Creating Pathways to Prosperity
For the last two years, the Citizens League has been working on a new policy framework to address poverty in Minnesota. The first three phases of this work are mainly complete and the conclusion we have reached is that many of our current policies are fundamentally reactions to poverty and do not put in place the same incentives or produce the same outcomes as policies and activities that support prosperity.
As Phase IV of the Citizens League Prosperity Project begins, we will focus on the design (the "how") of putting the general recommendations from Phase III into effect. For more details, read the executive summary of the Phase III working document or the entire Phase III working document that combines the work of the first three phases of the project and encompasses our findings, conclusions and recommendations to date. In July 2010, we will be forming a steering committee to oversee design groups and workshops that will work on the detail on how we implement the most promising recommendations. If you have ideas or examples that will help develop the Phase III recommendations, please contact Bob DeBoer at bdeboer[at]citizensleague.orgWe want to gratefully acknowledge our funders for this project, which include: Bigelow, Minneapolis Foundation, Northwest Area Foundation, St. Paul Foundation, Travelers, and UCare.
Our findings and conclusions from Phase I and II include:- Poverty in Minnesota is a Catch-22: What you need most is what you don't have - money and connections - and the legal pathways to get more money and connections force you to lose more resources than you gain through increased earnings.
- Rather than support pathways to independence, the incentives in government policies to address poverty actually create more of a series of barriers that create a bureaucratic maze that has no exit for many who are in poverty.
- Drawing and navigating the poverty line has led to a system based on governmental control rather than family independence and capacity building.
The key question: What are some of the ideas and tools that would fundamentally address the Catch-22s inherent in our approach to poverty?
Building on Phases I and II, the working document above represents the work of the Phase III committee. To see how that work developed, see the Phase III meeting materials and content below.
Phase III Meetings
All meetings were held 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
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October 15, 2009 Flannery Construction October 22, 2009 Center for Changing Lives October 27, 2009 Wilder Foundation November 5, 2009 Center for Changing Lives November 12, 2009 Wilder Foundation December 3, 2009 Wilder Foundation December 10, 2009 Wilder Foundation December 17, 2009 Wilder Foundation |
January 7, 2010 Children's Home Society January 14, 2010 Children's Home Society January 21, 2010 Children's Home Society January 28, 2010 Children's Home Society Meeting locations: Flannery Construction 1375 Saint Anthony Ave., St. Paul Center for Changing Lives 2400 Park Ave. S, Minneapolis Wilder Foundation 451 Lexington Pkwy N, St. Paul Children's Home Society 1605 Eustis Street, St. Paul |
Committee Resources
Click here for links to example programs and policies the committee reviewed.
This project has developed in three phases:
Phase I (Fall-Winter 2008)
In Phase I of the Poverty Project, we held a series of conversations with policy leaders and other citizens to begin to think about ways to reframe discussions about poverty in Minnesota, and to begin in a way that will lead to policy changes.
See the Citizens League policy blog and the November issue of the Minnesota Journal for the complete results of these discussions.
Phase II (Spring-Summer 2009)
In Phase II we took some of the key ideas from Phase I deeper, with people who are more directly impacted by poverty -- including the organizations they interact with -- to better understand the real trade-offs in our policy decisions.
Outcomes:- Build relationships between policymakers in all areas in order to be prepared to advance ideas as they are developed.
- Develop a new model to address policies relating to "poverty" that will reflect the work that happens throughout organizations. This will reframe our thinking about poverty and promote engagement in solutions.
- Develop findings and conclusions that will be taken up by a group focusing on recommendations in Phase III.
Phase III (Fall-Winter 2009/2010)
In Phase III we organized a group to develop recommendations based on the findings and conclusions from Phases I and II. Three key areas for our recommendations include:
- Family Independence - We believe most Minnesota families have the capacity for independence, and that our policies and systems should be designed to take advantage of that capacity.
- Community Networks - Creating structures within communities, such as networks, is one way to provide the kinds of connections people need to move out of poverty and towards prosperity.
- Government's Role - New approaches must provide flexibility that allows for pooling resources and integrating assistance in ways that take the whole person, whole family, and whole community into consideration.