United Way of California

Contact:
Beylah Marks
United Ways of California
bmarks@unitedwaysca.org 
(408) 718-6274

Nearly one in three California families are struggling to cover their daily needs, according to a new study released by United Ways of California that defines which families struggle financially in California more accurately than the federal poverty level, and demonstrates that the current policy debates around child care, housing costs, and family tax credits are more urgent than ever.

The study, Struggling to Move Up: The Real Cost Measure in California 2021, finds that the share of families that struggle financially is 2.5 times higher in California than what is factored in the federal government’s measure. It amounts to 3.5 million families who are unable to meet basic needs — a situation affecting Latino and Black households at much higher rates than other communities. The federal government uses an outdated formula for calculating poverty — one that fails to take into account how much rent, transportation, healthcare, and other basic needs cost in California.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Contact:

Anna Hasselblad, Public Policy Director

United Ways of California

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 916-317-4997

Cadonna Dory, Director of Communications

Children’s Defense Fund-CA

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 323-385-6342

Advocates call for targeted assistance for Californians who have been excluded from federal stimulus, building on the state’s investments in the CalEITC and Golden State Stimulus

(Sacramento, CA) — For months, the California Legislature has been debating and voting on a wide range of budget investments and so far there have been some truly incredible measures taken to invest in the financial security of California’s most vulnerable communities. Advocates from the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) Coalition praise the actions taken this year to shore up households that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, but note that more targeted, equity-based investments are still needed. 

The CalEITC is one of the state’s most powerful tools to combat poverty and it is critically important for the state to invest in its growth. This is why advocates championed SB 691 (Rubio) which would have provided an additional $100 in CalEITC benefits for people who use an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) and reducing the income eligibility for the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) from $1 to $0 to avoid bureaucratic hurdles for this population. Funding to expand these credits is not included in the budget deal outlined by the Legislature today, and remains a critical issue for low-income households, not only to recover from the pandemic’s economic hardships, but also as ongoing equity measures for families. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Contact:

Anna Hasselblad, Public Policy Director

United Ways of California

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 916-317-4997

(Sacramento, CA) - California legislators approved a $15 million investment in CalEITC Outreach and Free Tax Preparation Assistance (FTPA) to leverage one of our state’s most powerful poverty-fighting tools, the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC). United Ways of California enthusiastically applauds this action and urges Governor Newsom to approve this funding in the final budget agreement. 

This investment in outreach and free tax filing assistance comes after weeks of intense deliberation by the Senate and Assembly and months of advocates pushing for targeted investments to ensure more households are aware of and can get help filing their taxes to claim these credits. This funding will emphasize reaching and assisting California’s immigrant and underserved communities, who have been hit especially hard during the economic crisis brought forth by COVID-19. This decision redresses a failure to fund free tax filing assistance in last year’s budget, and in addition, it calls for this funding to be “ongoing,” which would remove uncertainty about the continuation of the program. The $15 million in ongoing annual funding will be allocated for CalEITC Outreach and FTPA grants to qualified community partners.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

CONTACT

Anna Hasselblad, Public Policy Director

United Ways of California 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 877.355.8922 x15

(Sacramento, Calif.) - Yesterday, both the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees agreed to build on lessons learned from California’s successful Healthy Start program, an integrated model for supporting children in receiving the services they need to thrive through local school-community collaboratives. The Healthy Start program provided grants to schools to develop wrap-around services, yielding dramatic results for children in increased reading and math scores, reduced substance use, and higher graduation rates, from its inception in 1991 until the latter part of 2007-2008, when it was ultimately defunded as a result of the Great Recession and its economic pressures. The Healthy Start program led to the development of similar models, such as community schools, across the state. Now, the Healthy Start framework will be the foundation for the Governor's historic $2 billion proposal for a Community Schools Partnership Program that will transform how child and family-serving systems work together to support healthy development.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Monday, May 10, 2021

Contact:

Anna Hasselblad
Public Policy Director, United Ways of California
916 317 4997 

Advocates come together to praise this move, outline a bold and equitable proposal to build on the Administration’s May Revision, and craft a vision for inclusive economic hardship relief

[Los Angeles, Calif.] - California is facing record budget revenues and Governor Newsom’s proposal today to expand the Golden State Stimulus makes powerful use of a portion of this windfall. Advocates from the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC) Coalition are heartened by the May Revision proposal, knowing that this is a starting point for negotiations within the Legislature. The CalEITC Coalition looks forward to working with legislators and the Governor to ensure those most impacted by the pandemic are equitably supported and that our community voice is heard throughout this process.