The Supreme Court cleared the way for cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places on Friday. Read Bishop Eaton’s statement and what it means for Arizona.

Read all about housing in Arizona, from the fourth in a series of education posts about LAMA’s policy priorities. Get up to date on the issues we are advocating on!

ELCA Action Alert: We still haven’t gotten the CTC passed! Keep pressuring congress to make it a priority.

ELCA Advocacy Action Alert: Urge Congress to fully fund WIC and SNAP before March 1!

With tax season underway, urge our Senators to pass a bipartisan tax package that expands the Child Tax Credit!

The CTC passed the House! Read more about how to advocate for this instrumental policy as the Senate prepares to debate it

This urgent ELCA Advocacy Action Alert urges calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 to ensure anti-poverty programs are maintained in the final debt ceiling deal.

In February, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) took new steps toward addressing patterns of segregation and expanding fair access to housing by proposing a change in policy through a proposed rule. Comment by April 10 as it makes its way through the federal rulemaking process.

As homelessness overwhelms downtown Phoenix, a small business wonders how long it can hang on. By Eli Saslow for The New York Times.

LAMA is co-sponsor of the Anti-Hunger Alliance Advocacy Day at the Capitol on March 13th, 2023, from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the Wesley Bolin Plaza. Complimentary lunch included. Please join us!

Lawmakers have a limited window to pass an extension to the Child Tax Credit (CTC), which lapsed at the end of 2021. Last year, the strengthened tax credit helped cut childhood poverty from 9.7 to 5.2 percent! In a year of record inflation and economic uncertainty, the CTC expansion alone kept 2.9 million children out of poverty.

Food insecurity and poverty continue to affect families in the U.S. with young children who are the most vulnerable to hunger. A way to ensure children have the food they need to survive and thrive is to extend the expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC).

The House Build Back Better (BBB) legislation takes important steps to address racial disparities rooted in this nation’s long history of racism and discrimination, which has created large gaps in both opportunities and outcomes in education, employment, health, and housing.

91 percent of families with low incomes (less than $35,000) are using their monthly Child Tax Credit payments for the most basic household expenses — food, clothing, shelter, and utilities — or education.

Nearly 8.5 million people were lifted out of poverty last year, an unprecedented decline in a single year that occurred largely because of the stimulus checks. Poverty in America is defined as a family of four living on less than about $26,250 a year.

Individuals and families need a range of supports to thrive, lead healthy and productive lives, and participate fully in the economy. An interconnected suite of policy interventions that addresses economic stability and family care needs is essential, not only for families’ economic well-being but also to grow and propel a strong economy.