Date: March 3rd, 2025 To: Sen. Rusty Black, Chair, and members of the Local Government, Elections, and Pensions CommitteeFrom: Misha Smith, Affordable Housing Policy Manager, Empower MissouriRe: Opposition to HB 595 Founded in 1901, Empower Missouri is the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in the state. As part of our work, we convene a statewide Affordable Housing...Lee mas

Date: February 19, 2025 To: Chairman Brown and Members, Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee From: Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, Chief of Policy Staff, Empower Missouri Re: Our support for SB 64 Empower Missouri has spent more than 120 years fighting poverty in Missouri. Today, we come to present testimony on a bill which specifically targets our...Lee mas

At Empower Missouri, we believe in the power of ordinary people organizing for extraordinary change. Our Housing Justice Fellowship (HJF) is designed to bring that vision to life, with a commitment that aligns deeply with Missouri’s own state motto: “The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.” For us, that means safe, affordable...Lee mas

Are you interested in learning more about poverty in Missouri, and how YOU can help change the systems that perpetuate it? Do you want to meet other advocates and expand your network? Then join our Advocates Book Club! This winter’s books are When We Walk By and Homelessness Is a Housing Problem. Discussions will be split into two parts, with...Lee mas

Are you interested in learning more about poverty in Missouri, and how YOU can help change the systems that perpetuate it? Do you want to meet other advocates and expand your network? Then join our Advocates Book Club! This winter’s books are When We Walk By and Homelessness Is a Housing Problem. Discussions will be split into two parts, with...Lee mas

In 2024, 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States—an 18% increase from 2023. This is almost 1 million people without homes. And while policymakers from every level of government—federal to local—are working on solutions, we continue to underfund the one solution that would end the homeless epidemic: more housing. The reasons behind this...Lee mas

A fresh start after being released from prison and becoming a returning citizen should be an amazing feeling; however, that isn’t the case for many of Missouri’s formerly incarcerated individuals. The reality is that most formerly incarcerated individuals face a major barrier in finding housing and stability. This is an even more challenging experience due...Lee mas

On the Edge: A Single Mother’s Fight in the Housing Crisis Jessi has experienced both the highs and lows of housing, finding temporary stability only to have it stripped away by forces beyond her control. Born into housing instability, her mother lived in a tent while pregnant. A period of stability came when Jessi and...Lee mas