PathWays PA promotes staff and client involvement in federal, state and local policies that affect the ability of low-income Pennsylvanians to reach self-sufficiency. PathWays PA’s Policy Department develops reports on the needs of low-wage families, such as Making Wages Work, a report that highlights the impact of income and work supports on family self-sufficiency.
The Policy Department also monitors and comments on specific policies and their effects. When appropriate, the Policy Department meets with legislators to discuss important policy priorities. Additionally, PathWays PA presents testimony at committee hearings across the state to ensure that the voices of low-income families are heard by policy makers.
Policy Initiatives & Involvement in State- & Federal-Level Issues:
- Leadership of the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, a coalition of organizations working to give all Pennsylvanians the opportunity to earn paid sick time. We supported the passage of earned sick days legislation in the city of Philadelphia. Primarily coordinated by PathWays PA, the Coalition currently consists of more than 100 groups and organization including non-profit organizations and labor groups and continues to grow each day.
- Cliff effect
- Workforce development & training
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- State budget
- Hunger issues
- Healthcare needs
- Adult literacy & education
- Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
Policy Publications:
- Released the seventh edition of the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania, which examines the needs of working families in every county in Pennsylvania
- Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania, sixth edition
- Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania, a first edition report which shows how many Pennsylvanians live above and below the Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania
- Distributed two reports entitled, Pennsylvania at a Glance and Pennsylvania’s Workforce: The Role of Community Colleges, for the Working Poor Families Project, investigating the needs of families in Pennsylvania
- Introduced the Elder Economic Security Initiative for Pennsylvania, which looks at the income needs of single elders and elder couples, and Elders Living on the Edge, which examines the impact of public support programs in Pennsylvania when retirement income falls short
- Investing in Pennsylvania’s Families, a policy agenda to help all of Pennsylvania’s working families succeed
- Work Supports: Helping Families Reach Self-Sufficiency, a toolkit for community leaders to help them understand the work support programs in our community
Click here to view our policy blog.
