Minnesota

Here is an inspirational story about on this snowy day:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080325.wbc-flowers0325/BNStory/National/home

A third approach identified through the Thriving Communities Guide is Help people meet their urgent needs  This approach focuses on individuals basic needs of food and safe shelter.  Actions that have evolved from this approach include:

• a community starting a food pantry
• starting an emergency shelter in the winter
• programs that deliver food to homebound people
• health care facilities that also provide food and emergency assistance information
• developing a community resource list of where to go for help
• creating a pool of money to help with emergency needs (heating bills, car repairs, etc.)

Read more about this approach on the Everyday Democracy (formerly known as Study Circle Resource Center) website at http://www.everyday-democracy.org/en/Issue.12.aspx

In the second day of revisiting the Thriving Communities Guide I’ll focus on the second approach to reducing poverty, CREATE MORE AND BETTER JOBS.  This approach focuses on helping businesses create jobs, getting rid of barriers to a creating a healthy business climate, and having a workforce that has adequate skills and is paid a livable salary.

Some examples of action taking place around this approach includes:

• holding an “entrepreneurship showcase” to create interest and support for people starting new businesses
• raising funds for a local community owned bank or credit union so they can create a pool of loan money for new businesses
• increase the number of people visiting your community to generate more funds being brought into town
• work with different individuals who have similar independent businesses and create cooperative business entities (like a farmer’s market or a quilt store)

Are there any other ideas your community is doing that fits under this approach?  Let us know!

All of you who went through the Thriving Communities conversations last fall and spring may remember that part of the discussions focused on how communities could actively address poverty reduction.  As new folks have joined in Horizons activities, I’ve noticed some folks who didn’t participate in those conversations ask, what specifically can we do to reduce poverty?   what are other community’s doing?

Read more here… (more…)

The next in a series of articles dealing with families and financial health.  You can access the website through this link

http://www.extension.umn.edu/MoneyEveryDay/ToughTimes.html 

Website Engages Presidential Candidates

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity: Foundations Ask the Presidential Candidates What They’ll Do for America, an initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Eos Foundation, was created to build momentum for national action addressing poverty in 2009. The initiative has invited the presidential candidates to answer five questions concerning poverty and economic opportunity. Spotlight will also seek to provide other opportunities for the candidates to set forth their views on these important issues, including a forum in Washington, DC in May 2008. Recent reports, analyses, and data on poverty and opportunity, profiled on the Spotlight website, will be readily available to policy makers. Visit the website listed above for details on the initiative.