Catholic Charities USA Launches Broad Campaign to Cut Poverty in America in Half by 2020

New Campaign Urges Congress and Administration to Give Greater Priority to

the Poor in Action on Health Care, Housing, Nutrition, and Economic

Security

    ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Catholic Charities
 USA today announced a new multi-year initiative to cut poverty in half by
 2020, urging Congress and the Administration to give a much higher priority
 to the needs of the poor in budget and policy decisions on issues such as
 health care, housing, nutrition, and economic security.
     "Poverty is a moral and social wound on the soul of our country and
 threatens the health and economic well-being of both families and our
 nation," Rev. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said at a
 briefing this morning on Capitol Hill. "We must marshal the strength and
 the collective will of our nation to take on this tragedy that affects 37
 million people who are living in poverty in one of the wealthiest nations
 in the world."
     "The Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America is about who we are as a
 nation," Father Snyder said. "We must no longer ignore the injustice of
 poverty and the extreme inequality in America and instead must seize this
 opportunity to advocate for changes that promote human dignity and the
 common good."
     The goal of Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America is to cut the poverty
 rate in the United States in half by 2020. Catholic Charities USA is
 leading a broad effort that will involve partners in social service
 agencies, the faith community, and other groups in a sustained effort to
 convince government officials of the importance of making systemic changes
 in government programs to help the poor and most vulnerable in our society.
     With more than 275 years of experience in serving those living in
 poverty, Catholic Charities has a unique understanding of this growing
 problem and its devastating impact on families and the nation.
     "Catholic Charities agencies provide help and offer hope to more than
 7.4 million people each year, and in communities across the country, our
 agencies have been coping with a steady increase in demand for emergency
 assistance, primarily among working families," Father Snyder said. "Each
 day, our agencies serve families who work hard but still do not earn enough
 to provide for their basic needs."
     "Catholic Charities USA pledges its experience and resources to help
 reduce poverty in America. But, we can only succeed with the active
 involvement of Congress and the Administration. Only through partnerships
 between government and community leaders like Catholic Charities, will we
 develop the capacity and the scale necessary to attack poverty in a
 comprehensive and sustained way," said Father Snyder.
     Catholic Charities USA's Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America will
 urge Congress and the Administration to improve programs and policies in
 four key issue areas: health care, affordable housing, nutrition
 assistance, and family economic security for the poor and vulnerable.
     "Good government is about making choices and setting priorities that
 serve the common good, and we will work in partnership in this campaign
 with Catholic organizations and other partners to encourage elected leaders
 to give greater priority to attending to the needs of the poorest and most
 vulnerable persons in society," Father Snyder said. "Choices made in the
 federal budget process about what is funded -- and how to pay for it --
 must be judged by whether the life and dignity of families are protected or
 undermined."
     Specific policy areas of focus for Congressional action as part of the
 Campaign to Reduce Poverty include the following.
     HEALTH CARE
 
     * Provide adequate funding for health care for our nation's most
       vulnerable citizens.
 
     * Maintain the integrity and strength of the Medicaid program.
 
     * Remove new restrictions to Medicaid that create barriers for low-income
       families.
 
     * Provide adequate funding for the State Children's Health Insurance
       Program (SCHIP) program to expand coverage for all eligible children.
 
     * Reform SCHIP to make it easier for eligible children to apply.
 
     * Support policies that provide integrated mental health and substance
       abuse treatment.
 
     HOUSING
 
     * Provide adequate funding for federally subsidized housing programs.
 
     * Support and strengthen programs aimed at increasing homeownership.
 
     * Establish a National Housing Trust Fund.
 
     * Support comprehensive reform of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
       Program.
 
     HUNGER AND NUTRITION
 
     * Strengthen the Food Stamp Program to better assist the working poor and
       the elderly.
 
     * Protect funding for critical food programs that serve low-income
       families, including the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the
       Community Food and Nutrition Program.
 
     * Ensure that federal nutrition programs meet the unique needs of rural
       families.
 
     FAMILY ECONOMIC SECURITY
 
     * Increase the minimum wage and ensure that it is automatically increased
       to keep pace with inflation.
 
     * Improve the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to
       benefit more families.
 
     * Promote policies that support and strengthen families, including low-
       income fathers.
 
     * Expand employment and training opportunities for low-income workers.
 
     * Improve the protection and care of abused, neglected, and abandoned
       children and youth.
 
     * Provide adequate funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant
       (CCDBG).
 
     * Ensure access to quality early education for all children.
 
     * Improve the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to be more inclusive for
       more workers.
 
     * Preserve funding for the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG).
 
     * Support comprehensive immigration reform that protects vulnerable
       families.
     Key components of the campaign will include sustained and comprehensive
 outreach to the Administration and Congress as well as activities in local
 communities throughout the country on the need for action to reduce
 poverty.
     To learn more about the Campaign visit
 http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/poverty/.
 
 

SOURCE Catholic Charities