The bill would create tax incentives for developers to build more affordable housing and expand a program designed to help working Floridians purchase homes, but leaves out rent-control measures as a tool to help the poor pay housing costs.
Poverty
Anti-Poverty Measures Work. Census Data Proves It.
The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that poverty dropped notably in 2021. Amid a pandemic and widespread economic pain, this is a significant accomplishment. After Social Security, refundable tax credits like the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) and stimulus payments were the biggest contributors to reducing poverty.
Child Poverty Falls to Record Low Thanks to Government Help
The U.S. government’s most accurate measure of child poverty fell to 5.2% in 2021, the lowest level on record and a decline of 4.5 percentage points from a year earlier. This sharp reduction was due, in large part, to generous government benefits. The decline would have been even larger had the government made it easier for families to receive those benefits.
Latest Lawsuit Against Obamacare Could End Free Preventive Healthcare for 150 Million Americans
More than 150 million Americans now have access to scores of preventive health measures at no cost, sparing many from illness and catching diseases early for others. They no longer will, if the latest GOP-backed effort to undo Obamacare is successful.
In the Shadow of Tom Joad: Pride in Flagler’s Food-A-Thon, Wrath That It Is Still Needed
One naturally feels proud about a community capable of generosity on the scale of Flagler Radio’s Friday Food-A-Thon. But there’s no pride in the persistent poverty it speaks of: There’s something pathologically wrong about any community in what is supposedly the wealthiest country on earth still having to do this to ensure something as basic as putting food on the table for 3,500 families every week.
Doctor’s $1 Million-a-Year Endowment, Largest of Its Kind, Launches Flagler Cares Initiatives for Neediest
In what amounts to the largest health-related private endowment in Flagler County’s history, Dr. Stephen Bickel is pledging to award Flagler Cares, the Palm Coast-based non-profit focused on health and social services for the neediest, $1 million a year, every year, leading to a self-sustaining endowment worth $10 million. Flagler Cares today is launching mold-breaking innovative grants and local health initiatives with the money.
A City Seeks to Purchase Motels as Affordable Housing Instead of Letting Developers Demolish Them
The mayor of Reno is proposing to buy and rehabilitate motels through the Reno Housing Authority to accommodate low-income residents, moving quietly to buy two shuttered buildings, including one with a history of code violations that is now part of an estate sale.
Ending Child Tax Credit Expansion Is a Bad Idea
The discontinuation of the Biden administration’s monthly payments of the child tax credit could leave millions of American families without enough food on the table, according to a new study.
Millions of Americans Are Struggling to Pay Their Water Bills. Time for an Aid Program.
A 2019 survey found that U.S. households in the bottom fifth of the economy spent 12.4% of their disposable income on water and sewer services. News reports suggest that for low-income households, this burden has increased during the pandemic.
The Federal Poverty Line Is Out of Step With the Way The Other Half Lives
In 2021, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a worker needs to earn $20.40 per hour to be able to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment anywhere in the country. That’s an annual salary of $40,800 – more than twice what Brookings refers to as the median wage for low-wage work.
On Refugees, Joe Biden Should Emulate Canada: Go Big
The capacity of private American citizens to resettle refugees is large and untapped. It may even bridge the divide over immigration in the United States. Now is the time for Biden to ask the American people to invite homeless and war-ravaged Afghan refugees into their homes and their communities.
We’re Finally Decreasing Child Poverty. Let’s Not Blow It.
Expanded Child Tax Credit payments led to “a notable drop in child poverty” after just the first month. The U.S. Census Bureau also found that after just one month, food insecurity among vulnerable families dropped significantly, and families receiving checks also had less difficulty paying for weekly expenses.
‘Thrifty Food Plan’ Update Enables Long-Overdue Food Stamps Benefit Increase
An unprecedented update of the Thrifty Food Plan – an estimate of the minimum cost of groceries to meet a family’s needs–is behind the largest-ever permanent increase in benefits and puts a healthier diet within reach for the 42 million Americans enrolled in SNAP, which replaced food stamps.
New Laws: Florida’s Minimum Wage Goes to $10 an Hour, Vaping Minimum Age Rises to 21, DNA Regulations
Minimum wage workers in Florida will get a voter-approved pay boost this week as the state’s wage makes its way to the $15 minimum by 2026, and about two-dozen new laws kick in, including a regulatory framework for electronic cigarettes and DNA sample privacy.
Hunger in 2020 Sharply Affected Even Middle-Class Americans
Americans in households with annual incomes from $50,000 to $75,000 experienced the sharpest increase in food insufficiency when the COVID-19 pandemic began – meaning that many people in the middle class didn’t have enough to eat at some point within the previous seven days.
What the Expanded Child Tax Credit Means to Me
The expanded child tax credit is on track to lift half of all kids living in poverty out of it. That will help them lead safer, happier lives well into adulthood. If we have the political will, we can make more smart economic choices like these to give all children a safe and secure childhood, writes the author.
Food Stamps Benefits Will Increase 25%, First Increase in 15 Years, Helping 15,000 in Flagler
In Flagler County, 14,809 people in 7,546 households were receiving food stamps, and 3.3 million Floridians in 1.9 million households were. Average monthly benefits will increase to $157, or $36 more than pre-pandemic levels.
GOP and Democrats Agreed to $2 Million Increase in Poor’s Access to Contraception. DeSantis Vetoed It.
The Florida Catholic Conference–making false claims that have been repeatedly debunked, even by the National Catholic Reporter, about a particular contraceptive method– sent a letter May 12 to DeSantis requesting that he veto the funding.
You May Qualify for a Monthly $50 Broadband Discount Through New Program Launching Wednesday
Temporary help of up to $50 a month is available to cover some of the costs of broadband for qualifying low-income households through the Federal Communications Commission Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.
Ahead of Frigid Christmas Nights, Beachfront Grille Cooks Up 150 Meals for Homeless and Needy
Beachfront Grille in Flagler Beach teamed up with the Sheltering Tree, the cold-weather shelter for the homeless, and Mayor Linda Provencher to provide 150 Christmas meals for the homeless and the needy.
Project Share, Flagler Beach Rotary’s Christmas Gift-Giving to 1,000 Children, Needs Your Help in a Difficult Year
Rotary Club of Flagler Beach Project Share is now in its 22nd year of providing toys, clothing and bicycles to families in need at Christmas. But Covid-19 has impacted just about everything this year, and Project Share’s ability to raise funds for the annual Christmas toy drive is no exception.
L&M Farms in Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam Gets $1.9 Million to Provide 200 Tons of Produce a Week to Food Banks
The program will help alleviate the pressure food banks have experienced from the crush of people whose breadwinners have lost jobs since the beginning of the coronavirus emergency.
Food Drops Are Not Enough. Expand Food Stamps Programs Now.
Big food drops like Palm Coast’s effort to feed 5,000 families are fine, but only an expanded SNAP (or food stamps) program can reach all families in need with an existing system that also acts as an economic stimulus for local business.
Redirected: I Run a Food Pantry. Without Food Stamps, It’s Not Enough.
Pantries are a critical piece of the anti-hunger puzzle, but they’re filler pieces. Government nutrition programs — with the infrastructure and funding to get the job done — should be the centerpiece. SNAP is the nation’s most effective anti-hunger program, feeding nearly a quarter of all U.S. children. But the end of a Covid-era boost in benefits is leaving nearly 13 percent of the population experiencing food insecurity.
At Gargantuan Feed Palm Coast Food Drop, Tears, Solidarity, and the Reality About Those ‘Late-Model Cars’
No government, no military contingent, no church or any other private organization had ever attempted what Palm Coast government and Parkview Church did Saturday: the distribution of 5,000 boxes packed with a week’s worth of groceries, and thousands of additional boxes of snacks and Easter candy, for families that streamed through the two drop locations.
Saturday in Flagler: 3 Massive Food Drops at 4 Locations In Unprecedented Reflection of Aid and Hardship
Thousands of families will line up in cars for food distributions at Palm Coast City Hall, Parkview Church, on Education Way off U.S. 1 and at Wickline Center in Flagler Beach in a day of aid reflecting the crushing needs provoked by the coronavirus emergency.
700,000 Poorer People Could Lose Food Stamps Under Tighter Trump Work Requirements
The finalized rule just announced by the Trump administration, which will take effect in April, will make it harder for states to exempt adults without dependents from work requirements.
For 1st Time in 11 Years, County Tells Bunnell Homeless Are Shared Problem as Shelter Backers Seek Compromise
As a federal investigation forced Bunnell government to allow the re-opening of a homeless cold-weather shelter there, County Administrator Jerry Cameron told city officials what they haven’t heard in 11 years: that homelessness is a shared responsibility.
Women United Flagler Calling all “Chicks”
The Women United Flagler is seeking volunteers for the group’s Chicks with Cans Food Drive on October 4 and 5 and October 18 and 19. Volunteers will stand at one of four Public locations in Flagler County and collect food and monetary donations. All food and money collected will be donated to Feed Flagler, providing Thanksgiving meals to families in need this holiday season.
Joe Mullins Steps Back From Harsher Homeless and Panhandling Rules After Hearing St. Augustine’s Rigid Approach
Flagler’s Public Safety Council heard how the homeless and panhandlers have been largely (but not completely) criminalized in St. Augustine, but were not eager to replicate the approach in Flagler.
The Lose-Lose of Trump’s Proposal to Cut 3 Million People Off Food Stamps
The Trump administration’s move to cut low-income people who are eligible for food stamps and school lunch off of those programs isn’t just immoral, it’s short-sighted, argues Jill Richardson.
Flagler Beach Police Chief Doughney: “I Don’t See Panhandling as a Problem In the City”
Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley pushed for an ordinance targeting “aggressive panhandling” in the city, but the Police Chief Matt Doughney rejected the premise that there was such an issue in Flagler Beach, and got the proposal tabled pending his revisions.
Bunnell Commission Ends Homeless Shelter Operations After 11 Years; Church Pledges Legal Fight
The Bunnell City Commission voted this evening to end the operations of the Sheltering Tree, the county’s only cold-weather homeless shelter, at a church in Bunnell. The church and Sheltering Tree organizers say they will pursue legal avenues.
Bunnell’s Mean Streak
The city that calls itself the crossroads of Flagler County is losing its bearings, its heart, and sometimes its mind–over the homeless, over panhandlers, over the sheriff’s office. It is becoming petty. It is becoming mean and resentful, and discriminatory.
Does Flagler Beach Have a Panhandling Problem? Not Exactly, But City Will Consider New Rules.
The Flagler Beach City Commission this evening will discuss adopting an ordinance against “aggressive” panhandling at the urging of City Commissioner Eric Cooley, a business owner in town.
Backers and Foes of Bunnell’s Condemned Homeless Shelter Duel Ahead of Appeal
The Bunnell City Commission got a preview of the two sharply divided sides that will appear before it again soon in defense of and in opposition to the preservation of the cold-weather shelter for the homeless at First United Methodist Church on Pine Street.
Bunnell Rudely Tells Church’s Cold-Weather Shelter for Homeless to Get Out Of Town
Bunnell’s zoning board voted to disallow the Sheltering Tree, the county’s only cold-weather shelter, from operating out of the United Methodist Church, potentially ending 11 years of service by the non-profit. The Sheltering Tree intends to appeal to the city commission.
Community Paramedic: How Flagler Fire Rescue’s Caryn Prather Brought Back House Calls
Flaglere County Fire Rescue’s Prather’s made nearly 500 house calls last year, serving a client base started with people who were frequent users of the 9-1-1 system for non-emergency medical needs and transportation to the hospital. Since its inception, these calls have decreased by 80 percent.
Joe Mullins Wants Cities and the County to Draft Homeless ‘Legislation,’ But He’s ‘Out on a Limb’
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins is pressing the county administrator to develop an ordinance regulating homeless panhandling and tent-pitching with city managers, but none of the local governments other than Bunnell have discussed such policies.
Where Have All The Homeless Gone? Library Campers Scatter to Other Grounds, Some Find Roofs
More than half the homeless who lived near the library have scattered to other encampments while a few have found housing options with friends, family or through county and private help.
‘Right To Survive’ Initiative: This City Might Give Homeless People the Right to Camp Anywhere
Denver’s ballot Initiative 300, a first-of-its-kind “Right to Survive,” would allow the homeless to camp anywhere on public lands without risk of arrest, If approved supporters aim to copy it elsewhere.
Time for $15 an Hour and a Union
After years of idling lawmakers, the idea now has more traction in Congress thanks to the recently introduced Raise the Wage Act, which would set a national minimum pay of $15 an hour by 2024.
Palm Coast Councilman Jack Howell To Homelessness Task Force: ‘It Needs To Be Done My Way.’
Palm Coast Council member Jack Howell attacked the homelessness task force in charge of drawing up goals to address the issue, but did not himself provide any goals. A gap of mis-perceptions between public and agencies addressing homeless issues is making concrete solutions more difficult.
‘A Pileup of Inequities’: Why People of Color Are Hit Hardest by Homelessness
Disparities, researchers say, are the result of centuries of discrimination in housing, criminal justice, child welfare and education. Cities and counties are beginning to take a hard look at how entrenched policy has served to perpetuate homelessness in black and brown communities.
Flagler’s Improved Health Ranking Masks Poor Access to Care and Persistent Obesity and Smoking
Flagler’s health ranking jumped to 9th best in Florida, from 14th last year, in the latest rankings, but the jump masks continuing problems with access to primary and mental health physicians, continuing obesity, smoking and sexually transmitted diseases.
County Calls DEP Over Area ‘Heavily Contaminated With Human Waste’ Around Library in Cleanup of Homeless Camp
The week-long cleanup of the homeless camp near the public library in Palm Coast revealed concerning hygienic issues but few security incidents. Meanwhile, the library is installing a new security system.
Sheltering Tree, Flagler’s Only Homeless Shelter, Raises Nearly $12,000 in Latest Fundraiser
The cold-weather shelter opens for overnight stays whenever the temperature falls to 40 or below. It operates out of at Bunnell’s First United Methodist Church, and provides other support services to the homeless.
Push For Swift Homeless ‘Solutions’ Clashes With Individual, On-the-Ground Realities
Flagler County Commissioner Joe Mullins and Palm Coast City Council member Jack Howell want solutions to what they call a homeless crisis, but others are reminding them that efforts are in place. The resources and focus to pull them off in concert may not be.
That Homeless Camp Behind the Public Library: A Palm Coast Problem Requiring Immediate Action
After taking a walk through the homeless camp near the library and speaking with its residents, Palm Coast Council member Jack Howell calls for creating a committee to address the issue from various angles.
MLK’s Dream Of Economic Justice Deferred By Increasing Inequalities
King foreshadowed that if we maintain our exploitative economic and political systems, then we’d get not only racial apartheid, but economic apartheid as well.
