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Family Stability and Child Care

Supporting stable, economically secure families helps develop our children and helps them become contributing members of the community. Generally, those families who are out of the economic mainstream—due to such factors as unemployment, disability, or chronic poverty—face greater challenges to achieving and maintaining stability and being able to meet the basic needs of their children. Public policy should provide assistance to needy families, end dependence by promoting job preparation and work, and enhance economic opportunities for families.

Family Income
Offer incentives for people to work and provide meaningful resources for their own families.

■ Implement a 15% state earned income tax credit (EITC), funded with the investment of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and state dollars in a timely manner. The EITC could also be funded by making it first in line for the funds from the income tax reduction fund.

■ Increase the state minimum wage to $6.85 per hour. The current minimum wage in Ohio is $5.15 per hour, well below a livable wage. In fact, a parent working full-time, year-round at minimum wage earns $10,712 annually, less than the federal poverty level for a family of two ($13,200 annually).

Child Support

■ Provide work support assistance to non-custodial parents to increase their ability to work and pay child support.

Food Security
Increased resources must be made available for the growing population in need of food assistance. In any given week, over 207,000 Ohioans receive emergency food assistance through food banks and food pantries. Over 35% of these Ohioans are children under the age of eighteen.* The numbers are growing.

■ Increase state investments in food banks to provide emergency food and groceries to needy families.

■ Expand public and private partnerships which increase participation in federal nutrition programs, such as Food Stamp and Child Nutrition Programs, to promote food security and enhance working collaborations to expand access to additional populations.

Temporary Assistance To Needy Families (TANF)
All state TANF funds in possession of the state should be invested in families that are entitled to them.

■ All existing TANF funds should be invested in the populations they were originally intended for and these funds should be invested in a timely manner.

■ Increase the monthly TANF cash grant to help stabilize families with parents working in low-wage jobs.

■ An increase in the monthly TANF cash grant should be combined with an increase in the Earned Income Disregard in order to ensure that no TANF recipient loses assistance entirely until their income rises above the poverty level ($16,600 annually for a family of three).

■ Increase the number of TANF recipients receiving post-secondary education or job training to enable them to climb the job ladder and better support their families.

Housing
Families’ access to quality, affordable housing is essential to ensure that children grow up in a safe and stable environment.

■ Support the Housing Trust Fund and its housing investments that:

• Increase working capital.
• Increase jobs and wages.
• Involve community-based projects, which bring long-term independent housing, a safe environment, career training, and other core necessities to Ohio’s under-served population.

■ Lift the Housing Trust Fund cap to its maximum $80 to $90 million, which:

• Will benefit an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 low-income Ohioans
• Will provide services such as rent/mortgage assistance, home repair, counseling, or training to the under-served.

■ Eliminate the use of funds above the cap that are currently used for purposes other than to assist low-income and homeless persons.

* Hunger in America 2006, America’s Second Harvest, found on the web at www.oashf.org

White Papers

09-08-2005 Legislative Priorities for the 2006-07 State Budget

09-08-2005 The Access to Better Care Initiative 2005 Recommendations

09-08-2005 Effects of 2006-07 State Budget on Ohio Children's Agenda Side by side comparison

08-29-2005 State Refundable Earned Income Tax Credit Learn how a state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) could help thousands of Ohio families: State EITC Fact Sheet.

08-29-2005 Ohio Fact Sheet EITC Learn how Ohio in particular would benefit from a state EITC: Ohio EITC Fact Sheet.

08-29-2005 Ohio Tax Repeal Fact Sheet OHIO TAX REPEAL: HURTING EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE AND JOBS.

08-29-2005 Campaign to PROTECT Ohio's Future: Principles Campaign to PROTECT Ohio's Future: Budget and Policy Principles. Ohio’s public officials make Ohio competitive in the global marketplace by recognizing the interdependence of health and human services, education and economic development.

08-29-2005 Campaign to PROTECT Ohio's Future: Talking Points Sample Talking Points Regarding Citizens for Tax Repeal Campaign.

08-29-2005 Childcare Fact Sheet Learn more about subsidized childcare in Ohio: Childcare Fact Sheet.

08-29-2005 Historical Document on Voices' Family Economic Well Being Issues This is the historical record of Voices for Children (formerly known as Coalition for Greater Cleveland's Children) legislative priorities.

08-29-2005 How a State EITC Works Learn how a state EITC works

08-29-2005 Campaign to PROTECT Ohio's Future: Endorsement Campaign to PROTECT Ohio’s Future: Campaign Endorsement Form. In the absence of tax reform and sufficient revenue to fund government services, join the Campaign to Protect Ohio’s Future in opposing efforts to repeal the temporary one-cent sales tax that allows state government to provide vital services that every Ohioan depends on.

08-29-2005 Campaign to PROTECT Ohio's Future: Endorse List

Helpful Publications
	Child Advocacy Glossary of Terms