Step Up Silicon Valley coordinates public policy and community organizing strategies to reduce poverty. SUSV works with local government officials, the California State Legislature, the United States Congress, and the White House Administration to encourage policy makers to pass specific legislation and regulations that will directly cut poverty in our community. This includes promoting policies that enable self-sufficiency by:
- Encouraging holistic, streamlined service delivery
- Strengthening nutrition assistance
- Promoting more efficient use of technology
- Increasing access to healthcare
- Developing locally controlled solutions
- Increasing access to affordable housing
- Revising the baseline poverty level
- Increasing educational and employment opportunities
- Promoting economic security for those in poverty
Step Up Silicon Valley advocates for policy change, ensuring that decisions that affect the lives of poor families in Santa Clara County receive closer attention. Every policy should be analyzed based on whether or not it helps to reduce poverty. We recognize that no single issue is the cause of poverty and no single strategy is the solution. Below are issues that the committee prioritized as key areas of policy reform to target:
Elder Economic Self-Sufficiency Index, AB 138
In partnership with the Insight Center for Economic Development, this pilot project will expand the definition of self-sufficiency beyond the federal poverty level, to include the minimum income necessary to cover older adult’s basic living expenses in each county including Santa Clara County. AB 138 was passed by the legislature and signed into law.
Anti-Payday Lending
Step Up supports the ongoing efforts by the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley and the Coalition Against Predatory Payday lenders to counter predatory payday lending. This effort includes sharing educational materials on the proliferation of the payday lenders and check cashiers in our community. The City of San Jose has approved prioritizing a study on payday lending. County action is pending.
Food, AB 6 & AB 69
Step Up has supported advocacy efforts to reduce bureaucratic barriers to accessing food stamps through CalFresh, California’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). AB 6 eliminates fingerprinting and quarterly reporting requirements for CalFresh and AB 69 establishes a pilot program that will enroll eligible seniors on social security into CalFresh. AB 6 and AB 69 were passed by the legislature and signed into law.
National Opportunity and Community Renewal Act (NOCRA), S. 1565
This anti-poverty pilot legislation has been re-introduced in the U.S. Senate as a result of the work by Catholic Charities USA to identify innovative strategies existing in communities throughout the country that will serve to revamp the national approach to poverty prevention and alleviation. The pilots use holistic, locally-controlled market-based solutions that are outcomes-based, e.g., social impact bonds. Pilot projects are moving forward prior to passage in three to four metro areas including Santa Clara County through the leadership of Step Up Silicon Valley.