Get informed

Read the Poverty Solutions Steering Committee report to the Waco City Council: Moving from Poverty to Prosperity (June 19, 2012)

• Key points (1 page)
• Overview (8 pages)
• Full Report (100 pages)
• PDF of PowerPoint presentation presented to Waco City Council June 19, 2012 (12 slides)

Stay informed about what’s happening in town to reduce poverty

• Check the announcements and monthly event lists – These will keep you up to date on events and opportunities that we think are of interest to people who want to reduce poverty.   If you want to post an event or announcement, email it to events@actlocallywaco.org.
• Subscribe to the email list - We are adding new events and opportunities all the time; the easiest way to keep up is to subscribe to the email list.  You’ll get an update every week or two on what is going on around town.

Reports and plans: Waco

• McLennan County Community Plan
• Opening Doors and Unlocking Potential: City of Waco Mayor’s Plan to End Chronic Homelessness
• Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce Strategic Plan
• City of Waco Comprehensive Plan (2000)
• Waco Community Visioning Project
• Greater Waco Education Alliance Summit Reports
• Greater Waco Educatioin Alliance Early Childhood Study

Reports and plans: Other

• 10 Important Questions about Child Poverty & Family Economic Hardship
• Feeding America “Map the Meal Gap” study
• Perceptions of Poverty: The Salvation Army Report to America (2012)

Data sources

• Texas State Data Center – http://txsdc.utsa.edu/
• Quick Facts from the U.S. Census – Waco, Texas
• National Center for Education Statistics – Search for Schools, Colleges, Libraries
• Texas Education Agency School District Locator
• National Center for Children in Poverty – Texas Profile
• Waco Chamber of Commerce — customized reports
• Living Wage calculator — Waco Texas
• Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment statistics for Waco
• Crime stats for Waco
• Kids Count Census data on-line Key facts for Waco

Articles and research

• Poverty and Potential: Out-of-School Factors and School Success by David C. Berliner, Regents’ Professor, Arizona State University. March 2009.

Poverty initiatives from other cities

• Traverse Bay, Michigan

Other interesting links:

• www.NewGeography.com  -  A site devoted to analyzing and discussing the places where we live and work. We want to know not only what is happening, but also how you, your company and your community can best adapt to rapidly changing conditions. We welcome your writing, your thoughts on the site, and your insights on economic development, metropolitan demographics, and community leadership.
• www.equitycenter.org – The Equity Center: Standing up for Texas Children. The Equity Center was founded in 1982 by 55 school districts as a response to the gross inequities that existed in the state’s school finance system. The effects of the inequities were so severe that they were preventing districts from providing the educational opportunities their students deserved.
• www.spotlightonpoverty.org – Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity: The Source for News, Ideas and Action is a non-partisan initiative that brings together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to find genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans. Through the ongoing exchange of ideas, research and data, Spotlight seeks to inform the policy debate about reducing poverty and increasing opportunity in the United States.
• www.northeastern.edu/clms/ – Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University.  the Center has conducted both sponsored and non-sponsored research on a diverse array of labor market, education, literacy, job training, human resource program, planning and evaluation, and family issues at the national, regional, state and local level.
• www.heldrich.rutgers.edu/ – John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development - a national research and policy center devoted to helping employers and workers respond to the rapidly changing world economy. 
• www.abcdinstitute.org - The Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) is at the center of a large and growing movement that considers local assets as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development. Building on the skills of local residents, the power of local associations, and the supportive functions of local institutions, asset-based community development draws upon existing community strengths to build stronger, more sustainable communities for the future.