Advocacy Project on Children-at-Risk


South Dakota has children who are at risk of hunger and poverty, uninsured health problems, violence, ... These unmet needs in childhood are tragic now and sometimes exact an even heavier toll later.  To help Christians speak up on issues that impact the lives of these
children, the Association of Christian Churches of South Dakota has an email advocacy network during the state legislature (mid-Jan to mid-March). Phone calls or emails will be most needed during the fast-moving legislature. Sometimes there is time for letters, but not as often.

Children need voices in Pierre. If you, are concerned about children and poverty and are willing to speak up when legislation affects them, then you are needed in this network.   

If you will help, you can get in on the action by emailing your name & address to:
breadsd@gmail.com

(This network is combined with the Bread for the World-SD email network during the Legislature.)

2010 STate-Level Priorities for Children-at-Risk
The Board of the Association of Christian Churches of South Dakota

1. Improve wages and farm income.
Poverty robs children and all of society of health, learning, and productivity. The minimum wage adjustments that began in 2007 are helping South Dakota's 33,000 children who live in poverty. Low wages and low farm income leave families, despite their best efforts, without the ability to provide basic necessities for their children and reduce the time that parents are in the home supervising and nurturing their children.

2. Improve the condition of children in need, especially those in the TANF program.
 TANF cash assistance to meet basic needs of impoverished children receive much needed cost-of-living adjustments some years. Current buying power is only 36% of the poverty level and even farther below SD's Self-Sufficiency Standard. TANF payments should be raised to be closer to actual need. Current average: $394/mo per family 9'09

3. The Unemployment system could better help working families.
Only19% of SD's registered unemployed workers receive unemployment checks. '08 Benefits should be available when workers are ready to return to work after a period of unemployment resulting from temporary health problems or family caregiving responsibilities or moving to keep a family together when a spouse's job relocates. These family-friendly changes would be one way to access $11.7 million in federal funds for South Dakota's depleted unemployment fund.

4. All Children should have full Health Care.
Progress in covering South Dakota children has been significant. Further expansions of programs are needed to extend wrap-around coverage to children with inadequate insurance and to cover the remaining children and pregnant mothers who have no health coverage. Every child and pregnant mother in South Dakota should have both preventive and acute healthcare.

5. Support Enriching Childcare and After-School and Youth Programs.
South Dakota has the highest percentage of families with both parents employed. Quality childcare, early childhood education, and after-school activities require maximum cooperation among government, churches and community organizations.

6. Remove sales tax from groceries and utilities.
In these economic times, families are stressed. A helpful response by the state would be to end or even reduce the tax on food and heat.
South Dakota's food tax rebate system, to reimburse low-income households for the tax they pay on their food, reaches only 630 [state data, 10/09] of South Dakota's 94,000 low-income households [2000 census].
There is a movement to ask legislators to allow cities an increase in general sales tax (including food and utilities) to fund new city projects, such as event centers. Many cannot afford this increase in their cost of living. This becomes a fairness issue when nursing homes and families who already have trouble paying for life's basic necessities like food, are also asked to pay for special projects like event centers.
Inadequate diets and cold houses threaten the happy, healthy childhoods we envision for all children.

7. End Predatory Lending.
High interest, fees, and rollover costs on loans can trap families in untenable situations, sapping their ability to provide for their children. Recent regulatory steps will help, but there is a long way to go.

8. End Video Lottery.
The addictive nature of this type of gambling has been ruinous for many South Dakota families, both financially and emotionally.