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Key Messages |
Goals of Catholic Charities USA's
Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America
- Reduce poverty in the United States by 50 percent by the year 2020.
- Call upon the government to do more in funding and programs to help the poor and strengthen and support families.
- Educate policymakers and the public about the struggles of those living in poverty and the good work of those who serve them in local communities.
- Engage those who are most effected by government policies to be active participants in developing solutions to reducing poverty.
- Work with individuals and organizations across the country to address poverty in our country.
- Poverty is a moral and social wound on the soul of our country and threatens the health and economic well-being of both families and our nation. We must marshal the strength and the collective will of our nation to take on this growing crisis.
- It is a tragedy that while the United States is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, poverty in this country continues to rise. We have increasing numbers of people who are hungry, more children without health insurance and more families without a decent place to live. For too many people, the dream of a better tomorrow has been detoured down the path to poverty.
- Catholic Charities USA is launching a campaign to cut poverty in half in America by 2020. The Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America will require action and commitment by social service agencies, the faith community, government leaders, the business community, and others of good will to serve the needs of all people and by those who believe - as we do - that our nation can do more to help the most vulnerable among us.
- We are renewing our commitment to reducing poverty, a cause that is at the cornerstone of our network's activities. In this campaign, we will demonstrate leadership, work in partnership with others, and hold elected officials and ourselves accountable for making systemic changes to how our nation deals with poverty.
- With more than 275 years of experience in serving those living in poverty, Catholic Charities has a unique understanding of this growing problem and its devastating impact on families and our nation. Catholic Charities agencies provide help and create hope to more than 7.4 million people each year. In communities across the country, our agencies have been coping with a steady increase in demand for emergency assistance, primarily among working families. Each day, our agencies serve families who work hard but still do not earn enough to provide for their basic needs.
- We know that as we help these families meet their daily needs, we must also advocate for policy changes that will help lift them out of poverty. Our Catholic tradition teaches that society, acting through government, has a special obligation to consider first the needs of the poor.
- Catholic Charities USA's Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America will urge Congress and the Administration to protect and expand programs that provide needed health care, affordable housing, nutrition assistance, and economic security for the poor and vulnerable.
- Working together, government, the faith community, business, social services groups, and Americans have the resources, experience, and knowledge to dramatically reduce poverty - especially long-term poverty. What we have lacked as a nation is the required political will.
- Good government is about making choices and setting priorities that serve the common good, and we will work in partnership in this campaign with Catholic organizations and other partners to encourage elected leaders to give greater priority to attending to the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable persons in society. Choices made in the federal budget process about what is funded - and how to pay for it - must be judged by whether the life and dignity of families are protected or undermined.
- The Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America is about who we are as a nation. We must no longer ignore the injustice of poverty and the extreme inequality in America and instead must seize this opportunity to promote changes that promote human dignity and the common good.
| Address: |
Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America
Catholic Charities USA
1731 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314 |
| Phone: |
703-549-1390 |
| Fax: |
703-549-1656 |
| Web: |
www.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org |
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