Publications

Connecticut Voices for Children released a new report, “Addressing Connecticut’s Eviction Crisis: Policy Options for Medium- and Long-Term Reforms.” This report, the second in a two-part series, focuses on important measures that can be taken in the medium- and long-term to address housing affordability. The first report in the two-part series focuses on important measures that can be taken in the short term to protect tenant households.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a new report, “2023 Legislative Summary.” The document provides a high-level review of the bills our organization supported this session. While a number of other bills passed both chambers of the General Assembly, and countless others were proposed, it’s important to note that this document only includes the bills that we submitted testimony on during the public hearing process and/or tracked from the beginning to the end. Each section enumerates these bills in numerical order, starting with House bills then Senate bills. Lastly, we want to acknowledge that our successes are a result of deep community partnership with values-aligned people, organizations and coalitions who showed up every week in myriad ways this legislative session. Although there are too many to name—you know who you are—THANK YOU.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a new report, “Addressing Connecticut’s Eviction Crisis: Policy Options for Short-Term Reforms.” This report, the first in a two-part series, focuses on important measures that can be taken in the short term to protect tenant households. The second report in the two-part series will focus on the long-term solutions available to policymakers to address housing affordability.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a new report, “The 2022 Candidate Briefing Book.” Designed to provide a snapshot of helpful research and data for Connecticut residents and candidates running for political office this election cycle, this document lays the foundation for what we’re calling the Connecticut Families Plan, which we first mentioned in January of 2022. Due to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our health and economy these past two-plus years, this “Book” should be viewed in tandem with our Issue Briefing Book 2020-2022, which was published in July of 2020.

The Connecticut General Assembly passed an historic budget and accompanying policies this legislative session.  While we are disappointed that fair revenue measures to correct our regressive tax system were not passed, we celebrate the increase of the state EITC to 30.5%, inclusive state CTC language should Congress not enact a permanent expansion, and a plethora of policies that advance economic justice.  As is our custom, we’ve laid out our take in our “2021 Legislative Session in Review.“

Connecticut Voices for Children released a report, “More Than a Health Crisis: Long-Term Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Connecticut Youth and Families,” which analyzes the impact of the pandemic on employment, basic needs, and education and outlines the necessity of prioritizing the safety and stability of Connecticut’s youth and families in the state’s recovery planning to avoid long-term economic harm. In order to understand the severity of the pandemic-induced recession on Connecticut’s youth and families, the report examines data collected between August 19, 2020 and March 1, 2021 from the U.S. Census Bureau’s weekly Household Pulse Surveys and compares the data against national trends. The report enumerates six overarching recommendations.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a report that analyzes where increases in minimum wage may have unanticipated effects on some families’ receipt of benefits and hinder families with children from gaining economic mobility, despite increases in their income. The report entitled, “Impact of Connecticut’s Minimum Wage Increase on Access to Benefits for Working Families” outlines 10 policy solutions to mitigate the impacts of benefits cliffs—when a small wage increase leads to a significant reduction in public benefits. Benefits cliffs inadvertently worsen a family’s economic security, stifle economic growth by keeping individuals from participating in the workforce, and disproportionately impact women and people of color.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a report entitled, “Separate & Unequal: The Interactive Effects of Housing and Education Policies on School Segregation in Connecticut,” which examines how residential segregation in Connecticut—and the subsequent educational segregation—persists due to ongoing racial discrimination, current town zoning ordinances, and school district boundaries. Find out how Connecticut’s housing and education policies disrupt opportunities for investments in Black and Latinx communities and what we can do to make the state more equitable.

Connecticut Voices for Children released their Issue Briefing Book 2020-2022.  Versions of this document have been developed throughout the 25 years of the organization’s history. As the state experiences the convergence of a health crisis, an economic recession due to that crisis, and a contentious and long-overdue conversation on race, the “Book” has been refreshed given Voices’ new, strategic aim toward economic justice and these unprecedented times. The Issue Briefing Book 2020-2022 is designed to be a starting point for shared knowledge around the research and recommendations that are fundamental to family economic security and the undergirding fiscal and economics, with the hope of advancing shared action.

Connecticut Voices for Children released a report that outlines the three, large, coronavirus-related Congressional bills to date. The report, entitled “Federal Efforts to Address the Coronavirus Pandemic & the Ensuing and Precipitous Economic Downturn” examines The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-123), which became law on March 6, 2020; The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127), which became law on March 18, 2020; The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136), which became law March 27, 2020; and The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139), which became law April 24, 2020.  This report, in three parts, describes the key provisions of these federal efforts, with emphasis on those most relevant to Connecticut children and families.