LAWMAKERS ARE CALLING FOR A PERMANENT CHILD TAX CREDIT TO HELP LESSEN THE ECONOMIC BURDEN ON STRUGGLING FAMILIES.

>> ACCORDING TO THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, THE EXPANSION OF THE CHILD TAX CREDIT, WHICH INCLUDED CASH PAYMENTS TO FAMILIES FOR 6 MONTHS.

WHAT DID MORE THAN 2 MILLION CHILDREN OUT OF POVERTY?

CHILD POVERTY WENT FROM 9.7% IN 2020 TO 5.2% IN 2021, THE LOWEST RATE ON RECORD.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ON THIS, OUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE MARY BETH CANTY, CHIEF CO-SPONSOR OF A BILL IN THE HOUSE THAT WOULD ENACT A PERMANENT CHILD TAX CREDIT.

ANTHONY BRYANT, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS ASSOCIATE WITH METROPOLITAN FAMILY SERVICES AND NICOLE ROBINSON, CEO OF YWCA, AN ORGANIZATION THAT AIMS TO ELIMINATE RACISM AND EMPOWER WOMEN.

THANKS TO THE 3 OF YOU FOR JOINING US.

I'M NICOLE ROBINSON.

LET'S START WITH YOU, PLEASE.

SO A NEW REPORT TITLED RACE FOR RESULTS FROM THE ANNIE E CASEY THAT YOU PARTNERED WITH.

SHOWS THAT WE'RE MAKING SOME PROGRESS IN CLOSING A CHILD WELL-BEING GAPS ACROSS RACE AND ETHNICITY.

BUT OF COURSE, DISPARITIES AND TAKING A QUICK LOOK AT THAT IT CREATED INDICATOR AN INDEX BASICALLY OF HOW CHILDREN ARE DOING AND THE MAIN TAKEAWAY FROM THAT INDEX THAT THEY CREATED IS THAT BLACK CHILDREN WITH AN INDEX SCORE 386.

NOT DOING NEARLY AS WELL AS ASIAN AND WHITE CHILDREN ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

SO OBVIOUSLY THE GROUP, THE HIGHER THE INDEX SCORE, THE GREATER THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THAT CHILDREN IN THE GROUP ARE MEETING MILESTONES ASSOCIATED WITH SUCCESS.

NOW, THE QUESTION THE WHY DO YOU THINK A PERMANENT CHILD TAX CREDIT WOULD WOULD HELP FOR ADDRESS THIS GAP?

>> I THINK IT'S I WANT TO STEP BACK A LITTLE BIT BRANDES AND JUST KIND OF AUDIENCE THIS YEAR THAT INDEX AT FIRST TIME, I'M THRILLED THAT WE ANY CASE FOUNDATION.

DOES THIS WORK?

IT'S LOOKING AT INDICATORS AROUND EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, PROFICIENCY READING, RAISE OUR KIDS GRADE LEVEL.

IT'S LOOKING ECONOMIC RESOURCES THAT ARE IN THE HOUSEHOLD.

SO IT'S MEASURING ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

AND YES, IT IS SOBERING TO SEE THAT, ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN IMPROVEMENTS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL THAT ILLINOIS, THE STATE OF ILLINOIS IS IN THE BOTTOM 3RD OF STATES.

AND THAT'S THE FIRST AND THEN THE SECOND THING THAT BLACK CHILDREN.

ARE LAGGING BEHIND.

SO THAT IS SOBERING AS A KID FROM THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO WHO BENEFIT FROM EARLY CHILD CARE PROGRAM BENEFIT FROM SAFETY NET PROGRAMS.

IT'S TOUGH TO HEAR.

BUT WHAT WE DID LEARN THROUGH THE PANDEMIC IS WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EXPANDED THE CHILD TAX CREDIT WORK, EXPANDED.

ITC, EXPANDED SNAP AND OTHER BENEFIT PROGRAMS FAMILIES DID THE RIGHT THING FOR THEMSELVES.

THEY PAID INVESTED SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND TECHNOLOGY AND INTERNET ACCESS SO KIDS CAN DO THE HOMEWORK THAT THEY COULD EXCEL.

SO SO MOTHER'S PARENTS, GRANDMOTHERS, THEY ALL DID THE RIGHT THING AND INVESTED THE MONEY AND THE FAMILY.

SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS EXPANSION, IDEA, THANK YOU, REPRESENTATIVE FOR PUSHING THIS I GET GIDDY WITH EXCITEMENT BECAUSE ACROSS THE OF THE BIG FACTORS BEING MEASURED AS POVERTY RATES FAMILIES ARE LIVING IN POVERTY.

IT MAKES IT REALLY TOUGH TO MAKE ANY PROGRESS ON ANY OF THE OTHER INDICATORS.

>> AMERICAN YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES, AS NICOLE JUST MENTIONED, YOU'VE INTRODUCED A BILL THAT IS THAT IS PUSHING TO TO MAKE A CHILD TAX CREDIT PERMANENT.

HOW WOULD THIS WORK FOR ILLINOIS?

YES, SO WE'RE ACTUALLY THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.

THANK YOU, MCAULIFFE.

AND FOR BRINGING THIS UP.

IT'S A IT'S A REALLY BIG ISSUE THAT WE HAVE HERE IN ILLINOIS.

WE KNOW THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE DEALT WITH AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

BUT THE STATE ALSO HAVE A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A THEIR 14 OTHER STATES THAT ARE RUNNING PROGRAMS LIKE THIS.

>> HERE IN ILLINOIS, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IS A $300 PER DEPENDENT CHILD REFUNDABLE TAX CREDIT.

SO EVEN IF YOU DON'T OWE TAXES, YOU WOULD STILL BE GETTING CASH IN HAND.

AND THE IMPORTANT THING HERE IS THAT UNLIKE THE SNAP BENEFITS THAT YOU MENTIONED WITH BENEFITS, CETERA, THAT ARE TIED TO SPECIFIC EXPENSES, RIGHT?

THOSE ARE REALLY LIMITED FUNDS.

THESE FUNDS WOULD ALLOW HOUSEHOLD TO DO WHAT THEY THINK IS RIGHT FOR THEIR FAMILY.

AND WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING BELOW THAT MEDIUM INCOME, THEY ARE THE BEST BUDGET.

HERE'S YOU WILL EVER MEET.

THEY KNOW DOWN TO THE PENNY WHERE THEIR MONEY GOES.

AND SO THEY KNOW HOW TO SPEND THESE DOLLARS SO WE SHOULD GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY IN THE TRUST, IN THE FREEDOM TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

>> AND WE'RE REALLY QUICKLY AT SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THAT BILL.

$700, A CHILD FOR ELIGIBLE FAMILIES, JOINT FILERS EARNING LESS THAN $75,000.

SINGLE FILERS EARNING LESS THAN $50,000.

I'M ANTHONY BRYANT.

YOUR TEAM RECENTLY CONDUCTED A COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT.

WHAT DID THE RESULTS SHOW WHEN IT CAME TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES?

YES, THEY SHOW THAT LIKE THE TOP ISSUE THAT OUR PROGRAM, BUT SON DEALING WITH WITH CURRENT.

>> ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AS WELL AS JOB SO WITH THAT, WE SERVICE ABOUT 120,000 PEOPLE IN THE CHICAGO DUPAGE AREA 98.6 OF OUR FAMILIES THEY SERVE ARE FAR.

>> FALL BELOW OR AT THE ILLINOIS ANNUAL EMMY, ILLINOIS AREA MEDIAN INCOME OF 78,433 OUR OF OUR PARTICIPANTS.

84.2% OF OUR PROGRAM.

PARTICIPANTS.

>> WHO'VE PROVIDE INFORMATION FALL BELOW 100% OF THE FEDERAL PROPERTY BLY.

SO WE SEE THAT LIKE, YOU AS ORGANIZATION THAT WE NEED TO BOY, A CHILD TAX BECAUSE OUR CLIENTS, OUR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, ARE DEALING WITH SOMETHING FINANCIAL BURDENS.

IF I MAY ADD TO THAT.

>> TO THAT END, WE KNOW WE HAVE THE DATA THAT SHOWS ROUGHLY 60% OF THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS BENEFIT ACROSS THE STATE WOULD BE BLACK AND BROWN HOUSEHOLD.

AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BEING ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF ABOUT A MILLION AND A HALF CHILDREN ACROSS ILLINOIS.

THAT IS A GAME CHANGER FOR FAMILIES.

REPRESENTATIVE, WHILE WE'RE ON IT, HOW WOULD HOW IS SOMETHING LIKE THAT BE FUNDED?

HOW HOW PAY FOR YET.

YOU KNOW, THAT IS THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK, BUT WHERE THERE'S A WILL.

THERE'S A WAY, RIGHT?

WE'VE GOT A WHOLE BUDGET PROCESS.

AND SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO REALLY TAKE STOCK.

WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT A BUDGET BEING A MORAL DOCUMENT.

SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR POLICIES, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO WHAT YOU FUND IS WHERE YOUR MORALS REALLY ARE.

THOSE ARE VALUES.

I'M NICOLE, THE CHILD TAX CREDIT.

THE FEDERAL ONE, OF COURSE, THAT WAS EXPANDED DURING THE PANDEMIC OVER, TALKED A BIT ABOUT.

>> WHAT WERE SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU ARE HEARING FROM FAMILIES WITH REGARDS TO BEING SURE THAT THEY COULD ACCESS IT.

>> YES, THAT AGAIN.

LOVE THE FACT THAT IT WAS EXPANDING AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS ALWAYS ENROLLMENT AND GETTING FAMILIES TO ENROLL AND BUILDING THAT TRUST.

THAT'S GREAT THING ABOUT THE WANT TO BE SEEING.

METRO CHICAGO WE WORK WITH MOM AND POP.

CHILD CARE PROVIDERS WORK WITH FAMILIES AND THERE WERE LOTS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO SHARE ABOUT THEIR FINANCIAL PEOPLE IN THE HALL AND THEN IDEA OF TAX.

I KNOW THAT MIGHT 5 WERE IN TAX SEASON.

NOW.

THAT'S A SCARY THING.

THE PEOPLE AND THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE EXCHANGING THIS WITH THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET THIS CASH THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A BARRIER AND EDUCATION AND AWARENESS AND WE HAVE TROOPS ON THE GROUND.

PEOPLE TALKING TO COMMUNITIES KNOCKING ON DOORS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS REAL.

THIS IS REAL AND IT'S A TRUSTED SOURCE.

AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL BENEFIT YOUR FAMILY.

SO AS THINK ABOUT EXPANSION, I'M ALONGSIDE FOUNDING.

WE SHOULD ALSO THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY AND A PLAN AND HOW WE ROLL IT OUT TO PEOPLE HOW SIMPLIFY IT.

SO WHAT WE CAN KEEP AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THERE'S NO BARRIERS >> AND BEFORE HAVE TIME ANTHONY TO GIVE YOU THE LAST WORD, WHAT KIND OF PROGRAMS OR OUTREACH DOES YOUR TEAM DO TO HELP FAMILIES WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.

SO YEAH SAID METROPOLITAN FAMILY WE ARE PROGRAMS IN ECONOMIC STABILITY, EMPOWERMENT EDUCATION AS WELL AS EARLY CHILDHOOD AND EMOTIONAL WELLNESS.

>> SO IN ENGLEWOOD, WE HAVE A FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER THAT FOCUS ON DECREASING THE DEBT THAT FAMILIES ARE DEALING WITH, INCREASE WAGES AS WELL AS COME UP WITH A FINANCIAL PLAN FOR THEM.

IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF SERVICES, PRESE FEEL FREE TO REACH US AT 3, 1, 2, 96, 4TH AND AS FOR REFERRAL AND TAKE, OK, GOOD TO THAT'S