Anti-poverty recommendations draw support

Lawmakers and organizations have voiced their support for recommendations by the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council that would reduce child poverty statewide by 50 percent by 2031.

The recommendations include:

■ increasing the Empire State Child Credit to $1,500 for children from birth to age 17;  

■ creating a New York State Housing Voucher Program for income-eligible households;

■ increasing public assistance basic allowance;

■ reforming to public assistance eligibility rules to increase accessibility; and  

■ expanding state food benefits for families with children.

Nearly one in five children, or 18 percent, in New York experiences poverty. In Rochester, that rate was at 51.8 percent in recent years, but has fallen since then to 40.8 percent, according to Census estimates. Poverty impacts children of color more than their non-Hispanic white peers. Black children are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than their white cohort.

“I’m proud of the work we have done over the last three years to put together recommendations that will lift up all families,” says Candace Cabral, Rochester community member and governor’s appointee to CPRAC. “We see these recommendations as pillars that will stabilize families and help get them through to the next chapter in their lives. Whether that is owning a home or sending a child to college, these will lift everyone up.”

In their announcement yesterday, CPRAC, the Children’s Agenda, Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative, and others pointed to the high financial toll associated with poverty—child poverty costs New York up to $60 billion a year in lost productivity, higher health care costs, and increased social service spending.

“Poverty is a policy choice,” says Larry Marx, CEO of the Children’s Agenda. “Close to one out of every two children in the city of Rochester live in poverty, which the New York State comptroller says makes us the fifth-worst city in the nation, double the average rate of cities of similar size.

“The single best evidence-based way to eliminate child poverty is to supplement family income through policies like expanded tax credits,” he adds. “We have an opportunity to do just that in the state’s upcoming budget, and when it comes to children, there is fierce urgency to act now.”

The Child Poverty Reduction Act, originally proposed by Assemblymember Harry Bronson and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2021, declared child poverty a policy priority. It led to the creation of CPRAC, which is charged with recommending policies to the governor and state Legislature to lower the child poverty rate by 50 percent by 2031. It is tasked with measuring and monitoring progress toward this goal as well.

“The Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council’s recommendations reflect years of research and advocacy about the most effective ways to improve the lives of New York’s families and reach our goal to reduce child poverty by half, as outlined in the Child Poverty Reduction Act,” says Bronson. “In outlining meaningful steps and policy recommendations, CPRAC has established a workable format from which we can enact significant changes with long-term, lasting impact.”

Other elected officials also expressed their desire to move the needle. 

“Increasing the child tax credit would be a great next step in helping families with children afford the cost of living—it’s a proven strategy for reducing child poverty and puts more money back into New York State households,” says Adam Bello, Monroe County executive. “The increase in the tax credit would be another powerful tool in the Rochester area’s fight against child poverty.”

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans called the policy recommendations “ambitious, constructive and entirely realistic.”

CPRAC’s goal is reminiscent of RMAPI’s aim in 2015. The initiative, with help from the state, aimed for RMAPI itself to cut poverty rates by half over 15 years. Executive Director Aqua Porter believes the recommendations from CPRAC “present an opportunity to address this crisis head on, strengthening families and enabling upward mobility for all members of our community.” 

RMAPI did not respond to a request for comment on how the new recommendations impact its previously announced target.

Cabral hopes advocacy for the recommendations will bring about much-needed change.

“We’re so glad that we’re talking about the need for these changes now, but we need everyone to continue talking about it and keep pushing,” Cabral says. “We need organizations across our community to promote and advocate for these changes. The more we can come together, the further we will go as a community.”

The state—Hochul and the Legislature—now will need to take action on these recommendations.

Smriti Jacob is Rochester Beacon managing editor. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing  [email protected]. 

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