Homelessness is in the news again as communities across Missouri conduct a one-day “point-in-time count,” a brief snapshot of individuals experiencing homelessness throughout our state. While it is too early to know the trends for all of Missouri, it is clear from initial reports that many Missourians are still struggling with homelessness. The most effective...Lee mas

February 2, 2026 To: Chairman Don Mayhew and Members of the Corrections and Public Institutions Committee From: Gwen Smith-Moore, Empower Missouri  RE: Support for HB 2592 & HB 2834 and Restoring Voting Rights  Empower Missouri has been committed for over 120 years to improving the quality of life for all Missouri residents through advocacy and...Lee mas

As part of Empower Missouri’s momentous 125th Anniversary celebrations, we are thrilled to announce our new Charles Ellwood Graduate Fellowship program, named for one of Empower Missouri’s founders and earliest Presidents. Ellwood dedicated his life and work to addressing social problems. He advocated for an ethical approach to sociology and taught his students to do...Lee mas

January 28, 2026 To: Senator Brown and Members, Senate Economic Workforce and Development Committee From: Amanda Berry, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower Missouri Re: Support for SB 1017 Empower Missouri is the state’s largest anti-poverty advocacy organization, working across rural and urban communities to advance policies that promote economic stability, affordability, and opportunity for Missouri...Lee mas

Date: January 28, 2026To: Committee Chair Senator Ben Brown, and members of the Senate Economic and Workforce Development CommitteeFrom: Erica Robbins, Affordable Housing Policy Manager, Empower MissouriRe: Support for SB 1105 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...Lee mas

Facts and rhetoric are frequently misaligned when it comes to anti-poverty policy. This is especially true in the criminal justice arena, where public perceptions of crime have always been more important to policymakers than what the evidence shows. This translates to policies that are fear-based, rather than evidence-based: longer prison sentences for more offenses, more...Lee mas

House Bill 2256 and House Bill 2637 would drastically increase minimum prison terms in our state, keeping people behind bars for significantly longer. Research shows that this will increase costs with no reduction in crime. Please use this form to urge the members of the Missouri House Judiciary Committee to vote no on expanding prison sentences.Lee mas

House Bill 1616 and House Bill 2832 establish an oversight body for Missouri prisons that is independent, responsible to incarcerated people and their families, and fully staffed and funded. The House Corrections and Public Institutions Committee held a hearing on these bills on Thursday, February 26th, and our legislators need to hear that Missourians want...Lee mas

Haircuts. Car repairs. Bus fares. Netflix and audiobooks. These could all get more expensive if plans to impose new taxes on services and phase out the income tax go into effect.  And who would take the biggest hit? Working class Missourians, who already pay a higher share of their incomes in state and local taxes...Lee mas