Recently introduced legislation would bolster Work First New Jersey, the state's premier anti-poverty program.
New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, discusses legislation to bolster the state's premier anti-poverty program, Work First New Jersey, during a press conference on April 26, 2022.A vital safety net for New Jersey families living in deep poverty is shrinking even as the number of residents in need continues to grow amid rising costs and an ongoing pandemic, said advocates.
“In one of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest nation on earth, poverty is a policy choice,” Holom-Trundy said. “We can and must do better.” Federal lawmakers built the program with the goal of lifting families out of poverty through work, but it was influenced by harmful narratives that have permeated U.S. policymaking for more than a century, said Renee Koubiadis, Anti-Poverty Program director at“It was based on ideas about families in deep poverty that have been around throughout our nation’s history, and it included a number of punitive measures that harm families, especially families of color,” Koubiadis told NJ Advance Media.
To make matters tougher, annual federal funding for the program has not changed in 26 years, and inflation has reduced the real value of those dollars by 40%. But advocates say more reforms are needed to address the racial and socio-economic inequities that serve to keep families of all ethnicities in deep poverty.
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