U.S. Representatives Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) and Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.) this week explored bipartisan solutions in visits to several Chicago organizations dedicated to helping individuals and families overcome challenges and escape poverty.
“Breaking the cycle of poverty requires collaboration at every level, and it means working across the aisle to fix what’s broken and build on what works,” Ranking Member Walorski said. “I’m grateful to my friend and colleague Chairman Davis for sharing with me the passion and dedication at work across his community. As we continue our work together to help families thrive, I look forward to showing him how Hoosiers in my community are tackling similar problems and serving their neighbors in need.”
“I am very fortunate to work with Ranking Member Walorski to identify real solutions to help vulnerable children, parents, and workers succeed,” Chairman Davis said. “I am thankful to Ranking Member Walorski for dedicating an entire day to see first-hand some of the key Chicago programs that reduce child poverty, increase economic well-being, improve child safety, and support parents and grandparents. I look forward to visiting Indiana very soon to learn about the successful programs in her community.”
Davis and Walorski respectively serve as the chairman and ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, which has jurisdiction over federal programs aimed at helping workers, children, and families thrive.
They heard from community leaders about support services for kinship caregivers and youth in foster care, home visiting programs for at-risk families, transitional housing and job training for young mothers facing poverty, and re-entry work programs for people with records. The initiatives included:
- Sankofa Safe Child Initiative, a program that provides services and supportive housing for grandparents and other kinship caregivers, as well as youth aging out of foster care.
- Illinois Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Care Home Visiting, a pilot project funded through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program that provides vital support to abused and neglected foster care youth who are pregnant or parents.
- New Moms, a program that provides transitional housing, job training, and family support services to help young moms and their children overcome poverty and homelessness.
- Safer Foundation, an organization that provides education, job training, and support services to help individuals with criminal records successfully re-enter the workforce and get a second chance at life.
- Chicago’s Community Kitchens, a free foodservice job training program for unemployed and underemployed adults offered by the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
A similar joint tour in Congresswoman Walorski’s northern Indiana district is being planned for a later date.
