Explore solutions that are increasing opportunities for upward economic mobility. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more difficult for people who are struggling financially to achieve greater economic stability for themselves and their families. In order to tackle poverty, a wide range of social issues need to be addressed. Which policies, programs and initiatives are providing the resources and creating the right set of circumstances for families to move up the economic ladder? These stories highlight reporting that departs from traditional narratives of poverty, by exploring promising responses that address needs like housing, transportation, racism, access to education and family care.
By Saira Bajwa, Solutions Specialist
Once considered a radical experiment, Universal Basic Income...
Solutions Journalism Network
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/florida-study-save-energy-home-why-arent-more-cities-states-following-suit
Chad Small
Next City
21 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
A pilot energy retrofit project in Florida has shown that these upgrades for homeowners ultimately saves them money and energy, and can be made accessible to people from all types of socioeconomic backgrounds. This private-public partnership retrofitted 56 single-family homes, some with “shallow” retrofits like LED lightbulbs and smart plugs and some with “phased deep” retrofits like energy-efficient windows and air conditioners. The program showed that all participants saved energy and could be scaled to other states.
https://hechingerreport.org/trying-to-improve-remote-learning-a-refugee-camp-offers-some-surprising-lessons
Javeria Salman
The Hechinger Report
14 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
Hello Future is a non-profit teaching digital literacy at a refugee camp in Iraq. The program aims to teach refugees aged 13-18 marketable skills, and does so through "mobile-first" initiatives, where "90% of the program is taught on a phone," coupled with in-person classes, where students learn how to use search engines, and Google Docs. The organization has now expanded its program to students in the U.S., while adapting it to fit into remote learning due to restrictions caused by the pandemic.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/a-tiny-public-housing-authority-offered-residents-the-vaccine
Jared Brey
Next City
12 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
A small public housing authority in Rhode Island took the initiative to develop a methodology to administer the COVID-19 vaccine once the city began to offer the vaccine publicly. While a significant number of the residents had signed up to receive the vaccine, this number increased after the mayor and mayor-elect were publicly vaccinated at the site.
https://civileats.com/2021/01/11/this-app-aims-to-help-snap-users-make-the-most-of-their-benefits
Bailey Berg
Civil Eats
11 January 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
A new app is helping communities facing food insecurity in California. Forage Grocery finds the best bargains for SNAP recipients in their local grocery stores. Users upload their grocery list, select the stores they would typically visit in person, and the app compares prices to provide shoppers with a grocery list that makes the most of their SNAP benefits. The app also includes links and ads to local food banks and other resources for food insecurity.
https://edsource.org/2021/california-schools-build-community-wireless-networks-to-bridge-digital-divide/645919
Sydney Johnson
Ali Tadayon
EdSource
4 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
School districts and cities in California are looking to create their own local Wifi networks as a long-term solution to the digital divide, and an alternative to hotspots. Some are even becoming internet service providers themselves (ISP) — efforts, they say, that will make it easier to provide internet access to those who can’t afford it.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-04/guaranteed-income-gains-popularity-after-covid-19
Sarah Holder
Bloomberg
4 January 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Universal Basic Income is gaining popularity across the United States where 11 cities in 2021 are either extending or piloting new programs that provide cash payments without any conditions on how to spend the money. The success of UBI has been detailed in several other cities, most notably in Stockton, California, under Mayor Michael Tubbs who has been voted out but has since launched the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. The coalition of 30 mayors will run experiments by choosing families and individuals facing economic hardship; the ultimate goal being a federal UBI program.
https://www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/20210104/the-largest-classroom-africa-how-text-messages-mean-millions-of-children-can
Laura Joffre
Pioneers Post
4 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
In Sub-Saharan Africa, “almost half of schoolchildren, or a total of 121 million pupils, are unable to access remote learning,” according to a 2020 UNICEF report, an even bigger problem during a pandemic when students can’t access virtual classes. Eneza Education is using texts messages to deliver classes. Their bite-size lessons delivered via text and “Ask a Teacher” feature are providing education to millions of subscribers.
https://www.hcn.org/issues/53.1/south-what-works-rebel-eviction-enforcers-are-helping-tenants-stay-in-their-homes
Gabbriel Schivone
High Country News
1 January 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
Constables tasked with enforcing evictions in Arizona are taking a different approach during the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of forcing residents out and changing the locks, constables are delaying evictions to follow CDC guidelines and providing information to residents for local resources that can help instead. The results of their efforts have led to fewer evictions as well as the creation of the new role of behavioral health specialist, which will help vulnerable tenants access resources.
http://wavepublication.com/foundation-offers-tutoring-opportunities-to-inner-city-youth
Shirley Hawkins
Los Angeles Wave
31 December 2020
Text / Under 800 Words
Ed Center provides tutoring assistance to children from fourth through the 12th grades in South Los Angeles. The center makes tutoring as financially accessible as possible by charging $6.25 for two hours of tutoring and provides full or partial scholarships for families. University students volunteer as tutors The center has helped close to 500 students pursue higher education.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-program-bangladesh-preparing-garment-workers-college-n1240635
Kristi Eaton
NBC News
31 December 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Pathways to Promise is a program helping garment workers in Bangladesh, mostly women and young girls, overcome financial obstacles when pursuing higher education. Pathways, which was started in 2016, helps offset salary loss for enrolled garment worker's, whose families depended on to survive, by providing a stipend. While enrolled, students receive academic preparation, and tutoring, to make it easier for them to transition into college. Since the program's inception, 470 students have enrolled and 25 graduated from its first cohort.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/world/asia/china-poverty-xi-jinping.html
Keith Bradsher
The New York Times
31 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The Chinese government is providing money, livestock, and better homes to successfully help break the cycle of poverty. $700 billion in loans and grants have gone toward the rural poverty alleviation program in addition to investments in infrastructure and job creation. The program is intended for those experiencing extreme poverty in the countryside. Critics predict that the program is unsustainably expensive but the short-term results are promising.
https://hechingerreport.org/while-many-colleges-are-making-big-cuts-a-few-opt-for-permanent-transformation
Jon Marcus
The Hechinger Report
30 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Across the U.S. many colleges and universities adapted their courses and curriculum to meet Covid safety guidelines, but many are seeing the pandemic as a catalyst for the necessary innovation, acceleration, and changes. Unity College in Maine is shifting the traditional semester system into eight, five-week terms both online and in-person, at a much lower price for students. Over in Colorado, Metropolitan State University pivoted its approach by creating a free program to retrain people who lost jobs due to the pandemic.
https://www.propublica.org/article/these-cities-tried-to-tackle-disinvestment-here-are-lessons-from-what-happened
Tony Briscoe
Haru Coryne
ProPublica
30 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Various government policies and programs have been implemented in Black communities facing urban decline but not all of them have been completely successful. Initiatives included: Expanding public transportation, refining tax codes, providing incentives for corporations, and supporting small businesses. The ideas yielded some results but also led to unintended negative consequences.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/chicagos-immigrant-run-corner-stores-striving-for-food-and-racial-justice
Arionne Nettles
Next City
30 December 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
The Corner Store Campaign alleviates food insecurity in Chicago by providing fresh produce and supplies to customers who frequent the neighborhood establishments - typically in places that are more likely to be food deserts. The program is run by Inner city- Muslim Action Network (IMAN) which also seeks to to ease and heal the historically-fraught relationship between immigrant corner store owners and the black communities they typically cater to by partnering with the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative to engage in dialogue about policing and community safety.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/how-tulsa-is-reconnecting-immigrants-and-refugees-to-high-skill-careers
Kristi Eaton
Next City
22 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Skilled immigrants are better able to capitalize on their education and work experience with some help. Initiatives in Massachusetts and Oklahoma aim to help immigrants and refugees navigate complicated higher education systems to better match their previous education with credits in American universities. These programs also help them recognize cultural differences that could affect their job search in addition to increasing “cultural competency” for employers.
https://www.yesmagazine.org/health-happiness/2020/12/22/covid-child-care-essential-workers
Celeste Hamilton Dennis
Yes! Magazine
22 December 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
When the coronavirus pandemic complicated child care options for essential workers, a care work activist in New York devised an initiative to better connect parents with care networks and redistribute money to those who needed it. Although not every facet of the initiative has been successful or sustainable, hundreds of parents have benefitted from the service.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/philadelphias-eviction-diversion-program-extended-after-showing-results
Jared Brey
Next City
22 December 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
Dozens of evictions have been prevented in Philadelphia through a program that calls for mediation between landlord and tenant. The Eviction Diversion Program requires that disputes be worked through before an eviction claim can be filed. The success of the temporary program has led to an extension until March and “the hope is that it will become the new normal.”
http://www.the74million.org/article/nashvilles-navigator-tries-to-keep-students-in-remote-learning-from-getting-lost-in-the-system
Linda Jacobson
The 74
20 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In order to keep track of students and prevent them from dropping out, the Nashville district created “Navigators.” A corps of 5,600 school employees- teachers, lunchroom workers, and bookkeepers, who track students through weekly phone and video calls. The navigators have “completed roughly 220,000 calls to parents and students since school started in August,” each with a caseload of 6 to 12 students. Their conversations have led from everything to helping students complete assignments, to buying groceries, to finding out students are homeless.
https://columbiachronicle.com/rentervention-connects-renters-with-legal-services-virtually
Lauren Leazenby
The Columbia Chronicle
18 December 2020
Text / 800-1500 Words
A chatbox is dispensing free legal advice and even writing and sending letters to landlords to help tenants facing eviction. Landlords typically hire lawyers in eviction cases, while the majority of tenants arrive in court without any legal assistance, leaving them at a distinct disadvantage. The chatbox, cleverly named Rentervention, has been especially busy helping tenants avoid eviction since the start of the pandemic.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/17/us/school-bus-remote-learning-wifi.html
Kathleen Gray
The New York Times
17 December 2020
Multi-Media / Under 800 Words
In Jackson, Michigan, 1 in 5 children have access to wifi through school buses. Out of the roughly 5,000 children, 70 percent qualify for free and reduced lunch. The buses guarantee they have reliable access to the internet during a pandemic. The buses park outside apartment complexes, a homeless shelter, and the rec center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s just one way the school district is adapting to student needs during a health pandemic.
http://minorityreporter.net/momentum-for-adus-as-caregiving-needs-grow
Sarah Taddeo
Tyronda James
Minority Reporter
17 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In parts of California and New York, caregivers are constructing a small, free-standing building on their residential property to better care for loved ones. These structures, known as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), have proved to be a popular option, but the costs to implement the small dwelling are not always accessible to all who are interested. To offset the cost, however, a company in San Jose offers prefabricated modular ADUs.
https://thecounter.org/grassroots-groups-grow-produce-yard-sharing-access-crop-swap
Colleen Hagerty
The Counter
17 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Yard sharing is the latest urban agriculture trend enabling city dwellers to enjoy home-grown produce whether or not they have the space, time, or expertise to grow everything they want. Crop Swap LA is also starting to match people who want to grow a garden - but lack the actual yard - to people who have space but don’t have the knowhow. Their goal is to transform unused space into “micro-farms,” while helping communities of color that typically don’t have access to fresh produce.
https://hechingerreport.org/backpacks-full-of-boulders-how-one-district-is-addressing-the-trauma-undocumented-children-bring-to-school
Kavitha Cardoza
The Hechinger Report
14 December 2020
Text / Over 3000 Words
Prince George's County in Maryland ranks fourth in the country for the number of unaccompanied students with sponsors. Often, these students have experienced a lot of trauma by the time they arrive at school. School officials are using their budget to spend it on resources to help educators and undocumented students succeed academically by hiring trauma specialists, bilingual liaisons, and teacher aides. “The most important reason is it is morally, really spiritually, inappropriate to mistreat the children who come from these families and not give them equal opportunity.”
http://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/howardcenter/caring-for-covid-homeless/stories/homeless-funding-housing-first.html
Audrey Jensen
Jill Ryan
Chloe Jones
Madeline Ackley
Cronkite News - Arizona PBS
14 December 2020
Text / Over 3000 Words
Houston's effort to significantly decrease homelessness was successful due to the overhaul of its previous system which was disjointed, had too many services gaps, and often duplicated services. The new system provides concerted and seamless services in line with the Housing First principles. San Diego's lack of a cohesive plan to carry out the Housing First strategy has left it a lot less effective.
https://dailyyonder.com/internet-companies-dont-want-to-serve-the-clearfork-valley-so-residents-are-working-to-build-their-own-access/2020/12/14
Gabe Schwartzman
The Daily Yonder
14 December 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Community advocates in Clearfork Valley created their own public internet hotspot to bridge the digital divide, especially as the pandemic rendered high-speed internet more of a necessity than a luxury. Broadband companies were reluctant to run fiber-optic cables through the valley because the rural area wouldn't bring in a profit for the internet providers. A small nonprofit, Community Tech, NY, stepped in to help solve the problem by providing Portable Network Kits which provide internet access. Although it creates a small network, it's a huge step toward "stepping onto the technology highway."
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