Title
Appointing a Legislative Advisory Committee on Poverty.
Body
WHEREAS, poverty has a significant impact on long-term learning, health, participation rates in community life and future economic potential of Saint Paul residents; and,
WHEREAS, almost 25% of Saint Paul residents live in poverty, compared to 11% in the 7-county Twin Cities region and 38% of children age 17 and younger live in poverty, about 25,000 kids; and,
WHEREAS, annual median household income is $48,855 compared to $68,261 for the Twin Cities 7-county region; and,
WHEREAS, 39% of Saint Paul households have annual incomes under $35,000 and 53% under $50,000; and,
WHEREAS, 41.8% of African Americans, 30.9% of Asians and 27% of Hispanic or Latinos residing in Saint Paul live below the poverty level; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council held a working session on reducing poverty in the City of Saint Paul on June 22, 2016 where experts in the field provided insight and guidance on the best ways to eliminate poverty; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council is interested in identifying and implementing collaborative strategies to reduce poverty in the City; and,
WHEREAS, the City Council believes that Saint Paul must employ a broad-based, collaborative and comprehensive poverty reduction strategy to coordinate efforts and engage all city staff, government entities, non-profit and the private sectors towards reducing poverty; and,
WHEREAS, under Section 3.01.8 of the City Charter, the Council has the authority to establish a legislative advisory committee to develop policy recommendations to address poverty in the City of Saint Paul; and finally,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council hereby appoints a Legislative Advisory Committee on Poverty, as per Section 3.01.8 of the City Charter, and to be charged with the duties to:
1. Examine and assess the causes of poverty in the City of Saint Paul;
2. Develop 3-5 policy recommendations aimed at lowering the city’s 25% poverty rate and build health, wealth and stability; and
3. Produce a poverty reduction strategy which documents and that describes policy proposals in detail, explaining the process for implementation, and analyzing the challenges associated with implementation. The Legislative Advisory Committee on Poverty will report back to the City Council with recommendations by June 28, 2017.
The committee will be staffed by Council Research and its membership will be:
• Chair, Kaying Thao, Public Policy Advocate, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis
• Tracy Fischman, Executive Director, Prepare + Prosper
• Nona Ferguson, Vice President Economic Stability and Aging Services, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
• Ed Goetz, Director, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota
• Dr. Clarence Hightower, Executive Director, Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington County
• Leslie Moore, Community Representative
• Matt Kramer, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, and
• Tonya Draughn, Community Representative & Leading Individuals and Families Together to End Poverty (LIFT), and
Committee members will receive a $25/meeting stipend to serve and represent the communities’ interests.