Date: February 7th, 2024To: Chairman Bromley and members of the Utilities CommitteeFrom: Trina Ragain, Lead Policy Strategist, Empower MissouriRe: Opposition to HB 1435, HB 1804 and HB 2541 Empower Missouri, established in 1901, stands as the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in our state. Central to our mission is the convening of a statewide Affordable Housing...Lee mas

Date: January 23, 2024 To: Chairman Hovis and Members, House Pensions Committee From: Gwen Smith, Criminal Justice Policy Manager, Empower Missouri RE: HJR 92 As the largest and oldest anti-poverty non-profit in our state, Empower Missouri is committed to improving the quality of life for all Missouri residents through advocacy. Since our inception, Empower Missouri...Lee mas

A new year is a time for reflection and setting intentions for the year ahead. At Empower Missouri, our team is also setting intentions for the new legislative session while reminding ourselves of the guiding principles that shape our work. Over the last few weeks, we’ve heard a lot of pessimism about the 2024 session– from...Lee mas

At Empower Missouri, our goal is to empower Missourians to end poverty and make our state a better and more equitable place to be. We strive to include people from communities across the state in everything we do; their voices are at the heart of our work. For the food security coalition specifically, that means...Lee mas

It seems hard to believe that we’re only a month away from the start of a new year, and a new legislative session. Pre-filing opens for the Missouri legislature today, a process where legislators from both chambers can begin filing their bills ahead of the 2024 session. Bills that are filed on December 1st are...Lee mas

As we near the end of 2023, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the incredible impact we have achieved together at Empower Missouri. The unwavering commitment and support of our community of advocates has allowed us to make a real difference in the lives of countless individuals and communities across our great...Lee mas

Darlene S. has faced challenges in housing her entire life, but things have gotten progressively harder in recent years. After experiencing two evictions, the most recent being a decade ago, she has faced mounting barriers to housing. Combined with increased rents and requirements of 3 times rent in income, renting anything became impossible. Darlene has...Lee mas

Many years ago, before my time at Empower Missouri, I was a foster parent. While my time licensed was short and I had very few children move through my home, I was (and still am) passionate about easing the social conditions that fuel foster care. I remember learning how most children brought into foster care...Lee mas

Early this month we launched our first Housing Justice Fellowship, in partnership with Springfield Tenants Unite. For our pilot cohort, we brought together 12 tenants with varied experiences renting in Springfield. Some have prior experience with tenant organizing, some do not, but all are committed to learning how to organize their community to win policy...Lee mas

We’re nearing the end of Hunger Action Month, and to wrap things up, we’re bringing you more resources and information to aid in our continued fight against hunger in Missouri!  Led by Feeding America, Hunger Action Month is an annual nationwide campaign to spread awareness and inspire action to end hunger in America. 12% of...Lee mas