Economic Justice - Nebraska Appleseed

Working Poor Families Report shows more families working low-paying, unstable jobs

Economic Justice / By James Goddard / 01/16/2013

Despite more families holding jobs, the ranks of the working poor are increasing according to a new report from the Working Poor Families Project. The report, “Low-Income Working Families: The Growing Economic Gap,” shows nearly one-third of the nation’s working families are paid wages so low they struggle to meet their basic needs. Indeed, according […]

Working Poor Families Report shows more families working low-paying, unstable jobs Read More »

Nebraska Appleseed issues response to State of the State Address

Economic Justice / By Nic Swiercek / 01/15/2013

Nebraska Appleseed Executive Director Becky Gould issued the following statement in response to the Governor’s State of the State Address today. “This morning, Governor Heineman laid out his priorities for the next year in his State of the State Address. We agree that the State of Nebraska is strong and a great place to live.

Nebraska Appleseed issues response to State of the State Address Read More »

Appleseed 2012 Year in Review – Expanding Opportunities for Nebraska’s Low-Income Families

Economic Justice / By Nic Swiercek / 12/19/2012

This is part of a series looking back on Nebraska Appleseed’s work in 2012. Protecting right to treatment for young children with developmental disabilities In May, Nebraska Appleseed filed a lawsuit on behalf of two children with developmental disabilities who were denied Medicaid coverage of medical treatments despite the treatments being deemed medically necessary by

Appleseed 2012 Year in Review – Expanding Opportunities for Nebraska’s Low-Income Families Read More »

Extra Credit: Resources for Non-Traditional, Parenting, and Low-Income Students

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 12/11/2012

Getting a degree is one of the best long-term pathways out of poverty for low income families. Degree completion is also important to colleges and universities, especially important now as more non-traditional students are seeking post-secondary education. Research shows that access to public assistance programs, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, can

Extra Credit: Resources for Non-Traditional, Parenting, and Low-Income Students Read More »

How can Nebraska close the skills gap?

Economic Justice / By Nic Swiercek / 12/03/2012

We know that hard work is one of the values Nebraskans take the most pride in. But, how do we match up the Nebraskans who want to go to work with well-paying jobs that can help them succeed? 60 Minutes recently ran a story on what is called “the skills gap.” According to the story, there are

How can Nebraska close the skills gap? Read More »

How the new Medicaid program would fuel the Nebraska economy

Economic Justice, Health Care / By Nic Swiercek / 11/26/2012

Last week, we talked about the coverage gap that about 78,000 Nebraskans would fall into if the Legislature chooses not to implement the new Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. These are Nebraskans that don’t qualify for the current Medicaid program, but don’t make enough to be able to get tax credits to buy

How the new Medicaid program would fuel the Nebraska economy Read More »

Summer Food Programs keep hungry kids fed year-round

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 11/21/2012

As we get ready for Thanksgiving this week and our thoughts are turning to the upcoming holiday season, summer seems far away. But it’s not too soon to imagine great possibilities for summer feeding programs for our kids, thanks to new funding from the Nebraska Department of Education Nutrition Services Division. Many people are surprised

Summer Food Programs keep hungry kids fed year-round Read More »

Opportunity Scorecard reveals struggles, suggests solutions for working families in Nebraska

Economic Justice / By Sierra Salgado Pirigyi / 11/16/2012

Economic security for Nebraska families is key to making our state great. But, despite working hard, too many Nebraska families struggle. A new assessment from Nebraska Appleseed released today examines how Nebraska stacks up in key economic indicators for working families. The Nebraska Opportunity Scorecard measures economic security, economic mobility, and economic opportunity in the

Opportunity Scorecard reveals struggles, suggests solutions for working families in Nebraska Read More »

Bridging the Coverage Gap

Economic Justice, Health Care / By Nic Swiercek / 11/15/2012

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act this summer was unexpected in that it made one important provision of the law – the ACA’s new Medicaid program – optional for states. This means if Nebraska decides not to implement the Medicaid program, it could create a coverage gap that leaves tens of

Bridging the Coverage Gap Read More »

Bridge programs train high-skilled workers for a stronger economy

Economic Justice / By James Goddard / 11/13/2012

Nebraska Appleseed does a lot of work to encourage more educational opportunities for people with lower incomes because we believe education is the best ladder for people to climb out of poverty. Better education means better, higher-paying jobs that can support families and allow hard-working Nebraskans to be self-sufficient. By 2018, 66 percent of all

Bridge programs train high-skilled workers for a stronger economy Read More »