C/O SENSES, 275 State Street, Albany, NY, 12210, (518) 463-5576

Susan Antos, Greater Upstate Law Project

Ron Deutsch, Statewide Emergency Network for Social and Economic Security, Co-chair

Mark Dunlea, Hunger Action Network of NYS

Suzanne Garhart, Workforce Development Institute, Hudson Valley Community College

David Hamilton, NYS Catholic Conference

Lois Johnson, Women's Employment and Resource Center

Dan Maskin, NYS Community Action Association

Ann Mattei, Adult Literacy and Workforce Preparation Team, NYS Education Department

Sandra McGarraugh, NYS Career Options Institute, Co-chair

Christine McKenna, Statewide Emergency Network for Social and Economic Security

Merble Reagon, Women's Center for Education and Career Advancement

Trudi Renwick, Fiscal Policy Institute

Russ Simon, NY Association of Training and Employment Professionals

Rus Sykes, State Communities Aid Association

Scott Trees, Siena College

Elie Ward, Statewide Youth Advocacy

Agnes Zellin, NYS Child Care Coordinating Council

Press Release

Steering Committee Releases NYS Self-Sufficiency Standard Answering the Question: How Much Do New Yorkers Really Need to Make Ends Meet?

Albany - On September 13, 2000, the members of the NYS Self-Sufficiency Standard Steering Committee released the NYS Self-Sufficiency Standard report in Albany. The report is authored by Dr. Diana Pearce who currently teaches at the School of Social Work at the University of Washington, Seattle. Dr. Pearce has developed these Standards for 12 other states.

The NYS Self-Sufficiency Standard, unlike the federal poverty standard, charts the actual cost of living and working in each county of New York State. It measures how much a family must earn in order to pay for housing, food, childcare, taxes, health care and other basic necessities. It is based on the ages and number of children in each household, and the county in which the person resides.

"The report is the first of its kind in New York State to provide a realistic assessment of what families actually need to earn to be self-sufficient," stated Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of SENSES. "We need to use this report as a springboard for realistic public policy measures that have positive impacts on our states' families."

"The Self-Sufficiency Standard provides us with a wonderful new tool. Since it takes into account the differences in the cost of living across the state and considers both the costs of living and working, it is a much better gauge of income adequacy for New York's working families than the current federal poverty thresholds," stated Dr. Trudi Renwick of the Fiscal Policy Institute.

In the 12 states where standards have been developed it has been used to evaluate economic development proposals, evaluate the impact of proposed policy changes, target education and job training investments, as a counseling tool and as a benchmark for evaluation. For example, The Self-Sufficiency Standard has recently been adopted by the Philadelphia and Chicago Workforce Investment Boards to define "self-sufficiency."

Russell Simon, Senior Policy Associate of the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals said "This Self-Sufficiency Standard will provide a valuable tool to the 33 local workforce investment areas across New York State for assisting individuals and  families in working toward their economic goals. With the implementation of the federal Workforce Investment Act, local Workforce Investment Boards should consider using the data in this report to establish self-sufficiency goals that reflect local conditions and target resources to help underemployed and unemployed workers meet the financial needs of their families."

"In this, the best of economic times, 25% of New York's children are growing up in poverty. The heartbreaking truth is that the majority of these children live in families where their parents work very hard," said Elie Ward, Executive Director of Statewide Youth Advocacy. "We hope that the release of the Self-Sufficiency Standard for New York State will help our state leaders, in both the public and private sectors, better understand what it takes to raise a family. And that this information will encourage them to design policies and programs that support the hard working families across our state."

"In a society that emphasizes the value of work and on the heels of sweeping work-based welfare reform, the self-sufficiency standard is a critical tool for demonstrating that far too many families, who are holding up their end of the social contract by working, still have earnings that leave them well below what is essential to meet their basic needs," stated Rus Sykes of the State Communities Aid Association. "In that context, the self-sufficiency standard can guide policymakers in establishing fair wage policies and designing educational and employment and training programs aimed at building suitable skills for higher wage employment. But for the many families, who because of entry level wages, lower skills and other obstacles, will not attain economic independence quickly, this study clearly demonstrates the critical need for government support services for child care and health coverage, adequate child support and tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) that can help in the interim to 'fill the gap' between earnings and the self-sufficiency standard."

"The road to self-sufficiency is not an easy one. The cost of health insurance, child care, and housing can make it seem impossible to obtain. It has taken me a while to reach the level of independence that I am now at, and I never would gotten there if it weren't for the assistance of programs such as the Women's Employment and Resource Center, Career Central, Section 8, Child Care through the Department of Social Services, and also my current employer," stated Pam Hallenbeck a housing counselor in Albany.

According to Sandra McGarraugh of Thalia Training and Consulting, "The importance of providing access to education and training, particularly to technical programs offered through community colleges, is underscored by the self sufficiency standard data. Technical training can mean the difference between making a self-sufficiency wage and just getting by with continuing subsidized support. For low-income women, many of whom are single parents, the associate degree programs offered at the community college level are critical ladders to self-sufficiency. The difference between the earnings of an entry level unskilled worker (average $6 hour) and that of a skilled technician ($15 -$20 hour) is the key to maintaining a livable family wage at a self sufficiency level. Further, the high/skill and high/wage potential jobs available with the postsecondary training provide opportunities for continuing skill development and career advancement, which support families in achieving a economically secure lifestyle over time."

The report's author, Dr. Diana Pearce, will be in Albany on Thursday, September 14th and will be available for one-on-one interviews. Dr. Pearce will also be giving an informational forum on September 14th at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 275 State Street, Albany from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. Dr. Pearce teaches at the School of Social Work, University of Washington in Seattle. She is recognized for coining the phrase "the feminization of poverty." Dr. Pearce founded and directed the Women and Poverty Project at Wider Opportunities for Women in Washington D.C. If you would like to schedule a time to meet with Dr. Pearce, please contact either Ron Deutsch or Christine McKenna at SENSES.

Representatives of SENSES, FPI and Thalia Training and Consulting will be conducting informational forums across the state throughout the month of September. Locations are September 25th Buffalo (A.M.) and Rochester (P.M.), September 26th in Ithaca (A.M.) and Syracuse (P.M.), September 27th in Utica (A.M.), and October 12th in New York City.