Bold ideas for racial & economic justice

Since the overturning of Roe vs. Wade in 2022, many low-income women have nowhere to turn: they face the economic repercussions of being denied abortion care and lack access to the support they need to care for a growing family. This brief looks at how abortion bans and insufficient public benefits at the state level affect women and families. It finds that states with abortion bans often do not provide enough supportive resources for growing families, like health care, food assistance, and cash support. The brief also offers federal policy recommendations to help families meet their everyday needs—no matter what state they live in.

Eliminating poverty in America is within reach, and a reimagined Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is key to achieving it. TANF can provide critical support to low-income families, but systemic barriers—like work requirements, complex applications, and inadequate cash assistance—limit its effectiveness. This fact sheet outlines how transforming TANF to focus on direct cash support, racial and gender equity, and reducing administrative burdens can improve the economic well-being of millions of low-income families and address the deep-rooted inequalities that disproportionately affect communities of color.

Medicaid-funded home- and community-based services make it possible for people with disabilities and older adults to live in their own homes and communities, where most people prefer to live. A long-standing direct care worker shortage, caused by low pay and poor working conditions and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, threatens access to direct care. State and local governments are innovating to respond to the care crisis. This brief highlights a selection of state best practices to improve wages for direct care workers in Medicaid-funded HCBS programs and help solve the workforce crisis. By raising wages, providing good benefits, and increasing job quality for direct care workers, who are disproportionately women and women of color, states can start to build a direct care system in which all consumers, workers, and families can thrive.

Sixty years ago, our nation started something bold, but it remains unfinished. We should recommit to the bold vision of the war on poverty by learning from our successes and mistakes. Women should be the center of a new national poverty agenda. When policies support women, they support everyone, and together, we can build a country where every individual has the freedom to reach their full potential—and flourish.

Thriving communities depend on a strong early childhood education system—one where both young children and members of the workforce are served and supported. Some states are changing credential requirements for ECE teachers, but many early childhood educators face significant barriers to economic security and continuing education—all while supporting children, parents, and their communities with specialized education services. Our new report with The Institute for College Access and Success examines the racial equity implications of policies that increase credential requirements for ECE jobs. Featuring case studies of California and Washington, D.C., the report offers policy ideas for protecting educators and advancing racial and economic equity, including flexibility and support for incumbent workers, wage increases, and low-cost options for obtaining new credentials.