Reach Up: Ending Child Poverty is Within Our Reach

 

Reach Up is Vermont’s safety net program to prevent children from experiencing deep poverty, which we know is harmful to their health and development. Stipends are meant to meet basic needs while parents work towards economic stability. Currently, the program bases family stipends on a 2001 housing cost estimate and a 2019 “other basic needs” estimate. Then, the state cuts that number in half with a formula called the “ratable reduction.” This means that a family of four is expected to meet most of their basic needs, often including housing, with about $1000 per month. We know this is impossible and forces families to spend time seeking crisis support such as emergency housing, food pantries, and emergency transportation for medical needs rather than being able to focus on their long-term economic security goals. Persistent poverty also increases the chance that children are separated from their families and placed in foster care, which is both costly and traumatic. 

 The Alliance supports Voices for Vermont’s Children in their request that the Legislature ensure that Reach Up grants fulfill their intended purpose of bringing eligible families’ income up to the poverty line by: (1) eliminating the “ratable reduction” that reduces the Reach Up benefit by about 50%; (2) using current cost of living estimates to create the annual base Reach Up grant; and (3) prioritizing making permanently affordable housing accessible.

Lead Organization: Voices for Vermont’s Children for the Vermont Reach Up Coalition

Data and Talking Points

  • The Reach Up benefit for a family of three is currently just $880 per month, far short of what is needed to cover basic needs.
  • 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. 
  • On average, over 3700 children aged 9 and under were in households enrolled in Reach Up at one point in FFY22

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