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...Read More

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...Read More

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...Read More

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...Read More

Date: January 22, 2025 To: Rep. David Casteel, Chair, and members of the Commerce Committee From: Misha Smith, Affordable Housing Policy Manager, Empower Missouri Re: Our opposition to HB 595 and HB 343 Founded in 1901, Empower Missouri is the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in the state. As part of our work, we convene a...Read More

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...Read More

If you’re like me, you weren’t familiar with the term ‘preemption’ before the 2024 legislative session (or maybe you’re still not familiar with this concept). In legislative terms, preemption means that the state government can create laws that override laws and ordinances at the local level—basically, the opposite of local control. Mallory did a great...Read More

A Voice for Justice: Kai’s Fight Against Discrimination and Housing Injustice Kai’s story is shaped by a childhood marked by poverty and later battles against racial discrimination. After the passing of her great-grandmother, she lived full-time with her mother in California before moving to Chicago. “Chicago is where I grew up,” she reflects. “I was...Read More