Virginia Governor Candidate Says It’s Time To ‘Treat Poverty Like the Emergency It Is’
Jennifer Carroll Foy is a former public defender and state legislator who wants to overhaul school funding and extend an eviction moratorium until the end of 2022.
Eoin Higgins Feb 24, 2021
Compton Joins the Growing Number of U.S. Cities to Launch a Guaranteed Income Program
The California city began distributing out up to $600 monthly to low-income residents.
Jerry Iannelli Jan 28, 2021
Against CDC Guidance, Denver Displaces Hundreds Of Homeless People Amid COVID-19 Spike
Cities across the country have continued to displace and criminalize homelessness during the pandemic, though the CDC cautions clearing encampments can heighten the potential for the spread of COVID-19.
Meg O'Connor Dec 02, 2020
Philadelphia Housing Advocates Declare Victory After Monthslong Battle With City
The city will give advocates 50 vacant homes to be used for permanent housing for low-income residents, according to a tentative agreement.
Joshua Vaughn Sep 29, 2020
The Federal Government Is Failing Communities Suffering From Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is not an acute emergency, but rather a chronic condition for low-income Americans that existed long before the current public health emergency.
Ona Balkus Sep 22, 2020
The Role of Police in Gentrification
A lawsuit alleges Breonna Taylor died because Louisville was trying to arrest its way toward economic redevelopment. Research shows this is common.
Brenden Beck Aug 04, 2020
People Are About To Be Pushed Into Homelessness On A Large Scale. Hotels Are Key To Keeping Them Off The Streets.
Tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County are at high risk for becoming homeless after the temporary halt on evictions is lifted—one of the largest mass displacements the region has ever seen.
Ananya Roy, Jonny Coleman Jul 17, 2020
The Pandemic Shows It’s Time for an Alternative to American Capitalism
The nation has an opportunity to take advantage of this transformative event and pursue an alternative to the current system.
David A. Love Jun 30, 2020
Universal Basic Income Is A Path To A More Just Economy. One California City Is Already Seeing Positive Results.
The pandemic is making it clear that it’s time to radically rethink the social contract.
Amy Castro Baker, Stacia Martin-West May 04, 2020
Governors Who Are Banding Together on Pandemic Response Should Adopt Universal Basic Income
The federal government is not going to lead the way on addressing the economic pain caused by the shutdowns. But states have the power to do something about it now.
David A. Love May 01, 2020
Housing Is A Human Right. It Should Not Be Predicated On The Money In One’s Pocket.
There are certain universal human needs that any governing structure — from local to federal — is responsible for. Among these are housing, healthcare, education, public parks, clean water, and clean air — the things that make life beautiful. These needs touch every single living being and as such, are non-negotiable. They do not belong on the open market.
Molly Beckhardt, Paul Boden, June LS Apr 24, 2020
The Battle to Convert California Hotels into Housing Has Begun
Elected officials need to stop making excuses for not getting unhoused people into hotel rooms.
Jonny Coleman Apr 24, 2020
Black Women Have Long Faced Racism in Healthcare. COVID-19 Is Only Amplifying It.
A Brooklyn teacher tried three times to get treatment for the coronavirus. Now she’s fighting for her life.
Erin Clare Brown Apr 10, 2020
The Coronavirus Food Bank Crisis Is Already Underway
In Austin and across the country, service providers are dealing with spikes in demand, new logistical challenges, and mounting uncertainty about the months ahead.
Jay Willis Apr 06, 2020
Congress Failed to Make Cash Assistance Universal. Now Local Governments Must Step Up
There’s still a chance to make sure some of the most vulnerable people can benefit from the federal stimulus bill.
Yonah Freemark Mar 31, 2020
As the Coronavirus Pandemic Worsens, Olympia’s Homeless Community Scrambles for Support
The COVID-19 crisis is shining a light on America’s worsening housing crisis and limited resources for response.
Mara Kardas-Nelson Mar 27, 2020
Another Reason To End Prison Gerrymandering: To Identify And Invest In Neighborhoods Most Affected By Incarceration
A new report from the Prison Policy Initiative and VOCAL-NY analyzes residence data for incarcerated people and uses it to look at how incarceration relates to community well-being
Vaidya Gullapalli Feb 28, 2020
What Kim Ogg Gets Wrong About Work, Poverty, and Crime
The attitude behind the Harris County district attorney’s message to ‘put down your gun and pick up an employment application’ is outdated.
Jessica Pishko Feb 19, 2020
The Damage Done By Foster Care Systems
Children who have been in foster care, especially those who have been subjected to multiple moves, are at a high risk of ending up incarcerated.
Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 18, 2019
Trump Makes The Most Important Anti-Hunger Program Harder To Access For People Leaving Prison
A rule restricting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will have profound consequences for people with criminal legal system involvement.
Vaidya Gullapalli Dec 05, 2019
In Pennsylvania, Detention as a First Option
Heavy reliance on pretrial incarceration in Berks County subjects people to poor medical care and unsanitary and unsafe conditions.
Joshua Vaughn Jun 14, 2019
Pleading Guilty to Get Out of Jail
The criminalization of poverty in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, has led to a staggering increase in incarcerated people, all at a huge cost for defendants and taxpayers alike.
Joshua Vaughn Jun 06, 2019
How Fines and Fees Criminalize Poverty: Explained
In Georgia, a man stole a can of beer worth $2 from a corner store. The court ordered him to wear an ankle monitor for a year. The company administering it, Sentinel Offender Services, charged him so much money that he eventually owed more than $1,000. Trying to keep up with his payments, he sold plasma, but he fell behind and the judge jailed him for non-payment.
Jessica Brand Jul 16, 2018
Municipal courts in Colorado are a mess, and they’re not alone
North of the New Mexico border sits Alamosa Municipal Court. An unassuming brick building with a terra cotta roof, the local court looks like a sleepy place you might duck into to pay a traffic ticket. Yet the mostly poor Alamosa residents who appear before Judge Daniel Powell are routinely denied counsel, face jail because […]
Rebecca McCray Oct 06, 2017
#SwipeItForward & the Decriminalization of Farebeating in New York City
Activists in New York City are engaging in profound acts of resistance against over-policing in the subways. Politicians are listening, but are they really hearing them?
Jocelyn Simonson Aug 30, 2017
The bail bond company financing Brooklyn DA candidate Eric Gonzalez
Eric Gonzalez has a longstanding reputation as a “pure district attorney” and criminal justice reformer. Before assuming his position as the Brooklyn District Attorney in 2016, following the death of much-beloved predecessor Ken Thompson, Gonzalez worked on a policy to scale back the prosecution of low-level marijuana offenders. He also assisted in the creation and implementation of a […]
Carimah Townes Aug 02, 2017
Davidson County, TN’s cash bail system under scrutiny
The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee and the Civil Rights Corpsare calling for an end to cash bail in Davidson County, a practice that keeps thousands of people locked up every year because they are poor. Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee, and Alec Karakatsanis, executive director of Civil Rights Corps, wrote in an op-ed that […]
Jul 19, 2017
Manhattan D.A. pledges to curtail prosecutions of subway fare jumpers, but it’s complicated
For decades people who’ve jumped over the turnstiles in the New York subway system have faced arrest and being charged with criminal “theft of services.” But New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance recently announced that his office would no longer pursue criminal charges against most people for fare evasion, and would instead seek to send them […]
Larry Hannan Jul 17, 2017