2009 Poverty Summit
2009 Report to the Community
Additional information about Missourians to End Poverty
So now that the Summit is concluded, what are the Missourians to End Poverty working to achieve? Well, the next meeting of the planning group will focus on the Regional summits that we hope to plan for areas around the state. In order to facilitate this, we are working to get signatures from 5,000 Missourians on a resolution, requesting that Governor Jay Nixon engage a task force to focus on the effects of poverty in our communities.
Resolution
Signature Sheet
If you would like to get signatures for the resolution, please feel free to download the resolution and signature sheet and fill them out. People who sign onto the resolution must be registered voters in Missouri. When completed, mail the forms to the MACA office at 2410 Hyde Park Road, Suite A, Jefferson City, MO 65109.
Our Vision
As Missourians, we envision a just society of shared responsibility by
individuals, communities, business, and government in which all individuals
are respected, have opportunities to reach their full potential and to
participate in thriving, diverse, sustainable communities.
Missouri is a state rich in beauty and prosperity, in education and opportunity, in security and health, in values and vision. Yet, within our richness, lies poverty and fear, hunger and homelessness, unmet potential and despair. Missourians to End Poverty is a group of 30 organizations statewide that have come together to plan a summit in June to discuss the issue of poverty and how we can create change for the benefit of all communities. We have five pillars:
Hunger
In 2007, 310,000 Missouri families struggled to meet their basic food needs.
Health
The number of uninsured people in Missouri rose to 772,000 in 2007.
Education
Approximately 19,300 students did not graduate from Missouri's high schools in 2007. The lost lifetime earnings in Missouri for that class of dropouts alone are more than $5 billion.
Housing and Energy
Low income families pay an average of 46% of their income just for housing and energy.
Economic and Family Security
781,842 Missourians live in poverty...263,484 of them are children.
Who are
Missourians to End Poverty?
Photo Gallery from June 9th Summit!
Media Coverage of the Summit!