Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Taifa Smith Butler Worker Justice Keep Working Families Top of Mind for Georgia’s Future August 7, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler A worker who earned $32,000 to $58,000 a year when the recession hit in 2007 was much more likely to lose a job than workers at the high and low ends of the spectrum. That’s because mid-wage industries lost the most jobs during the recession, as GBPI documented in a recent report. During Georgia’s slow […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia Gets an “F” for Failing Working Parents July 17, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia is failing its working moms and dads, according to a new report by the National Partnership for Women & Families. In its most recent edition of “Expecting Better,” the group assigned Georgia an ”F” after comparing policies in each state meant to protect and support working parents. Georgia leaders tout the state’s recent high […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net K-12 Education Taifa Smith Butler Starbucks’ Venti Plan to Advance Educational Opportunities June 20, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler | 1 Comment on Starbucks’ Venti Plan to Advance Educational Opportunities This week Starbucks gave me new appreciation for corporations that value employees and show it in meaningful ways. Starbucks made headlines with its announcement that it will provide free college tuition for all its employees through a partnership with Arizona State University’s online program. To obtain financial support for a bachelor’s degree, employees don’t have […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson New Report: At the Bottom of a Broken Ladder June 19, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia could give its low income working families the chance to live better lives and contribute more to the state’s economy by increasing the HOPE Grant award to cover full tuition and fees, expanding access to subsidized child care and expanding access to Medicaid insurance. These are the recommendations included in the Georgia Budget and […] Read more »
Author Cash and Safety Net Library Melissa Johnson Policy Areas Reports At the Bottom of a Broken Ladder June 19, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson A Profile of Georgia’s Low-Income Working Families Nearly four in ten of Georgia’s working families with children are “low-income.”1 A low-income family of three with one child earns less than $36,960 per year. This could be the family of a cook at your favorite restaurant and a paraprofessional at your local school, working full-time in […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Summer Nutrition Programs Need More Partners June 5, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia summer nutrition programs served less than one in seven needy children in 2013, according to a new report released this week by the Food Research and Action Center. For the second year in a row, Georgia was one of five states to miss out on the most federal money and, as a result, fail […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Up to 700 Georgia Schools Offered New Option to Combat Child Hunger May 8, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Up to 700 Georgia Schools Offered New Option to Combat Child Hunger About one-third of Georgia schools can now participate in the second year of a new federal program designed to help ensure children have food in their stomachs so they can concentrate on their studies. Known as community eligibility it promises to increase the number of children eating school meals and reduce paperwork starting next fall, […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Time Running Short to Sponsor Summer Food Program for Children May 2, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Next week in College Park, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning will conduct its last training sessions for new Summer Food Service Program sponsors. These sponsors prepare and deliver meals to low-income children during the summer when schools are closed and students lose access to free- or reduced-price lunches. The state needs new […] Read more »
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 »
