When advocating for and with the poor in Ohio, you often need information that is specific to the state of Ohio and the county in which you live. It helps to have a network of support in your efforts as you try to impact policies that affect the lives of those we serve. Here is a list of some resources you may find helpful.
Advocates for Ohio's Future - Advocates for Ohio’s Future promotes health and human service budget and policy solutions so that all Ohioans live better lives (from the Advocates for Ohio's Future web site). Some specific resources that you may find helpful include:
Ohio Poverty Snapshot Resource Card (2016)
The High Cost of Being Poor in Ohio (September 2016)
Too Many Ohioans Remain in Poverty (October 2015)
State Budget Advocacy (2015) - Even if we do not agree with all points in the budget advocacy plan by Advocates for Ohio's Future, the work they have done with important poverty issues is a great starting place. This information, along with knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching, and our own experiences from our home visits will powerfully inform any action we take when we advocate for a fair biennial budget.
Budget Solutions for a Safe, Healthy, and Thriving Ohio (2015)
Webinar: Working and Poor: The State of Poverty in Ohio (October 2015)
The Center for Community Solutions - The Center for Community Solutions provides strategic leadership and organizes community resources to improve health, social, and economic conditions through applied demographic research, nonpartisan policy analysis and advocacy, and communication (from the Center for Community Solutions web site).
Health and Human Services County Profiles (2016)
Annual Checkup: Digging into Ohio Medicaid’s SFY16 Report
Ohio Poverty Law Center - The Ohio Poverty Law Center is a nonprofit law office advocating for policies to protect and expand the legal rights of low-income Ohioans.
Low Income Housing Tax Credit - On August 16, 2016, a group of legal aid organizations and fair housing groups released a report by Abt Associates, a national research firm with expertise in housing. The report concluded that almost all affordable rental housing developed through the LIHTC program for families has been placed in highly-segregated, high poverty areas of Ohio. The LIHTC program has also cut back on the development of housing that serves families with children, which affects families in Ohio’s Appalachian and rural areas also suffering from a severe lack of safe and affordable housing (from the Ohio Poverty Law Center web site).
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act - Because every person deserves the opportunity to succeed in work and to support themselves and their families, the Ohio Poverty Law Center is working on the state level to ensure that WIOA is implemented as intended. We are advocating for policies so that individuals with low incomes, low skills and multiple barriers to employment get the support and services they need to succeed in the job market and careers (from the Ohio Poverty Law Center web site). Also included is a Toolkit for Making Opportunity Work and additional documents with contacts.