Ending child poverty will require specific, evidence-based policy solutions.
Tax credits
are among the most powerful poverty-fighting tools. A way to transfer cash directly to families, child tax credits designed with intention can drastically reduce child poverty rates by providing meaningful assistance to families.
During the pandemic, the federal extended child tax credit cut child poverty nationally by nearly 50%. When it expired, millions of children were plunged back into poverty.
New York’s Empire State Child Tax Credit has the potential to play a pivotal role in achieving New York’s child poverty reduction goals. This tax credit must be expanded and strengthened to include families living in deep poverty.
Housing
supports are crucial to enabling families to achieve economic security. Housing instability can keep families one step away from homelessness, unable to dig out of the cycle of rents that rise while incomes do not.
Employment and wages
play a critical role in child poverty reduction. Parents must be able to earn a thriving wage without working multiple jobs. No one should have to endure the stress of an income that cannot cover a family’s basic expenses.