December 01, 2022
December 01, 2022
November 21, 2022
Dear Senator Portman and Senator Brown:
We, the undersigned organizations representing children, adults, and families across Ohio, believe all of us, regardless of what we look like or where we live, deserve to make ends meet and have opportunities to follow our dreams. That’s why we are calling on you to pass an end-of-year budget bill that includes an expanded child tax credit (CTC) and an expanded earned income tax credit (EITC) to provide a foundation of security, stability, and basic human dignity for all of us — no exceptions.
Unfortunately, millions of workers and families nationwide still struggle to afford the cost of basic necessities. Between July and August of this year, over a million families in Ohio had difficulty paying for usual household expenses, like food, child care, rent, gas, and medical costs, according to the US Census Bureau. Hardworking Ohio families can't keep up because of rising costs and poverty level wages. Four of Ohio’s 10 most common jobs don’t pay enough for a typical worker to feed a family of three without food assistance. Parents are also facing high costs for child care and rising costs at the grocery store, the gas station, and to heat and cool their homes.
Child and family instability costs us all. When children grow up living with ongoing insecurity and related stressors, it stunts their ability to learn and grow and limits their life’s trajectory. Compared to their more economically secure peers, children who grow up in poverty are more likely to underperform in school, experience health problems, and interact with the criminal legal system as adults.
Ohio children deserve better. When families have financial stability, children get better grades in school, are healthier, and earn more during their lifetime. When we help parents afford the basics, we empower them to prioritize the health and well-being of their children, and we all benefit. The expanded child tax credit (CTC) was an effective solution to provide more stability and security for families with children.
The American Rescue Plan temporarily provided direct monthly payments to over 1.2 million households and over 2.1 million children in Ohio through the expanded child tax credit (CTC). The positive impact was felt immediately. Ohio families were able to make ends meet and cover basic necessities such as groceries, gas, child care, and rent. According to a survey conducted by the Brookings Institution, 70% of parents said the payments helped them better manage rising prices. Nationally, child poverty fell to a record low of 5.2% in 2021.
Two Ohio parents shared what the expanded CTC meant for their families. With additional funds, Sophia Whitehouse from Central Ohio was able to afford child care in order to start her own business providing mental health services to children. She shared, “The child tax credit has been a
tremendous help paying for preschool and child care for my two zids under 5.” Jason Carter and his wife live in Cincinnati. They had a baby girl at the end of July 2020. The monthly $300 payments provided them with peace of mind. Mr. Carter said, “It helps us to survive, to plan, and have hope for an improved quality of life in the future.”
But now, Ohioans are facing greater hardship because the expanded CTC and EITC have expired. Without an expansion of the CTC, families will receive far less support next year and many families will no longer qualify for any support. Prior to the expansion of the CTC, 27 million children, including an estimated 950,000 children in Ohio, received less than the full $2,000 credit or no credit at all because policymakers structured the CTC to exclude families that are paid low wages. If you and your colleagues don’t act now, hundreds of thousands of children in Ohio will be deprived of important resources.
This is why we urge you to act now to make sure working Ohioans can pay the rent, put food on the table, and live with basic human dignity. The time is now to prioritize what really matters — our collective well-being and our children’s future.
While Congress has a tremendous opportunity to deliver for families, press reports indicate lobbyists are pressuring Congress to deliver more tax breaks for businesses and corporations. Wealthy corporations don’t need more tax breaks. The research shows that funding that supports children and families benefits us all. The experiment of the expanded child tax credit makes clear that the CTC is a common-sense and necessary solution to provide more security and stability for children, workers, and families. This may be the last chance this Congress has to act. We urge you to put families and workers first by expanding the CTC and the EITC instead of giving more tax breaks to large corporations in the end-of-year budget bill.
Thank you for your commitment to support children, families, and workers. We hope we can count on you to fight for these policies and make certain any final legislative package in December includes meaningful support for children, families, and the people of Ohio.
We, the undersigned organizations, stand united in our support to put Ohio families and workers first in our hope for a better future for all Ohioans.
Sincerely,
Statewide Organizations
1. Advocates for Ohio’s Future
2. American Heart Association
3. Children’s Defense Fund - Ohio
4. Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio
5. Faith in Public Life
6. Groundwork Ohio
7. HOLA Ohio
8. Hunger Network in Ohio
9. Mental Health America of Ohio
10. My Grow Connect
11. National Association of Social Workers - Ohio Chapter
12. Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans Educational Fund
13. Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children
14. Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies
15. Ohio Association of Foodbanks
16. Ohio Children's Alliance
17. Ohio Coalition of Labor Union Women
18. Ohio Domestic Violence Network
19. Ohio Education Association
20. Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change
21. Ohio Family Care Association
22. Ohio Federation for Health Equity and Social Justice
23. Ohio Grandparent Kinship Coalition
24. Ohio National Organization for Women (NOW)
25. Ohio NOW Education and Legal Fund
26. Ohio Organizing Collaborative
27. The Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network (WPPN)
28. One Ohio Now
29. OPAWL
30. Policy Matters Ohio
31. Public Children Services Association of Ohio
32. Public Education Partners- Ohio
33. RESULTS Ohio
34. Seeds of Literacy
35. The Center for Community Solutions
36. UU Justice Ohio
37. Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana
Local / Regional Organizations
38. Action for Children
39. All Nestled Inn Family Childcare
40. Artemis Center
41. Asian American Community Services
42. Athens County Food Pantry
43. Basic Needs Food Pantry
44. Battered Women's Shelter and Rape Crisis Center of Summit and Medina Counties
45. Bishop Griffin Resource Center
46. Bishopville Food Pantry
47. Blessed Christian Daycare Learning Center L.L.C.
48. Bridgeway Academy
49. Broad Street Neighborhood Outreach
50. Canal Lewisville UM Church
51. Cardington Community Food Pantry
52. Catholic Social Services
53. Central Community House
54. Central Ohio Worker Center
55. Church of Our Saviour/La Iglesia de Nuestro Salvad
56. City Year Columbus
57. Cleveland Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition
58. Cleveland Jobs with Justice
59. Clevelanders for Public Transit
60. Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resources Center
61. Columbus Early Learning Centers
62. Columbus Works, Inc.
63. Communications Workers of America- District 4
64. Community Action Commission of Fayette County
65. Community Development for All People
66. Concord Counseling
67. Crime Victim Services
68. Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus
69. Directions for Youth & Families
70. Early Childhood Enrichment Center
71. East End Neighborhood Development Corporation
72. Family Abuse Shelter of Miami County, Inc.
73. First Baptist Church Child Care Center
74. Family Crisis Network - Our Home
75. First Church of God
76. First English Lutheran Church
77. The Foodbank
78. Forbes House
79. Freestore Foodbank
80. Gladden Community House
81. Godman Guild Association
82. Golden Harvest Food Pantry
83. Grandma's World
84. Greater Hilltop Area Shalom Zone
85. Greater Works Outreach Food Pantry
86. Groveport Madison Local Education Association
87. Hand In Hand Early Learning Center
88. Haven House of Pickaway County Inc
89. Healthy Community Partnership Mahoning Valley
90. Healthy New Albany
91. Hocking Athens Perry Community Action
92. Homesafe, Inc.
93. Hopewell Madison choice pantry
94. Highland Youth Garden
95. Huckleberry House
96. Human Service Chamber of Franklin County
97. Hunger Network
98. I Care Daycare
99. Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center
100. InterReligious Task Force On Central America
101. Jorivia Home Daycare LLC
102. Journey Center for Safety and Healing
103. Just Wright 4 Kids Learning academy
104. Kellys Kids daycare
105. Kendal at Oberlin
106. Kiddie Kampus Child Enrichment Center
107. Licking County Veggie Van
108. Little Loves Learning Center
109. Lincoln Gardens, National Church Residences
110. Local Matters
111. Logos Christian Ministries
112. Mary Evans Child Development Center
113. Mary's Little Lambs Childcare and Preschool
114. Mid-Ohio Food Collective
115. Miss Lori’s Place for Childcare
116. Motherful
117. My Sister's Place
118. National Council of Jewish Women/Cleveland
119. Neighborhood Services, Inc.
120. Newark Teachers Association
121. The Noble Family Violence Council, Inc.
122. Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition
123. Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless
124. Northern Ohioans for Budget Legislation Equality
125. The Nurtury
126. Ohio Naturally
127. Oneeighty
128. Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services
129. Perfecting Saints Heart to Heart Ministries
130. PrimaryOne Health
131. Project Woman of Springfield and Clark County
132. REACH: Responding with Empathy, Access, and Community Healing
133. Renovate Life Church of God Food Pantry
134. Resident Resources Network, Inc.
135. RESULTS Central Ohio
136. Sarah's Friends, Inc.
137. Second Chance Center of Hope
138. Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign & Logan Counties
139. Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley
140. Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio
141. Seven Baskets Community Development Corp.
142. Shared Harvest Foodbank
143. Shepherd's House Inc.
144. Siemer Institute
145. Southern Ohio Task Force on Domestic Violence
146. Southeast Ohio Foodbank
147. SproutFive
148. St. Stephen's Community House
149. St. Vincent Family Services
150. Star House
151. Storehouse for Jesus Food Pantry
152. Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program
153. Transformation Now (Grandparents Educating Minds)
154. Transitions, Inc.
155. Tri-County Help Center, Inc.
156. United Way of Greater Cincinnati
157. United Way of Summit and Medina
158. Victory Ministries Center of Hope
159. We Amplify Voices
160. West Ohio Food Bank
161. The Women's Fund of Central Ohio
162. Women's Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation
163. YWCA Greater Cincinnati
164. YWCA Hamilton
165. YWCA of Northwest Ohio
166. Zora's House
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