We Demand Financial Stability for Our Families
For every Ohioan regardless of color or income to be cared for if and when they fall on hard times.
Whether Black, white, or brown, native or newcomer, Ohioans need a reliable support system to fall back on when going through tough times. People should not have to choose between their lives or their livelihoods.
But some of our elected officials have chosen to freeze or cut unemployment benefits at a time of dire need, shaming Ohioans by race and place because they were laid off or can’t afford to find a job that pays a fair return on their work.
Everyone deserves to have dignity and support regardless of whether they can find work.
Through this new budget, we need to take care of Ohioans who have fallen hard on their luck by making pandemic-related unemployment assistance permanent and available for all. We need to ensure each and every single Ohioan can survive a period of future economic hardship or job loss by expanding our unemployment system. Finally, we need to ensure that all of our essential workers in Ohio are being cared for - through a fair return on their work, affordable healthcare, quality education, and excellent child care to support their families. No exceptions.
Policy Recommendations
Help families pay for the basics with a Thriving Families Tax Credit, which would provide nearly 986,000 families and 1.8 million children an average tax refund of roughly $1,000 a year.
Make sure everyone has enough healthy food to eat by providing healthy school meals for all Ohio children and by funding Ohio food banks to make sure they can meet the increased needs of our neighbors who will have fewer resources to keep food on the table.
Help the littlest Ohioans thrive—and help their parents work—by making sure people can afford high-quality child care by expanding initial eligibility for publicly-funded child care to those bringing in up to 200% of the FPL ($49,720 annually, for a family of three).
Make it easier for families with very low incomes and kinship families to gain some financial stability and economic security. We can transform Ohio Works First, the state’s cash-assistance program, by repealing punitive and counterproductive work requirements, extending the time limit for participation, increasing monthly payments to $600 per child per month, and auto-enrolling all eligible families.
