Income Inequality

How to Improve Public Health, the Environment and Racial Equity All at Once: Upgrade Low-income Housing

COMMENTARY | Retrofitting low-income housing is a way to tackle some of the nation's pressing health, social and environmental challenges.

  • By Jonathan Levy, The Conversation

Why Cash Payments Aren’t Always the Best Tool to Help Poor People

COMMENTARY | There seem to be a growing consensus that cash is the best option in the fight against poverty. But is it?

  • By Heath Henderson, The Conversation

As More Americans Struggle to Pay Water Bills, Affordability Solutions Are Past Due

COMMENTARY | With utility shutoff moratoriums expiring, millions of people, particularly people of color and low-income families, are at risk of losing water service.

  • By Chris Shaffner

Where the Economy Tanks, Heart Attack Deaths Rise

COMMENTARY | The diverging economic fortunes of different parts of the country in the period after the 2008-2009 recession is linked to differing death rates from heart disease and stroke among middle-aged Americans, researchers report.

  • By Sameed Khatana, Futurity

Study: $15 Minimum Wage Would Result in Fewer Jobs, Less Poverty

A report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office comes as the Biden administration pushes the federal minimum wage hike.

  • By Bill Lucia

Poverty Grows Despite Economic Recovery

Some jobless workers have been excluded from unemployment benefits.

  • By Tim Henderson, Stateline

The Pandemic Has Been Extra Hard on Single Mothers

Single mothers have scrambled during the pandemic to secure child care. What will the federal government do to help in 2021?

  • By Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th

The Debate Around Whether College Athletes Should Be Paid is Heating Up

Michigan’s state legislature this week became the sixth state to pass a bill that would open the door for college athletes to get paid for endorsements.

  • By Emma Coleman

Three Alternatives to the Usual Strategies for Collecting Fines and Fees

A report from the Fines and Fees Justice Center lays out alternatives for cities looking to make collection practices more equitable and efficient.

  • By Emma Coleman

Women Gained Back Jobs in October, But Slowly

The unemployment rate for women fell to 6.5 percent, but it remains in high single digits for Black and Latina women.

  • By Chabeli Carrazana, The 19th

Most Home Health Aides ‘Can’t Afford Not to Work’—Even When Lacking PPE

Union officials say that workers who've complained about not having adequate protective equipment on the job have experienced retaliation from employers.

  • By Eli Cahan, Kaiser Health News

Momentum for Basic Income Builds as Pandemic Drags On

Advocates see an opportunity to transform the safety net.

  • By Caitlin Dewey, Stateline
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Poll: Over Half of Households in America's Biggest Cities Dealing With Financial Difficulties

Budget problems, which have coincided with the coronavirus pandemic, are especially acute for Black and Latino residents.

  • By Bill Lucia

Affluence Killed New York, Not the Pandemic

COMMENTARY | The city is in the midst of a reckoning—not simply because of the coronavirus, but because of what it had already become.

  • By Kevin Baker, The Atlantic

In New Jersey, a Proposal for $1,000 ‘Baby Bonds’

Gov. Phil Murphy, who proposed the program on Tuesday, said it would be the first statewide initiative of its kind. But the added spending would come at a time when the state’s budget is strained.

  • By Bill Lucia

Black Workers Are More Likely to Be Unemployed but Less Likely to Get Unemployment Benefits

More people than ever became eligible for unemployment benefits after Congress included part-time and gig workers, but the data shows that hasn’t solved a huge racial disparity. Here’s why.

  • By Ava Kofman and Hannah Fresques, ProPublica

The Pandemic Recession Is Approaching a Dire Turning Point

Without an extra $600 a week in unemployment assistance, many Americans are on the brink of not being able to pay rent or put food on the table.

  • By Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic

One County Offers Universal Basic Income to Former Foster Youth

Santa Clara County in California launched the nation’s first UBI program specifically aimed at giving a boost to young adults who are transitioning out of foster care.

  • By Emma Coleman

Food Stamp Use Could Skyrocket With Loss of Enhanced Unemployment Benefits

Even with the expanded benefits for out-of-work people, millions of families had to sign up for food stamps during the early months of the pandemic. Now even more people are expected to need the assistance.

  • By Andrea Noble

As Moratoriums End and Bills Come Due, Cities Offer Utility Relief

Many residents are struggling to pay utility bills during the pandemic, dealing with escalating balances. But local relief programs aren't designed to help everybody.

  • By Emma Coleman

States Raid Fund Meant for Needy Families to Pay for Other Programs

"TANF is a slush fund."

  • By Jenni Bergal, Stateline