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ADVOCACY
Through Service, Education and Advocacy
Education and Advocacy are the final words of Interfaith Works mission statement. And we take it seriously. As you partner with us in our programs through service, we ask that you partner with us to change systems that don't work. We must look at the systemic causes of poverty, and serve as advocates, seeking to remove regulatory and legislative barriers that unfairly impact fragile, vulnerable neighbors and discover new solutions for working poor families struggling to make ends meet in our County. Become a part of our Advocacy team!
View our 2010 State Legislative Priorities.
Read a 2010 letter from our Executive Director to Governor O'Malley.
Interfaith Works Endorses MD Health Care for All Plan!
Over the past 4 years, IW has endorsed various parts of the Health Care for All Plan. Last year we endorsed a bill which passed that provided for adults with children earning 116% of poverty to be covered. In addition, the bill provided for a pool to be developed to help small businesses provide insurance for their employees. As a result, there are currently 47,000 more children and adults in Maryland with health care insurance coverage. Legislation providing for insurance for low income adults without children was passed, but is tied to Maryland's revenue status and is on hold.
Key components of the revised plan are that it:
- Guarantees everyone access to the quality, affordable health care they need
and deserve.
- Anticipates a 10% reduction in everyone's premium through 100%
participation.
- Makes health care more affordable for all individuals and businesses in MD.
- Allows small businesses and individuals to pool their numbers and resources
to get better health care deals.
There are more important objectives in the plan, and while we expect it will be modified based on national health care legislation, we are excited to be part of the many in Maryland who will work for these objectives over the next few years.
Now, you can do a world of good by joining our:
Action E-Alert
Join IW in making sure your voice is heard. Sign up to get an E-Alert when
your involvement can make a difference.
Tell a Friend
Send a note to a friend to let them know about this site!
Web Sticker
Put our "Write to Congress" web sticker on YOUR web site!
Take Action on Safety Net Issue with the County Council
The County Council is deliberating budget priorities during these next weeks and your voice must be heard. IW is a member of the Safety Net Coalition, and we are One Voice for the Vulnerable. Our message is clear: protect the vulnerable from budget cuts. One of the key reasons why many working poor Marylanders are struggling to stay in their homes is because of the high cost of housing. Due to this increasing problem of the lack of affordable housing, efforts were made by asking our Governor Martin O'Malley to increase the Rental Housing Fund.
Click here to read more about this effort.
Read about Interfaith Works efforts to support our most vulnerable neighbors as we ask our County Executive Isiah Leggett not to cut the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services budget. So many more in our community are falling off the cliff as they become more financially strapped in these harsh economic times. We cannot afford a cut the services for those in need. Click here to read a Letter from our Executive Director, Rebecca Wagner.
Why Advocate?
It is a myth that rich counties don't have poor people. Montgomery County has 50,000 people living below the Federal Poverty Level, and one-third of them are children.
- More than one in four children (36,000) are eligible for free and reduced prices meals in our public school system
- 35% of the low-wage working parents have no health insurance
- 40% of renters spend more than 25% of their income on housing
- 17,000 people are on the waiting list for subsidized housing vouchers, which will do little to help locate affordable housing in a market with a 3% vacancy rate.
The Community Action Board of Montgomery County has recently reported that the Minimum Standard of Need in Montgomery County (now called the self sufficiency standard) indicates a family of three (parent, infant and preschooler) needs $62,146 per year to meet basic needs: rent, utilities, food, clothing, transportation, childcare, and health insurance. The provider for this family must make $29.83 an hour to meet minimal needs without subsidies. There are 38,211 families living under that minimum standard of need - and 37,790 children in those families.
If you think changing the system is important, then you should become apart of Interfaith Works Education and Advocacy work. We give voice to our low-income neighbors by helping communities move together toward a common vision of social justice and developing congregation and stakeholder participation in the policy making process. Our challenge is to make our priorities, the priorities of our community and our elected officials.
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