Last month, the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy sent a letter to Governor Hochul urging enactment of the Child Poverty Reduction Act, S.2755C/A.1160C.
Click here to view the letter.
The Child Poverty Reduction Act provides New York with the tools needed to reduce child poverty. It makes a public commitment to cutting child poverty in half in ten years; requires an annual public report of the effects of budget proposals on child poverty and regular reporting on progress; and establishes the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council to develop a plan to achieve the goal.
For too long, New York has allowed hundreds of thousands of children to endure the hardships of poverty—in times of recession, and in times of plenty. New York entered the pandemic with more than 700,000 children living in poverty, representing 18% of all New York children, with that percentage a full 10 points higher for Black children, and 7 for Latino children. It is not surprising then, that the Child Poverty Reduction Act swept through the Legislature with near-unanimous support from upstate and downstate, rural, urban, and suburban legislators and constituents, as well as having bipartisan co-sponsorship. As New York mounts its recovery from the pandemic, this legislation will ensure that our children are centered in that recovery.
Pandemic Spurs New Challenges and Opportunities for Addressing Child Poverty
The pandemic has forced hundreds of thousands more children and families into poverty. Racial inequities have widened and been laid bare. By March 2021, 31% of New York adults reported it had been somewhat or very difficult to pay for usual household expenses and 24% reported not being current on rent or mortgage, with eviction or foreclosure in the next two months likely.
This year, New York has real support from the federal government to turn the tide on child poverty, via the American Rescue Plan Act, arguably the most consequential investment in the nation’s children in a generation. Yet the American Rescue Plan will not lift all New York children out of poverty. It leaves out tens of thousands of immigrant children, and it is temporary.
For our children experiencing poverty, every day that we fail to prioritize ending child poverty puts them more at risk for immediate and long-term hardship.
The experience of poverty and trauma in childhood can have long-lasting impacts on development. The toxic stress of poverty can alter the brain development of young children—causing permanent changes in the structure and functioning of the brain. As a result, many children who experience poverty face significant challenges—in the form of poor health, academic obstacles, and lower earnings—for the rest of their lives.
With the stakes so high, there should be no delay in tackling child poverty in every inch of our great state.
Recent Comments