Reach Up: Ending Child Poverty is Within Our Reach

Reach Up is tasked with improving children’s well-being by providing for immediate basic needs, including food, housing, transportation, and clothing. Partial funding has meant that the program continues to fall short of its objectives. We must do more in order to create economic security for families and eliminate the experience of poverty and improve child well-being.

The Alliance supports Voices for Vermont’s Children in their request that the Legislature eliminates the “ratable reduction” that reduces the Reach Up benefit by about 50%; uses current cost of living to create a reasonable base grant; and prioritizes permanently affordable housing.

LEAD ORGANIZATION: Voices for Vermont’s Children

Talking Points

  •  35% of children between the ages of 0 and 8 live below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), and 5% of children in VT live in extreme poverty. 
  • Children are 54% more likely than adults to live in poverty in the United States. 

Resources and Advocacy Tools

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