Policy & Practice | April 2021

8 STRATEGIES POVERTY REDUCTION ROOT CAUSES & BEYOND UNDO STRUCTURAL RACISM Understand structural racism and historical trauma and take action to undo how they manifest in state policy, program, and practice. BALANCE POWER Make equal space in decision-making for people and communities most affected by poverty and inequality. INCREASE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY Target equitable income growth and wealth-building among people with low incomes. ENSURE FOUNDATIONAL WELL-BEING Strengthen health supports across the life span to promote the intergenerational well-being of families.

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5 PRIORITIZE URGENT NEEDS

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Prioritize the urgent needs of people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, or addiction. BUILD A HOLISTIC CONTINUUM OF CARE Build an integrated human service continuum of care that addresses the holistic needs of children, adults, and families. DECRIMINALIZE POVERTY Decriminalize poverty and reduce

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reliance on the child welfare, juvenile justice, and criminal justice systems.

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PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK Ensure a just transition to the future of work.

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excluded from economic well-being must lead the way to inform the policy, program, and budget investments needed for a just and equitable future. The pursuit of systemic change should not overshadow the urgency of right now. Finally, they agreed that we must resist the gravitational pull of the status quo. The 10-year plan would need leaders in every sector, system, and jurisdiction to commit to action. 8 Strategies, 60 The PRWG dug deep, and settled on eight strategies and 60 recommenda- tions to create a Blueprint for a Just & Equitable Future: The 10-Year Plan to Dismantle Poverty inWashington State. 3 Strategies 1 and 2 are founda- tional to the entire plan, centering the expertise of people experiencing poverty and undoing institutional- ized racism, oppression, and historical trauma in state policies, programs, and funding decisions. Strategies 3 Recommendations for a Just & Equitable Future

through 8 broadly aim to: (a) more effectively mitigate the rippling effects of poverty on children, adults, and families experiencing it and move them toward economic sta- bility; and (b) prevent the incidence of poverty from occurring altogether by investing in the opportunities all Washingtonians need to achieve social and economic mobility. It was a transformative experience. The brave leadership of people expe- riencing poverty made state leaders recognize an inconvenient truth: the policies underwriting our programs help people manage their poverty, but do a poor job of ending it, perpetu- ating existing inequality. Minds were challenged and egos humbled, but the process inspired PRWGmembers to stretch themselves and their orga- nizations to shake up the status quo, learning valuable lessons along the way. As one PRWGmember said, “PRWG was the most humbling, exhilarating, uncomfortable, and hopeful experience of my career in state government.”

approval for the plan. When the work fell short, they challenged the group to do better until we addressed poverty at its roots. The PRWG held meetings throughout Washington, witnessing the unique experiences of people struggling to make ends meet, listening to experts, and learning about community-led solutions. Members listened deeply to each other’s stories and encouraged everyone to look beyond titles, power dynamics, and perceived differences to build shared understanding. There were long, uncomfortable conver- sations about White privilege and structural racism. Members encour- aged each other to speak the truth, even when their voices shook. And there were arguments—members vehemently disagreed and challenged each other’s assumptions and beliefs. In the end, we agreed that a plan to dismantle poverty must undo root causes of White privilege, struc- tural racism, historical trauma, and systemic inequality. People historically

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