Heartland Alliance Policy Agenda 2013
Content
Heartland Alliance — the leading anti-poverty organization in the Midwest — believes that all of us deserve the opportunity to improve our lives. Each year, we help ensure this opportunity for more than one million people around the world who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety.
HEARTLAND ALLIANCE 2013 POLICY AGENDA
The Need: 1 in 3 Illinoisans live in or near poverty. The Solution: Advance policies that help end poverty. Protect Anti-Poverty Programs: Protect funding and advance improvements to safety-net and anti-poverty programs that help prevent people from falling into poverty and help those experiencing poverty move ahead, like TANF and homeless prevention programs. Increase the State Minimum Wage: Increase the minimum wage to its historic level, adjusted for inflation so that Illinois workers stop losing ground. Establish a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights: Set standards for a healthy, safe, and dignified workplace, including the right to earn the state minimum wage and overtime pay, the right to rest and meal periods, and paid time off. Reduce Barriers for Those with Criminal Records: Expand the offenses that can be sealed or expunged under Illinois law so that people have a fair chance of employment.
The Need: Hundreds of thousands of low-income Illinois citizens are currently uninsured. The Solution: Advocate for a reformed health care system that improves the health of the most vulnerable. Protect Medicaid: Protect existing levels of Medicaid coverage and services from cuts or elimination and ensure that the most vulnerable have full and fair access to the health care system. Advance Medicaid Financing for the Uninsured: Expand access to health care by closing the historic gap in Medicaid coverage that has left many struggling Illinoisans out in the cold. Implement the Affordable Care Act: Fully implement all provisions within the Affordable Care Act, including a consumer-friendly Illinois state-based health insurance exchange. Support Illinois Medicaid Program’s transition to coordinated care in order to improve health outcomes and maximize cost-effective strategies.
The Need: 42% of Illinois households are liquid asset poor. The Solution: Advance policies that give people the tools to become financially secure. Ensure Access to Automatic IRAs: Help families and individuals plan for the future by ensuring that all workers have access to an employer-based retirement savings account. Eliminate the TANF Asset Limit: Remove barriers for low-income families to save.
The Need: 14,055 people experience homelessness each night in Illinois. The Solution: Promote policies that prevent homelessness and those that house the homeless and keep them housed. Protect Tenants at Foreclosure: Codify crucial protections that keep renters living in foreclosed properties from being forced from their home with little warning or time to prepare.
HEARTLAND ALLIANCE 2013 POLICY AGENDA
The Need: 1 in 3 Illinoisans live in or near poverty. The Solution: Advance policies that help end poverty. Protect Anti-Poverty Programs: Protect funding and advance improvements to safety-net and anti-poverty programs that help prevent people from falling into poverty and help those experiencing poverty move ahead, like TANF and homeless prevention programs. Increase the State Minimum Wage: Increase the minimum wage to its historic level, adjusted for inflation so that Illinois workers stop losing ground. Establish a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights: Set standards for a healthy, safe, and dignified workplace, including the right to earn the state minimum wage and overtime pay, the right to rest and meal periods, and paid time off. Reduce Barriers for Those with Criminal Records: Expand the offenses that can be sealed or expunged under Illinois law so that people have a fair chance of employment.
The Need: Hundreds of thousands of low-income Illinois citizens are currently uninsured. The Solution: Advocate for a reformed health care system that improves the health of the most vulnerable. Protect Medicaid: Protect existing levels of Medicaid coverage and services from cuts or elimination and ensure that the most vulnerable have full and fair access to the health care system. Advance Medicaid Financing for the Uninsured: Expand access to health care by closing the historic gap in Medicaid coverage that has left many struggling Illinoisans out in the cold. Implement the Affordable Care Act: Fully implement all provisions within the Affordable Care Act, including a consumer-friendly Illinois state-based health insurance exchange. Support Illinois Medicaid Program’s transition to coordinated care in order to improve health outcomes and maximize cost-effective strategies.
The Need: 42% of Illinois households are liquid asset poor. The Solution: Advance policies that give people the tools to become financially secure. Ensure Access to Automatic IRAs: Help families and individuals plan for the future by ensuring that all workers have access to an employer-based retirement savings account. Eliminate the TANF Asset Limit: Remove barriers for low-income families to save.
The Need: 14,055 people experience homelessness each night in Illinois. The Solution: Promote policies that prevent homelessness and those that house the homeless and keep them housed. Protect Tenants at Foreclosure: Codify crucial protections that keep renters living in foreclosed properties from being forced from their home with little warning or time to prepare.
