Nebraska Appleseed seeks policies and practices that support low-income Nebraskans in becoming truly self-sufficient.

Everyday across Nebraska, tens of thousands of low-income children and families are struggling to become self-sufficient (able to meet their families' basic needs without public assistance). They're faced with the hard realities of low-wage work, child care problems, insufficient access to health care, food insecurity, homelessness, disabilities, domestic violence, and few opportunities for job training and education leading to living wage work. These families can't make ends meet, and are preyed upon by high-cost lenders and check cashers. Nevertheless, every day, we see families make heroic strides forward, and some days slide back. The path to self-sufficiency is not easy or short, but is one that is and can be traveled with the right kind of support and assistance. At Nebraska Appleseed, our job is to work to see that we have a system of laws, policies, and practices that make sure all families can meet their basic needs, find opportunity, and become active and treasured members of society.

Nebraska Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Low-Income Parents Dropped from Medicaid

Nebraska Appleseed, through a successful class action lawsuit, helped to restore Medicaid benefits to hundreds of low-income parents unlawfully dropped from the program by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Today, the Nebraska Supreme Court found that HHS “unlawfully enlarged upon authorizing statutes and violated the principles of separation of powers,” when it stripped poor families of vital Medicaid coverage by approving a policy that allows HHS to impose a harsher sanction than specified by state law.

Read the NE Supreme Court Decision | Read the Press Release

Medicaid Coverage of Prenatal Care for Pregnant Women Questions & Answers

For many years Nebraska’s Medicaid program covered prenatal care for the unborn children of pregnant women regardless of a woman’s immigration status. Unfortunately, on March 1, 2010 many unborn children of pregnant women lost prenatal care Medicaid coverage. The “Questions & Answers” below address some of the important issues relating to Medicaid access for pregnant women.

Read the Full Q&A: English | Español

Back to School, Back to Work: Winning Strategies for Building Economic Opportunity in Nebraska

Creating opportunity for all Nebraskans requires that we make choices based on our shared values that contribute to the common goals of our families, communities, businesses, and the state as a whole. While Nebraska is a place
where many people do live “The Good Life,” a significant number of jobs in our state do not pay family supporting wages and many workers lack the skills for a 21st Century economy. As a result, families struggle to meet basic needs. Investing in improving job quality, opportunities for skill building, and supports for working families will position Nebraska to capitalize on our workforce strengths and become a stronger economic leader in the future.

This report builds on feedback from educators, policy makers, human services providers, academics, and community members statewide and provides supportive information and data. Ultimately, it suggests eight key strategies to build opportunity in four main areas: job opportunity, access to education, work supports, and access to health care.

Read the Report | Read the Press Release

Watch video from the Report Release: Senators Mello, Hadley, & Coash speak about the importance of family supports, education & training, and present the "Back to Work, Back to School" Award:

Unemployment Insurance Modernization: Good for Nebraska

Nebraska lawmakers have a unique opportunity to improve a system designed to protect and support our workforce, the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides new funding for states to implement modernization efforts, particularly by extending benefits to workers who have been excluded in the past due to outdated eligibility rules.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act would draw $43.61 million dollars of federal funding into the state during this difficult economic time. It would also decrease assessments on businesses by $17-18 million in 2011.

This is particularly important because Nebraska has some of the most dedicated workers in the nation. The “Midwestern Work Ethic” is alive and well here. In fact, our state ranks second in the nation for participation in the labor force and second in the nation for the most people holding more than one job.3 Nebraska workers pay into the unemployment system. Our state should modernize the program so that our workers can benefit during this difficult time, particularly those working part time jobs to make ends meet.

Read the Report | Read the Press Release

Low Participation in School Breakfast Means Hungry Children and Lost Federal Dollars for Nebraska

Only 38% of low-income children in Nebraska are participating in the School Breakfast program according to a new report released by the national Food Research and Action Center.

During the 2008-2009 school year, 40,466 low-income children in Nebraska participated in the national School Breakfast Program, compared to 106,598 low-income children in the School Lunch Program. This represents a slight increase over 2007-2008, but as a state Nebraska ranks 44th in the nation for the participation of low-income children in the school breakfast program.

The low participation of students is connected to the low participation of schools with 28.7% of schools in Nebraska not offering the program.

“While participation in Nebraska may have increased in the School Breakfast Program in 2008-2009, it is still reaching too few children. Lost jobs and wages in our state mean that even more children are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, but this report shows that too many are missing out,” states Rebecca Gould, Executive Director of the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest. “Nebraska must do a better job of reaching more low-income children with school meals, particularly in rural areas.”

Read the Report | Read the Press Release

Building Nebraska’s Future Workforce Forum

Thank you to all who attended our “Building Nebraska’s Future Workforce Forum!” We had approximately 100 folks in attendance, excellent discussion, and we left with key ideas for future action. Please feel free to view the Forum Presentations below and to access the links to the web pages of organizations that were featured. Also, if you are interested in joining our Job Opportunities Working group please e-mail Kate Bolz at kbolz@neappleseed.org.

Forum Materials
Final Agenda | Neil Ridley, Keynote Address | Kate Bolz, Lunch Presentation

Organizational Websites
Center for Law and Social Policy | Nurses UP! | Omaha Workforce Collaborative

Ending Childhood Hunger in Nebraska

September is Hunger Awareness Month. As a part of this nationwide effort to draw attention to the issue of hunger in America, Nebraska Appleseed is releasing a report tomorrow entitled “Ending Childhood Hunger in Nebraska: Strategies for Improving and Maximizing Child Nutrition Programs.”

The report shares the unsettling finding that one in seven children in Nebraska is food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from. At the same time, federal child nutrition programs, such as the School Breakfast Program and the Summer Food Service Program are underutilized in our state. We serve only about a third (36.9%) of low-income children through the School Breakfast Program and less than one in ten (9.3%) low-income children through the Summer Food Service Program.

Read the Full Report | Read the Press Release | Read Press Coverage

"Building The Good Life" Report Lists Nebraska's Challenges & Offers Solutions

Nebraskans are committed to building “The Good Life.” We strive to create strong families and successful communities—and we share an appreciation for those who work hard to make our state great. Despite our dedication to building “The Good Life,” Nebraska faces several challenges, including a slowing economy, outmigration trends, increasing global competition, and a lack of quality jobs.

The message is clear: now is the time to invest in education and skills development, the creation of quality jobs, and supports for working families in order to build “The Good Life” for the future.

Read the Report | Read the Executive Summary

Download the Powerpoint Presention from the 01/29 Press Conference | Press Release

Report: State should shore up strong workforce, ensure good life for all - Lincoln Journal-Star

Helping poor helps state, report says - Omaha World-Herald

A How-to Guide to the Self-Sufficiency Standard

Jobs that pay family-supporting wages can be hard to find. The Self-Sufficiency Standard can help Nebraska families make good choices about employment options. Click here to access the presentation “A How-To Guide to the Self-Sufficiency Standard” which outlines how the standard is calculated, ideas for using the standard, and models from other states.

To receive an electronic copy of the standard updated for inflation, contact Kate Bolz at kbolz@neappleseed.org

New Education Opportunities for Nebraska

Nebraska Legislature passes and the governor signs LB 458 – a bill that will make it possible for Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) participants to pursue an Associates Degree beyond 12 months.

Learn More | Hear Appleseed’s “Choosing Education” radio advertisement

Economic Recovery for Low-Income Families

Nebraska Appleseed, as a long-time advocate for low-income families, is actively encouraging Nebraska decision makers to implement the recently passed economic recovery legislation in a principled manner that will maximize opportunity for low-income families and communities. Nebraska Appleseed, along with 20 national organizations endorses the principles for state implementation of these funds developed by our national partner, the Working Poor Families Project. Read the principles

Nebraska Appleseed’s Low-Income Self-Sufficiency Program will continue to advocate for principled action and monitor economic recovery implementation.