Public Policy Chronicled
The Public Policy Department at United Way for Southeast Michigan would like to share attributions of the public policy process. It is difficult to measure our impact; sharing stories about our work may help communicate the work we are doing, our advocacy, mobilization, engagement and how we strive to effect laws and policies in order to truly change community conditions.
We learned at one of the Town Halls last week that SNAP benefits are worth double the value at farmers markets at Eastern Market! Spread the word.
Many people find themselves in jobs that are not going anywhere, being phased out, or in an industry that is declining. In my case, I hit a glass ceiling with no chance of movement or growth. I saw a bleak future with little to look forward to. I started to evaluate what interested me. I had always liked volunteering and working in the public sector seemed to be a better match for me; helping people, making a difference, feeling good at the end of the day.
I learned about the No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) program that offered financial support to those who were left jobless due to the economy, were in jobs that were declining or to those that needed help in low earning positions. The NWLB program was created as a strategy to transition workers into good paying jobs and occupations in high demand or in emerging industries. This program still pays participants $5000 per year for up to two years at a college, university or training facility for qualifying occupational paths.
Needless to say, I capitalized on the available funds to change my path and since I entered the NWLB program in 2007 I have earned my Master of Public Administration from Wayne State University and transitioned from the private industry as a waitress/manager of a small bar and restaurant to working in research at the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University and in Public Policy at the United Way for Southeast Michigan.
For more information about the No Worker Left Behind program visit:
www.michigan.gov/nwlb
I learned about the No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) program that offered financial support to those who were left jobless due to the economy, were in jobs that were declining or to those that needed help in low earning positions. The NWLB program was created as a strategy to transition workers into good paying jobs and occupations in high demand or in emerging industries. This program still pays participants $5000 per year for up to two years at a college, university or training facility for qualifying occupational paths.
Needless to say, I capitalized on the available funds to change my path and since I entered the NWLB program in 2007 I have earned my Master of Public Administration from Wayne State University and transitioned from the private industry as a waitress/manager of a small bar and restaurant to working in research at the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University and in Public Policy at the United Way for Southeast Michigan.
For more information about the No Worker Left Behind program visit:
www.michigan.gov/nwlb
United Way for Southeastern Michigan is hosting two town halls in Metro Detroit. The first town hall meeting was June 10th at the Butzel Family Center in Detroit. The second is Thursday June 17th at St. Luke AME Church in Highland Park.
These events focus on food insecurity and hunger in Southeastern Michigan. ST. Luke AME Church lies within the boundaries of Congressional District 14, which has the 11th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation and the Butzel Family Center is located in Congressional District 13, which has the 27th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, out of 236 Congressional Districts.
The purpose of the town halls is to provide a forum for community members to share their stories with a “listening panel” about how food insecurity has affected their families and ask questions of current elected officials and local service providers. Feel free to join us!
These events focus on food insecurity and hunger in Southeastern Michigan. ST. Luke AME Church lies within the boundaries of Congressional District 14, which has the 11th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation and the Butzel Family Center is located in Congressional District 13, which has the 27th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation, out of 236 Congressional Districts.
The purpose of the town halls is to provide a forum for community members to share their stories with a “listening panel” about how food insecurity has affected their families and ask questions of current elected officials and local service providers. Feel free to join us!
The Senate agreed to consider extending unemployment benefits this week demonstrated by a 60-34 vote. These vital benefits are a safety net for many Michigan families, particularly in Southeast Michigan where unemployment rates have been consistently rising and held first place for unemployment in the nation. In our area, in January, unemployment rates hit a bleak 15.3%. What do these benefits mean for Michiganders? Especially those in our area? It means, without them, they fall short of being able to meet their basic needs.
In the last several years, Michiganders have experienced a decline of industry, as well as the dreadful joblessness that doesn’t seem to be recovering. Unemployment insurance benefits are the lifeline that many need to be able to put food on the table and keep their families in their homes. Although the status of unemployment insurance is uncertain as of now, both of Michigan’s US Senators are working for us on this issue to help those in need!
In the last several years, Michiganders have experienced a decline of industry, as well as the dreadful joblessness that doesn’t seem to be recovering. Unemployment insurance benefits are the lifeline that many need to be able to put food on the table and keep their families in their homes. Although the status of unemployment insurance is uncertain as of now, both of Michigan’s US Senators are working for us on this issue to help those in need!
Sunday, March 6th began the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington, DC. The opening breakfast and plenary housed a packed room with over 500 employees, volunteers, fellows, and execs from 45 states and a wide-ranging variety of organizations fighting tirelessly to "End Hunger by 2015."
Over the course of three days workshops and training programs provided in-depth knowledge and training on communications, advocacy strategies, research, data use, child nutrition, programs, legislative discussions, capacity building and information on SNAP, and CACFP, to name a few. Luncheons included speakers like Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who spoke to the importance of Hill visits and the work that the organizations were doing to help Americans win the war against hunger.
Carrie Leach
carrie.leach@liveunitedsem.org
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