Women

The Unheard Story of Employment — Shouldn't having a full-time job mean not having to live in poverty?

Posted on by Debbie Billet-Roumell

Unemployment has been a particularly relevant topic in this time of economic downturn, and it garnered even more attention last week when the Department of Labor released its latest numbers that showed unemployment hit 10.2 percent in October.

It’s true that unemployment is a major concern that will affect thousands of residents in the District and even more across the nation.  But while media and individuals worry about joblessness, an important story is going unheard.  It is the story of a DC woman who works hard to provide for her kids.  Forty hours a week, 50 weeks a year she comes into her office and works diligently.  Unlike so many who are unemployed, she has a steady, full-time, year-round job.  And yet, she and her children still live in poverty.

The DC Women’s Agenda’s latest report uses census numbers from the 2008 American Community Survey to demonstrate how women in DC still face economic disparity.  Perhaps the most shocking finding of all in this report is that just over six percent of single woman-headed households where the woman has a full-time, year-round job still live in poverty.  Furthermore, one in five women-headed households where the woman works (either part-time or full time) live in poverty as well.

The report details many other areas where women fall behind in economic equality.  The median income of a man working full time in DC is 17 percent higher than that of a woman full time ($43,391 versus $36,987).  At each level of educational attainment from graduate degrees to high school, men earn more money than women.  Compare median earnings of $65,432 for a man with a bachelor’s degree versus median earnings of $50,995 for a woman who also holds a bachelor’s degree.  I hope these findings will inspire our leaders to take action on the economic situation of women in the District.

Of course it is important to be concerned about unemployment.  We all want to work in an economy where men and women can find steady, fairly-compensated work to provide for themselves and their families.  But we need an economy that works for everyone – where women don’t face gender-based discrimination.  We need an economy where the mother who works year-round at her full-time job doesn’t struggle with the bills every month because although she is employed, she lives below the poverty line.

We need employment for everyone that truly means economic security.

To view the full report, visit www.wowonline.org.

Debbie Billet-Roumell is coordinator of the D.C. Women’s Agenda.  You can contact her for more information at DBRoumell@wowonline.com.

D.C. Government Slashes Funding for Some of the City's Most Vulnerable Women

Posted on by Kris Thompson

Days after the District made the shocking announcement that $20 million had been cut from the homeless services budget for the 2010 fiscal year, advocates and organizations that provide shelter for the homeless are still reeling. One of The Women’s Foundation grantee partners is reaching out for help – as winter approaches and the organizations that assist the homeless face a crisis.

Calvary Women’s Services was notified Monday, September 28, by The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness (TCP) that contract funding for Calvary would be cut by nearly $75,000 beginning October 1st.  These funds support safe housing and other services for 150 homeless women each year.  TCP is an independent, non-profit corporation that coordinates DC’s Continuum of Care homeless services.

Calvary is one of many social service providers notified of cuts to their existing contracts. Emergency, transitional and supported permanent housing programs were all targeted as the city attempted to close an ever-widening budget gap.  The impact of these cuts on the overall homeless services system is going to be severe, with some housing programs reducing their services and others likely closing programs. 

Although these cuts may provide some immediate relief to the city’s budget problems, the real impact of the cuts will be felt by those in need of safe housing and support services.  Women who have already lost their jobs in this economic crisis will have fewer services and housing options available to them. These cuts will make women who are already at-risk much more likely to end up living on the streets or in unsafe situations.

The women who come to programs like Calvary are survivors of violence, women struggling with mental illness, and women working to overcome addictions.  At Calvary we make sure they have access to all of the services they need to address these challenges – in addition to providing a safe place to live.

We know that programs like ours work.  Every five days a woman moves out of Calvary and into her own home.

We have always relied on the support of both public funding and private donations to make our programs possible.  In the past, supporters have helped us close gaps like this one, and I am hopeful that the community will step up once again.  But I am also concerned that this gap may be too wide for our generous donors to close.

The coming months will be challenging ones for organizations like Calvary, as we try to find ways to continue to provide women in this community with critical, life changing services.  More so, they will be challenging months for women who need services like ours, as they face closed doors and reduced services at programs across the city.

 You can make a difference.  Support Calvary – or another agency facing these cuts – today. 

 Volunteer, donate or learn more at www.calvaryservices.org.

Kris Thompson is the Executive Director of Calvary Women’s Services, recognized as a 2009 Leadership Awardee by The Women’s Foundation.  Learn more about them on their Web site or on Facebook.

Stepping Stones Research Update – September 2009

Posted on by Mariah Craven

We’ve partnered with The Urban Institute to provide continuing information and resources related to the goals of Stepping Stones. Below you’ll find a summary of the latest research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families. This research is summarized and compiled for The Women’s Foundation by Liza Getsinger of The Urban Institute, NeighborhoodInfo DC.

The following are excerpts of the research update.  For the full update, including summarized key findings, click here.

Financial Education and Wealth Creation News
The median household income in the District of Columbia rose from $56,400 in 2007 to $57,900 in 2008, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey; however, DC residents with the lowest levels of education saw their incomes fall significantly from 2007 to 2008. (Full text)

Jobs and Business Ownership News
One fifth of all families with children are headed by working single mothers. The families of single mothers have a high poverty rate – 28.3 percent. The persistent gender wage gap continues: in 2007, women who worked full-time, year-round earned only 78 cents for every dollar earned by full-time, year-round male workers. These findings suggest that a number of changes in policy and practice are needed to improve women’s earnings. You can read the details about these findings by clicking here.

Child Care and Early Education News
A new Child Trends research brief explores the issues that judges consider when making decisions about termination of parental rights (TPR) and adoption of foster children. Several judges reported that the absence of TPR limits the adoption recruitment efforts of the child welfare agency. Some judges report a need for more discussions with older children to explore and address their concerns about adoption. (Full text)

Health and Safety News
Today, there are about 1.1 million people with HIV/AIDS living in the U.S., including nearly 280,000 women. Women of color, particularly black women, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. The impact of HIV on younger women is particularly notable – more than 6 in 10 new HIV infections among women were among those ages 13-39 in 2006. 76% of women with HIV/AIDS who were receiving medical care had children under 18 in their homes, which may complicate their ability to manage their illness. (Full text)

Other News and Research
The Urban Institute surveyed District permanent supportive housing (PSH) agencies and specific PSH projects. The research includes a look at how the District might move forward toward fulfilling its commitment to create 2,500 new units of PSH and eliminate chronic homelessness. (Full text)

How about Cars for People Who Need Them But Can't Afford Them Day?

Posted on by Gwen Rubinstein

Today is Car Free Day, an international event celebrated every September 22nd that encourages people to leave their car at home.  Our region signed on last year and is participating again this year.

Car Free Day is intended to highlight transit, bicycling, walking and all alternative modes of transportation and take cars off the road so people can think about what their region, city or neighborhood might be like with fewer cars.

I want to propose a different type of car day: Cars for People Who Need Them but Can’t Afford to Buy, Insure or Maintain Them Day.

I know, I know – it’s not as catchy.

It’s not that I’m opposed to Car Free Day. 

I celebrate it nearly every day because I don’t own a car.  I am a big fan of public transportation (I commute by bus) and walking.  But I live and work in parts of town with rich public transportation options.

The frustrating truth is that many low-income residents in our region – especially low-income, women-headed families East of the River and in Prince George’s County – actually need more access to private transportation to be able to work and take care of their families.

According to Census data, nearly half (48%) of all non-elderly poor in the District lived in households without a car.  They participate in Car Free Day every day but not all willingly.

Car ownership programs for low-income families and individuals have demonstrated their effectiveness by producing significant income and asset gains for participants. Programs in our region, like Vehicles for Change, and national programs like Ways to Work and its local partners Northern Virginia Family Service (a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation) and Family Matters of Greater Washington need and deserve support.

I hope we can all agree that our region’s transportation challenges call for multifaceted solutions beyond just “more people should take public transportation.”

Gwen Rubinstein is a Program Officer at The Women’s Foundation.

DCWA: FY2010 D.C. budget does not meet women's needs.

Posted on by Debbie Billet-Roumell

The DC Women’s Agenda has completed an analysis of the funding levels of particular programs in the FY 2010 DC budget and their impact on women in D.C.

The report concludes, "Women in DC are in trouble. They disproportionately live in poverty and struggle to live within their incomes without adequate public supports. This analysis demonstrates that important social programs and offices – the Local Rent Supplement Program, Childcare and Education programs, TANF, Domestic Violence programs, and the OWPI – do not receive sufficient funds to support women in DC."

View the full report.

Debbie Billet-Roumell is the coordinator of the DC Women’s Agenda, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation that is a coalition of advocacy organizations, service providers, and individuals working to promote the advancement of equality, safety and well-being for women and girls in the District.  It is chaired by the DC Employment Justice Center and Wider Opportunities for Women.  For more information, please contact Debbie Billet-Roumell, Coordinator, DC Women’s Agenda at DBRoumell@wowonline.org or 202-464-1596.

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending September 18, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

For daily updates and links to past articles, check out “Women and Poverty.” It’s a new section of our site with a comprehensive collection of recent news and analysis on women and poverty.

Along with these daily updates, continue to visit TheWomensFoundation.org for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty every Friday.

Here’s this week’s news:

• The Chicago Tribune relates the story of Stacey Wolf, who met math standards needed to pursue a nursing career at community college, a rarity among low-income women.

• In an opinion article published in the Huffington Post, the President of Washington Area Women’s Foundation, Phyllis Caldwell, states that recent Census numbers indicating a rise in poverty failed to communicate that women and girls make up the majority of America’s impoverished.

• The Chicago Tribune reports the findings of a study in which Duke University researchers found that low-income mothers are more likely to abuse their children.

• Despite being sixty-one and homeless, Terri Mace is determined to earn her GED by taking classes in a local shelter, as told in the Des Moines Register.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Women in Poverty: The Untold Story.

Posted on by Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to record a commentary for NPR regarding the release of new census data showing that 2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty last year.

While the official press release stated that there was no statistical change in the poverty rate for female-headed families, the reality is that 4.2 million such families are impoverished. 

That means that nearly a third of all female-headed households live in poverty—a number that shoots up to 40 percent for black and Hispanic families headed by single mothers.

The statistics are staggering when you consider that:

  • A fifth of all girls are poor;
  • 13 percent of adult women live in poverty;
  • Almost twice as many elderly women as elderly men are impoverished;
  • Real earnings for women dropped 2 percent to $35,745, compared with a 1 percent decline for men to $46,367;
  • The unemployment rate for female-headed families is 12.2 percent, compared to 7.1 percent for married men; and,
  • 43.5 percent of children living in female-headed households are poor, compared to 9.9 percent of children living in married couple households.

Despite what should be jaw-dropping statistics, few in the mainstream media have talked about the female face of poverty today.

There is an untold story not only in the numbers themselves, but also in what’s behind the numbers.

It is the story of the millions of women who face insurmountable odds and yet every day, bit-by-bit, they are working to beat those odds and create a better life for themselves and their children.

They are women like Lee, a single mother who fled domestic violence and entered a shelter program with her 5-year-old son. She secured a job with a local retail store and through the shelter received financial education to develop a budget and begin restoring her credit. She worked to relieve medical debt totaling $2,211.  As a result of free tax preparation services, she received a $3,640 refund that was used to further pay down debt and deposit more than $2,000 in her savings account. She is now taking placement tests toward pursuing a degree in emergency medical services.

While Washington Area Women’s Foundation is very proud of the work we’re doing to improve the lives of women like Lee through our Stepping Stones initiative, we know that it’s not enough.

In his final letter to President Obama, the late Senator Edward Kennedy referred to health care reform as “above all a moral issue.”

I would argue that reducing poverty among women and their children is also a moral issue and that everyone needs to be part of the solution.

What will you do?

Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat is The Women’s Foundation’s Vice President of Programs.

Weekly Round Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending September 11, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

For daily updates and links to past articles, check out “Women and Poverty.”  It’s a new section of our site with a comprehensive collection of recent news and analysis on women and poverty.

Along with these daily updates, continue to visit www.TheWomensFoundation.org for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty every Friday.

Here’s this week’s news:

• The Times-Picayune features an article about how the young people in the Little Zion Baptist Church service group volunteer in women’s shelters and help to organize poor neighborhoods in New Orleans.

• The Chicago Tribune reported that the St. Paul Diaper Bank Partnership will soon be distributing diapers to low-income single mothers and families in McHenry County.

• In the wake of the President’s healthcare speech last week, the issue of the public option funding abortions, especially for low-income and uninsured women, seems to have been resolved, according to the New York Times.

• Homeless women moved out of a Salvation Army emergency winter shelter to provide room for the men who occupy it during the colder months, as told by the Charlotte Observer.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

WPI releases personal reflections from giving circle founders, including African American Women's Giving Circle!

Posted on by Andrea Pactor

Personal reflections from women founders of the early giving circles are included in a new booklet just released by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

Among the 18 interviews in Women’s Giving Circles: Reflections from the Founders is Lynn McNair’s story of her involvement with the African American Women’s Giving Circle at Washington Area Women’s Foundation.

Check out all the stories and learn more about Lynn’s personal experiences with the giving circle here.  These stories complement existing information about giving circles and add a personal connection to this vibrant form of giving.

Andrea Pactor is Associate Director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.  She has worked with the Women’s Philanthropy Institute for four years and helps to further understanding of women’s philanthropy through research, education, and knowledge dissemination.

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending September 4, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

For daily updates and links to past articles, check out “Women and Poverty.” It’s a new section of our site with a comprehensive collection of recent news and analysis on women and poverty.

Along with these daily updates, continue to visit TheWomensFoundation.org for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty every Friday.

Here’s this week’s news:

•  The New York Times profiles nine-year old Charity Crowell, one of more than one million students whose family is homeless as a result of eviction and foreclosure.

•  The Times-Picayune reports that Mark and Brenda Gebhardt are opening up the Danielle Inn, a home for unwed, expectant mothers. The Gebhardts hope to provide help and education for homeless pregnant women, especially those who are in desperate situations.

• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlights the accomplishments of Zicuria Ussery, a low-income student who has started her own smoothie business and was selected as a finalist in the 2009 OppenheimerFunds/National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge.

•  Planned Parenthood of Indiana announced that it will close a clinic in Indianapolis along with four others due to loss of funding, as reported in the Indianapolis Star.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.