"Justice Has No Timetable; It Just Has a Destination"
The 2020 General Election has come and gone, although the vote counting and legal actions over a variety of issues are apt to continue for…
2020 Racial Equity Summit – Co-Sponsors
Platinum Level Co-Sponsors: Registration for the Racial Equity Summit is free to all, thanks to a generous Platinum Level Co-Sponsorship from Maxine Clark and Bob…
A Drug Conviction Should Not Mean a Lifetime of Hunger
In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), sometimes known as the welfare reform bill. Buried deep within that sweeping…
A Home for All, Not Just Those That Can Afford It: How Gentrification Has Given Way to a New Generation of Community Organizers
First coined by sociologist Ruth Glass in the 1960s, gentrification has been part of the lexicon for those working in both economics and the affordable…
Addressing the Crisis of Homelessness in Missouri
In many ways, housing advocacy should be easy. Everyone needs housing to thrive, therefore it should be as easily attainable as possible. However in reality,…
April 14th-Affordable Housing Coalition Call
The Affordable Housing Coalition is a multi-sector team of dedicated advocates who understand the importance of stable housing on health, community, safety, and more. We…
April 21st-Community Justice Coalition Meeting
The Community Justice Coalition (CJC), is a multi-sector team of dedicated advocates who envision a future without mass incarceration. Through deep policy research, field work and…
April 6th-Community Justice Coalition Meeting
As session comes to a close, Empower Missouri team plans for the years ahead
It is the last week of Missouri's legislative session, which brings a flurry of activity to Jefferson City, so our entire team is heading to…
Capitol Recap: We Still Have A Chance To Pass Priority Legislation in 2021
The legislature is taking their annual Spring Break this week, which is widely considered to be "halftime" of the legislative session. We've spent the last…
Child Support Cooperation Requirements in SNAP Threaten Children's Food Security
As Joseph Llobera from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities stated in his report Child Support Cooperation Requirements in SNAP Are Unproven, Costly, and…
Data Doesn't Lie: The Initiative Petition Process Doesn't Need Changing
The Initiative Petition (IP) process is an important tool in Missouri, though few voters fully understand its powers or limits. The IP allows voters who…
February 10th-Affordable Housing Coalition Call
February 17th-Community Justice Coalition Meeting
February 2nd-Community Justice Coalition Meeting
February Friday Forum – Raise the Age
Teenagers have developing brains which often fail to understand the complex affects their actions may cause. This is even more true for teenagers who have…
Finding Strength in Our Differences: How We're Building a Community of Anti-Poverty Advocates
Empower Missouri is an organization with a storied history and deep roots in Missouri. Founded in 1901, we've been advocating for the people of this…
Governor Parson's decision to End Federal Unemployment Assistance Won't Bring Back Workers, But Will Hurt Thousands of Missouri families
Governor Parson's decision to end the $300 federal unemployment assistance on June 12th, 2021 is an affront to Missouri workers and could prove harmful to…
Housing First Hasn't Had a Fair Shot in Missouri – You Can't Shovel While It's Still Snowing
Last week, I offered testimony against a pair of bills in the Missouri House and Senate aimed at reducing homelessness. I first celebrated with the…
If You're A Tenant Getting Evicted In Missouri, You May Have Legal Grounds To Fight It
Since the founding of America, our constitution has been an important guiding document for the country and each state. The Bill of Rights demonstrates a…
Incarceration Cannot Be Our Solution For Solving Homelessness
Homelessness and poverty are not crimes. However, in many communities across Missouri, it is treated like one. Police involvement in the form of 'camp sweeps'…
Is a Tax Cut the Best Source of Relief for Missourians Earning Low Wages?
The governor has called a special session next week for the legislature to debate the largest income tax cut in Missouri's history. The governor's proposal…
It's Time for a Clean Slate
On Wednesday, May 11th, Empower Missouri, Criminal Justice Ministry, the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, Metropolitan Congregations United, the Missouri Catholic Conference, Missouri…
Lessons Learned: Anti-Poverty Advocates Summit 2021
Since 1901, the pinnacle of Empower Missouri's work each year has been its Annual Conference. In fact, for the first decade, that was the bulk…
Let's Band Together to Fight Hunger In Missouri
On October 16th, the world recognized World Food Day. Starting in 1945, the United Nations outlined and recognized food as not a privilege, but as…
March 10th-Affordable Housing Coalition Call
March 17th-Community Justice Coalition Meeting
March 2nd-Community Justice Coalition Meeting
May 12th-Affordable Housing Coalition Call
May 19th-Community Justice Coalition Meeting
May 4th-Community Justice Coalition Meeting
Missouri Legislature Wraps: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
It's the third week of May, which means that you're hearing crickets from hundreds of lobbyists and advocates across the state who are taking a…
Missouri Voters Have Spoken, We Want Medicaid Expansion
As I look back in my life, one specific policy has impacted nearly every decision I've ever made: Healthcare. I was a single mom during…
Missouri's Failure to Feed Hungry Children This Summer is Inexcusable
This past spring, as the school year was winding down, nonprofits across the country began working on plans to implement their summer feeding programs for…
Missouri's Privatized Probation Services – Part 1: What is private probation?
Members of Empower Missouri's Criminal Justice Coalition have been discussing Missouri's use of private probation and the impact on our communities. Missouri is one of…
Missouri's Privatized Probation Services – Part 2: What's the Problem?
In part one of this series, we provided a brief introduction to the concept of private probation - the practice of outsourcing probation services for…
Missouri's Privatized Probation Services – Part 3: What Can We Do?
Over the last six weeks, we have described Missouri's practice of outsourcing probation and supervision services to private businesses and introduced why it is a…
Missourians Must Overwhelmingly Reject Amendment 3; Stop Gerrymandering at the Ballot Box on November 3rd
In less than five days, Missourians will head to the polls for what promises to be the most important election in decades. Five statewide executive…
Our Advocacy Awards Brunch Honored Leaders in Our Fight
Last Saturday, June 11th, Empower Missouri supporters, coalition members, staff and other guests gathered at the Piper Palm House in St. Louis to honor our…
Policy Solutions to Poverty Must Be as Diverse as the Experiences of our Neighbors
In 2018, I read Peter Temin's book The Vanishing Middle Class. He got a lot of press coverage when the book was released, in large…
Providing Adequate Nutrition for Our Seniors Should Be Simple
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation's largest anti-hunger program and helps millions of people who are at risk for food insecurity every…
Putting All Missourians On Firm Economic Ground: Improvements To Missouri's TANF Program Much Needed
For the hundreds of thousands of Missourians struggling to afford the basics — such as food, shelter, and medicine — cash income is vital to…
Recapping the 2022 Legislative Session
We knew going into the legislative session that it would be a wild year. Unfortunately, wild years where very little gets done has become the…
Statement to Missouri Media regarding Special Session action in the Missouri House this week
Today the Missouri House of Representatives gave final passage to five of six bills heard by House committees on August 17. The bills were crafted…
Systemic Change is Our Only Way Forward
During the age of COVID-19, many of us are doing our duty to protect ourselves and others. We stay home, wash our hands, and wear…
The 2022 Week of Action – We Made our Voices Heard!
This past week Empower Missouri held its Annual Week of Action. In addition to 3 virtual days, this year we were able to be back…
The Build Back Better Act Will Give Thousands Of Missourians With Low Income More Access To Affordable Housing
For months, Empower Missouri and our allies in Missouri have been urging our federal representatives to pass the Build Back Better Act, an opportunity to…
The Fight For Critical Reforms in Missouri Continues To Be Our Top Priority
At Empower Missouri, we subscribe to a daily political newsletter that lists who has recently registered as a lobbyist. A quick search on the Missouri…
The Gap Report is Clear – We Need More Affordable Housing
The National Low Income Housing Coalition's newly released report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, documents a shortage of 7 million affordable and available…
The Hunger in the Heartland Report Offers an In-Depth Look at Food Insecurity in Missouri
Earlier this month, the Food Assistance and Hunger in the Heartland Report was released. This is a first of its kind-a comprehensive research study about…
The Rent is too Damn High!
While the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in financial instability and economic hardship for many households, unprecedented supports – including a national emergency rental assistance program and…
Two Days of Learning and Community Building: Highlights from our 2022 Anti-Poverty Advocates Summit
Empower Missouri started over 100 years ago as an annual conference, making the job of planning and executing our annual Anti-Poverty Summit even more significant.…
Universal Free School Meals Have Ended – Advocacy Opportunities Continue
Just a few weeks into the new school year, many families are learning that after two years of all Missouri public school children receiving free…
Vote on November 3 – And Then Attend Racial Justice Summit to Learn What's Next
It is clear that major changes are coming with the November 3 election, but none of us is able to say with certainty exactly what…
We CAN Eradicate Poverty – But We Can't Do It Alone
At Empower Missouri, we know that we can change lives through effective and targeted policy change. Too many of our neighbors struggle to get their…