Date: January 16th, 2024 To: Chairman Brown and Members, Emerging Issues Committee From: Trina Ragain, Lead Policy Strategist, Empower Missouri Re: Support for SB 750 Founded in 1901, Empower Missouri is the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in the state. As part of our work, we organize a statewide Affordable Housing Coalition. This coalition is made...Read More

I am so grateful to be a part of the Empower Missouri policy team as the newest Affordable Housing Policy Manager. I have been involved with the organization, first as a coalition member and then as a board member, before joining the staff, and I knew this was where I wanted to be. In this...Read More

Homeless service provisions can be confusing, both to outsiders who care about the issue and to consumers the programs are designed to assist. There are multiple types of programs, all designed to meet households where they are and close the gaps that have left them housing insecure. Even still, waiting lists for help are sometimes...Read More

More than 17 million Americans age 65+ live below 200% of the federal poverty level, leading to struggles with health costs, housing, adequate nutrition, access to transportation, and so much more. In Missouri, there are currently 1.1 million citizens over the age of 60, and older adults could outnumber minors for the first time by...Read More

On Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned HB 1606, a bill with language that Empower Missouri advocated against during the 2022 session. Our advocacy, among many others, helped to shape the lawsuit, Byrd v State of Missouri, that led to Tuesday’s decision. Because of the work by Empower Missouri, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Eden...Read More

In May the Missouri General Assembly will adjourn, after what we hope will be a productive session. Mark your calendar now to join us as we recap everything that happened in anti-poverty legislation over the last few months. We’ll discuss the highs and lows of what got done, where we made progress but didn’t quite...Read More

Missouri is experiencing an affordable housing crisis and the result of that is housing instability and homelessness for our neighbors. How did we get here and what can be done? Marqueia Watson, Executive Director of the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness will join us to discuss the legacy of racist housing policies and...Read More

There are many important skills that advocates work to develop and master to increase their effectiveness. The process of writing and delivering testimony is one of those skills. This session will prepare advocates for persuasive testimony, with tips and tricks to help your information stand out. We will cover the committee process, messaging, and how...Read More

The Affordable Housing Coalition is a multi-sector team of dedicated advocates who understand the importance of stable housing on health, community, safety, and more. We support regional housing work as appropriate and expand that energy to the state and federal level, building momentum to address the housing shortage crisis at an appropriate level. We are...Read More

The Affordable Housing Coalition is a multi-sector team of dedicated advocates who understand the importance of stable housing on health, community, safety, and more. We support regional housing work as appropriate and expand that energy to the state and federal level, building momentum to address the housing shortage crisis at an appropriate level. We are...Read More