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Poverty Reconstructive Relief Freedom
Many Alabamians are poor, and it is ranked the nation’s poorest state. The poverty rate was 15.6% in 2023 according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, a slight decrease from 16.2% in 2022, which is above the nation’s average. The poverty rate for children (ages 0-17) in Alabama was 21.3% in 2023, according to the Federal Reserve Bank (FRED) of St. Louise. They are poor precisely because of such present-day orientation, and life’s changes and challenges. In Alabama, the poverty wage for a single adult is considered $7.52 per hour. That’s above the state’s rate of $7.25 per hour, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a tool that calculates the income required to meet basic needs for different household sizes.
Actions to address Poverty in Alabama:
1. Expand Medicaid. This makes health coverage affordable for all Alabamians.
2. Provide free, nutritional breakfast and lunch in public schools for each child.
3. Ensure equitable public education funding for all students.
4. Alleviate the remaining 2% tax on groceries and build a more sustainable and
equitable revenue system by increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
5. Propose public transportation funding for all Alabamians throughout the state for
low-income families to remain connected to the community. Without it, it makes it
very difficult for the poor to get around to various activities.
6. Never remove the SNAP benefits program because it is the government’s
responsibility to provide the citizens with nutritional food assistance, even if
temporarily.
7. Establish a financial literacy program for all low-income families to understand
how to manage their finances, which will be a requirement.