This group wants to move 61,000 people out of poverty — and they want your help
At first, Scott Anglemyer thought the goal was “audacious.”
Now, he hopes it’s possible.
The goal, outlined by the Kansas Association of Community Action Programs on Thursday, is to reduce the poverty rate in Kansas to below 10 percent by the year 2030.
The poverty rate is currently about 12 percent, so making that goal will mean raising 61,175 people out of poverty.
“The sense we get from organizations, especially advocacy organizations that have done this kind of thing … is that it’s possible,” said Anglemyer, who is executive director of association. “That we’re well-positioned to lead that effort and we can really generate some momentum behind this idea of not just making the lives of low income people better, but actually reducing poverty and changing the poverty level in the state.”
The Kansas Association of Community Action Programs is a membership organization for 8 community action agencies in Kansas. Those agencies offer services that include rent assistance, counseling, early childhood education, food pantries, literacy programs, resume preparation and more.
Collectively, those agencies administer about $52 million in funding every year, Anglemyer said.
“When you look at the magnitude of poverty in the area, even if we do everything perfectly, that’s not going to make much of a dent in the poverty rate,” Anglemyer said.
Rather, the “10 by 30” campaign seeks people from all walks of life to come on board. That includes legislators from all political parties, business owners, local officials, teachers and low income people themselves.
The campaign launched Thursday by signing up people who attended the Kansas Conference on Poverty. They’re asking others to commit to reducing the poverty rate by taking local action, learning about poverty and advocating for policies that will reduce poverty in Kansas.
The campaign also plans to compare Kansas to other states, rather than solely relying on a percentage to measure improvement. Currently, Kansas has the 20th lowest poverty rate and has hung near that position for more than 20 years.
Joyce Stockham, board chair and executive director of the Mid-Kansas Community Action Program, said she would like to see elected officials committing to put time and effort into reducing poverty. She also wants to see more coordination between agencies offering services and more education about poverty among all Kansans.
In order to reduce poverty, employers must begin offering livable wages and communities must increase early childhood development programs, she said.
“Those are all projects and programs that help people move out of poverty from the start of life,” Stockham said. “I think we need to see some commitment and investment, whether that’s time or money or even just starting the conversation. … I think it’s a big challenge. I think Kansas is up to the challenge.”
People can join the campaign as individuals or organizations at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6CSGP6X.
This story was originally published July 19, 2018 at 5:30 PM.