year Human Services Budget January 21, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Strategic Additions Made to DHS Budget; Service Cuts Since Recession Retained The governor’s $516.1 million budget proposal for the 2015 fiscal year makes strategic additions to help protect Georgia’s children and adults, but falls far short of restoring funds to pre-recession levels. The state’s spending plan makes it somewhat easier for the Department of Human […] Read more » State Budget
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Solutions to Reduce Hunger and Poverty Showcased at GBPI’s Jan. 8 Policy Conference December 20, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson About one in five Georgians lives in poverty, making Georgia the sixth poorest state in the nation. More than one in four Georgia children doesn’t get enough food to eat. Our state’s economy and our ability to compete globally could greatly improve if Georgia could reduce the extent of these problems. The good news is […] Read more »
Author Cash and Safety Net Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports Recovery or Bust: Georgia’s Poor Left Behind December 17, 2013 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson More Georgians are living on the desperate side of the federal poverty line than at any time in the state’s recent history. At the same time, pathways to exit poverty are increasingly blocked as the state failed to make strategic investments when needed. America’s Great Recession – the country’s deepest economic downturn since the Great […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson New Report: Recovery or Bust, Georgia’s Poor Left Behind December 16, 2013 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on New Report: Recovery or Bust, Georgia’s Poor Left Behind Georgia’s economy has slowly inched toward recovery since the state’s unemployment rate peaked in February 2010. More than three years since the official end of the economic crisis, Georgia has recovered just two-thirds of the jobs lost during the downturn. Meanwhile, poverty in Georgia is worse since the beginning of the recovery. More than 19 […] Read more »
