(JEFFERSON CITY, MO)…On September 15th, Empower Missouri and the Coalition on Human Needs released a new report showing Missouri is losing ground against the coronavirus. Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 cases have continued to increase all over the state. Missouri is up nine percent while nationally there has been an average decline of...Read More

Empower Missouri Monthly Friday Forum Series: Re-Envisioning Public Safety Forum #1: September 18, 2020 Evictions in COVID-19: 300,000 Missouri Families at Risk Local, State and Federal Actions to Keep Families Safe Friday September 18, 2020 from 12pm- 1:30pm Panelists: Kalila Jackson: Equal Housing and Opportunity Council, St. Louis Gina Chiala:  Heartland Center for Jobs and Freedom, Kansas City Justin Lockhart: Community...Read More

Labor Day is at the top of my “Most Hypocritical Holiday Observance” list. On most holidays, large numbers of people take some action that is connected to the meaning of the holiday – practicing gratitude on Thanksgiving, giving flowers to a lover on Valentine’s Day, watching “the rockets’ red glare” of fireworks or displaying an...Read More

Since Empower Missouri’s focus is on securing basic human needs and equal justice for every person in our state, we receive quite a few calls from people whose food and housing security are in danger. This week I had a call from a tenant with low-income who is aware that the federal eviction moratorium has...Read More

TAKE ACTION NOW After more than two months of delay, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Caucus have finally released their proposal for the next round of COVID-19 relief. On Monday, congressional leaders unveiled a roughly $1 trillion stimulus proposal called the HEALS Act, which includes a $400 cut in unemployment benefits. The federal eviction...Read More

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO)……After more than two months of delay, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Caucus have finally released their proposal for the next round of COVID-19 relief. On Monday, congressional leaders unveiled a roughly $1 trillion stimulus proposal called the HEALS Act, which includes a $400 cut in unemployment benefits. The federal eviction moratorium...Read More

It is no surprise to anyone I interact with, but I really love data. In college, I had a professor thank me for always coming back to an evidence base when making policy recommendations, a tendency which has served me well at Empower Missouri. I enjoy dissecting data and holding on to it, conceptualizing it...Read More

COVID-19 provides a stark reminder that affordable housing is a public health issue as well as a moral imperative. When households cannot afford their rent, they cannot afford to shelter in place or self-isolate, which puts them and everyone else at greater risk. Empower Missouri is encouraging our network to reach out to Senators Blunt...Read More

(JEFFERSON CITY, MO)…..In order to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent in Missouri, full-time workers need to earn $16.07 per hour. This is Missouri’s 2020 Housing Wage, revealed in a national report released Tuesday. The report, Out of Reach, was jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a research...Read More

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal lawmakers have passed multiple pieces of legislation to provide emergency relief and enhance the economy. Within those first few pieces of legislation, Congress began to address the impending increase in food insecurity by implementing important waivers and new programs to help individuals and families access much needed support...Read More