Editor’s note: This post was written by Esmeralda Ramos, CHN’s Fall intern.
Following the Census Bureau’s September release of 2016 poverty data, CHN released a national report, Poverty and Progress: Poverty is Down in the U.S., but New Threats Ahead. The report breaks down Census data demonstrating that progress has been made in decreasing national poverty, and that anti-poverty programs like housing assistance, SNAP/food stamps, and low-income tax credits effectively lift millions out of poverty. The report also highlights the numerous threats to this progress from actions proposed by Congress and the Trump administration, such as the current tax cut bills moving through Congress (there’s still time to tell your Senators to oppose their horrible bill – take action now!).

In addition to the national poverty report, CHN partnered with organizations in key states to put together state poverty reports analyzing data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Partner organizations have been working hard to release and circulate their state’s report, and advocate for the necessary actions to reduce poverty and fight back against proposed threats. Here is just some of our state partners’ dedicated work:

The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, part of the Center On Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute that pursues policies that help low-income people, released the first report. Their website provides a description and link to the report, describing West Virginia’s stagnant poverty. They also released a news report and publicized the report on social media including Facebook and Twitter. The report was also covered by Public News Service and  The Exponent Telegram, which was then shared by the East Texas Food Bank.

Report: Unlike much of the nation, #WV‘s poverty rate hasn’t improved post-Great Recession: https://t.co/3WxsMu5H9a
@CoalitiononHN #wvpol pic.twitter.com/S15muYRgCY

— WVCBP (@WVCBP) October 16, 2017

Our friends at Empower Missouri, a membership organization that advocates for Missourians’ rights and well-being through civic leadership, education and research, released the Missouri state report on their website, featuring it on their homepage. They also promoted the report on Twitter and Facebook. The report received coverage from KTTN and on KSN TV, which interviewing people fighting poverty on the front lines.

The Community Action Association of Pennsylvania, a statewide non-profit representing 41 Community Action Agencies that help low-income citizens become self-sufficient, released their state report on their website, including a summary of the findings. They also released a news report about the state report which was shared by the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and by bctv.org. They also promoted the report on Facebook and Twitter.  The report was covered by Public News Service.

Poverty finally down in Pennsylvania. But Congress could reverse this trend. See new report by CAAP and CHN https://t.co/wgfkmP0kQI pic.twitter.com/dqFh34Fnof

— CAAP (@CAAPNews) October 23, 2017

Our partner in Ohio, Ohio Association of Foodbanks, supports 12 Feeding America food banks and pursues the interest of people in need. They included on their website Public News Service’s article about the state report, which details how Ohio’s poverty rate is declining but has yet to reach pre-recession levels, and how the progress that was achieved is being threaten by proposed cuts to vital programs. They also promoted the report on Facebook and Twitter.

New report w/ @CoalitiononHN: OH poverty rate in 2016 was 14.6%, down from 15.8% in 2014. But we can do better. https://t.co/13405MbxGP

— Ohio Foodbanks (@OhioFoodbanks) October 30, 2017

In Arizona, we partnered with Arizona Community Action Association, which unites communities to end poverty with the collaboration of nearly 300 organizations. AZCAA released the report on its website and on Twitter. It was then reported on by Public News Service.

9to5 Wisconsin, an organization dedicated to putting working women’s issues on the public agenda, promoted the Wisconsin state report on Facebook. The report was also promoted by the Public News Service and WXPR.

You can help spread the word by sharing these reports on social media, and particularly by Tweeting the reports to your members of Congress. For a full list of state reports, social media toolkits, and Congressional Twitter handles, you can visit our website here. For more information, resources, and analysis, visit our Census and Poverty Data resources page. Stay tuned for more information on the great work of our other state partners.