Public Policy Advocacy

Strategy: Advocacy (Play an active role in changing policies and laws to help people out of poverty.)

Definition: Support and empower people with low incomes and their allies to speak on their own behalf for public policy change.  

Examples of Progress:

• We created a Public Policy board committee.
• The board identified legislative priorities (including Supporting the Ladders out of Poverty bill, opposing cuts to General Assistance Medical Care and General Assistance, opposing cuts to the MN Family Investment Program) and worked with statewide organizations to advocate on these priorities.
• The staff and board members met with state, local and county elected officials in winter 2009 to discuss issues that concern people on low incomes.
• We sponsored a Legislative Advocacy workshop for nonprofits with Marcia Avner from MN Council of Non Profits in the fall of 2009.
• We cosponsored nonpartisan candidate forums during the election season of 2009.

Top: Two Community Action agencies' programs, Circles of Support–Duluth and Circles of Support–Kootasca, team up for a day of talks with legislators on the Commission to End Poverty. Bottom, left to right: Angie Miller and Pam Kramer visit with Rep. Mary Murphy at the Citizens in Action event in February 2010; Angie Miller thanks Sen. Al Franken for supporting the EPA grant for the Watershed Conservation Corps project.

       
Congressman Oberstar visits Duluth to check progress on construction at Harbor Highlands.