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Op-Ed: An opportunity roadmap for poverty
relief
[The Center Square] Raheem Williams |
Kane Center for Opportunity Policy
The South is the fastest
growing region in the country. The pull of our warm winters, friendly
people, and low cost of living has drawn millions over the last few
years. However, an old foe that we have attempted to fight for decades
continues to afflict our people. |
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 Rampant, inescapable poverty has been a staple of urban and
rural areas in the South for generations. Government has long purported to be
the solution to this problem, but after years of government programs and
promises of a better tomorrow, our fellow man continues to be stuck in the
cyclical nature of poverty. The status quo and government solutions have failed.
It's time to change focus and realize that while our safety net
programs are well intentioned, they often act as snare nets trapping people in
poverty with no means to escape. Safety net programs should catch people when
they fall and put them back on their feet. The Pelican Institute for Public
Policy has joined together with the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) and
Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) to forge a new path forward to bring
poverty relief to our friends and neighbors, beginning now.
The Alliance for Opportunity has one core goal: lift one million people out of
poverty over the next 10 years. This will be accomplished through the removal of
barriers to opportunity and prosperity while the focus of poverty relief
programs is shifted to be consumer focused and geared toward helping people find
meaningful work opportunities.
The Alliance has targeted three key areas to unlock opportunity for those in
poverty. We must keep vulnerable Americans on track, remove barriers to work,
and address poverty perpetuated by the justice system. States need to make it
simple to find work and start a business by lowering regulatory burdens
associated with occupational licensing.
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It’s also necessary to break the school-to-prison
pipeline by improving and expanding access to youth apprenticeship
programs and auditing government sponsored employment programs for
effective outcomes. Similarly, we need a criminal justice system
that protects the public from violent criminals without locking the
poor into poverty for petty infractions. Finally, we must have a
social safety net that functions effectively when Americans need it
but doesn't discourage work.
Policy experts from GCO, Pelican, and TPPF have
published a detailed policy agenda with recommendations for action.
Although currently focused on our three states, the agenda has
relevance across the southern states. These proposed changes will
require cooperation from state houses to Congress to community
stakeholders with the goal of helping our neighbors at the
forefront.
The opportunity roadmap set forth by the Alliance for Opportunity
will not be an easy path, but bold reforms never are. Poverty relief
can’t wait. It’s time to take action and unlock opportunity for
people across the South and finally address this issue that has
afflicted countless individuals for generations. We welcome feedback
from and collaboration with all interested parties regardless of
political affiliation. We look forward to engaging stakeholders and
community leaders across the ideological spectrum to advance good
policy wherever, whenever possible.
Raheem Williams is the director of the Kane Center for Opportunity
Policy.
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