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Authorizing the creation of a "Special Committee on Poverty Reduction and Prevention" to hold hearings to propose and implement actionable policies and programs that substantively prevent and alleviate poverty in every Philadelphia neighborhood.
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WHEREAS, For far too long, the poverty rate among Philadelphians has remained stubbornly high. At current levels, the persistent challenges of poverty are an unacceptable, daily reality for over a quarter of Philadelphians; and
WHEREAS, Despite poverty being Philadelphia's most significant challenge, in the past the City of Philadelphia has taken an incremental approach to an issue that urgently demands a far more aggressive, comprehensive, and unified policy approach. In the creation of this Special Committee, Philadelphia City Council aims to end the incremental approaches of the past; and
WHEREAS, In March 2019, Philadelphia City Council released a report entitled "Narrowing the Gap", a series of actionable strategies for preventing and alleviating poverty through identifying successful policies and programs from across the country, some of which are already underway here in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, While the Special Committee on Poverty Reduction and Prevention is charged with addressing all aspects of poverty, the list of strategies in "Narrowing the Gap" focus on three policy areas: housing, jobs and education, and the social safety net. The report frames poverty at its most fundamental level to be a gap between the income needed to live a dignified, stable life and the income earned by many Philadelphians; and
WHEREAS, Each strategy proposed in "Narrowing the Gap" aims to either increase household incomes, by cutting burdensome costs such as the cost of housing, or by bolstering the City's commitment to protect its vulnerable residents from financial dislocation. The strategies proposed are diverse in subject matter as well as in terms of their timeline and complexity. Some represent changes to e...
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