Here’s What We’re learning:

Here’s what we learned from the public during the Issue Forums we had this summer. Please read through this and let us know what you think.

   Summary of the Partnership for Prosperity’s issue forums, June 20 through Aug. 29

Method

These forums were on each of the major issues identified in the Poverty Thought Force 2017 report - hunger, housing, health care, jobs and education – as well as transportation, which the thought force recognized as cutting across all the other issues. Each forum concentrated on one of the issues.

We gave the audiences printouts of the recommendations on each issue from the Poverty Thought Force Report and asked them to divide into small groups, with “resident experts,” to tell us which recommendations from the report would be their top 5, with 1 being the top priority and five being the lowest priority. After each group reported out to the greater audience, we allowed time for discussion and questions for the resident experts.

Major themes

The issue forums echoed the spring listening sessions in several broad themes: the need for tenant rights in terms of evictions and deplorable housing conditions; the need for better bus routes and more access to cars; the need for better health care; the need for universal pre-K; the need to ease the benefits cliff; the need for better awareness, coordination and communication in the poverty fight; the need for better awareness of resources to help; and the need for a living wage.

Top recommendations from the forums.

Transportation forum, the afternoon of June 20, the Downtown Library. The resident experts included Scott Rhine, executive director for PART; Sam Matthews, the head of the Shepherd’s Center; and Amanda Bennett, program associate with The Winston-Salem Foundation.

No. 1. Align public transportation with irregular work schedules

No. 2. Improve bus affordability, access and frequency

No. 3. Link public transportation to affordable housing

No. 4. Improve transit for secondary education

No. 5. More mobile-care clinics

There was widespread criticism of WSTA, especially the fact that most city buses now run every hour instead of every thirty minutes. Participants reported problems getting to stores and doctors on city buses. It was noted that a recent study by WSSU’s Center for the Study of Economic Mobility found that the average working person spends 12 hours a week commuting on city buses. Participants called for changing city bus routes to expand coverage, and for more large companies to start shuttle services for their workers. Perhaps that could be worked into incentives deals, one audience member suggested. One participant noted that gentrification is pushing people of low resources to outlying areas that the city bus system does not serve. Another noted that more programs to provide people of low-resources with cars, such as Wheels for Hope, are needed.

Housing forum, the afternoon of June 27, Goodwill. Resident experts were Adolfo Briceno, HR specialist for the city; Lou Baldwin, the head of Baldwin Properties; Professor Greg Taylor of WSSU; Ed Sharpe of Legal Aid; Anya Brown of HAWS; Dan Kornelis, county director of Community and Economic Development; and Andrea Kurtz of Housing Matters.

No. 1. Incentivize smaller affordable housing units

No. 2. Improve public transportation to expand housing options

No. 3. Use tax incentives for subsidized, low-income housing

No. 4. Revitalize unused/abandoned homes

No. 5. Landlord incentives for Section 8/affordable housing

Several participants noted the need for an eviction-reduction and tenant-rights program, as had several participants in the listening sessions. There was also considerable concern about the lack of affordable housing, and the realization that many residents with good resources think of affordable housing as $1,000 a month for rent while those of low resources think of affordable housing as $500 a month. Several participants noted, as had participants in the listening sessions, the need to “ban the box” on housing applications so applicants won’t automatically be excluded because of their criminal or eviction records.

Hunger forum, the afternoon of July 17, Cooperative Extension Service. Resident experts included Eric Aft, the head of Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina; and Renai Wisley of the food bank and Imagine Forsyth.

No. 1. More public/private food access partnerships

No. 2. Universal breakfast in public schools

No. 3. Expanded backpack programs in public schools

No. 4. More targeted nutrition programs

No. 5. More free meal distribution.

In general, there was a call for greater coordination in food-service distribution to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Some participants noted that while many churches have food pantries, they are often closed on the same days. There was a realization, as there was in the listening sessions, that programs to feed poor students in school should not stigmatize them, even if that means giving free breakfast to all students. One participant wondered if groceries and restaurants could donate excess that cannot be sold.

Jobs forum, the night of July 23, Piedmont Triad Regional Council. Resident experts included Allen Younger of Forsyth Tech; Wendy Walker, PTRC’s development program director; and Jill Atherton, vice president of economic and community development for the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce.

No. 1 Expand subsidized childcare for working parents

No. 2 Ease the benefits cliff

No. 3 Incentivize businesses to hire locally

No. 4 Coordinate public transportation with irregular work schedules

No. 5 Expand Ban the Box

One key issue: While a living wage was not among the recommendations in the Poverty Thought Force report, several participants noted the need for one, just as many people at the listening sessions had said. Participants also said the city and county should provide incentives for small businesses that provide transportation for their workers. Other audience members called for more support programs for former offenders, including help with expunging records, and for private businesses to hire them. Other participants noted that improved transportation is crucial to many job issues, and said more traffic-ticket forgiveness programs, in which minor infractions are cleared so driver’s licenses can be returned, are needed. There was a recognition that the state legislature could help working families greatly by restoring the Earned-Income Tax Credit.

Health care forum, the night of August 21, Goodwill. Resident experts were Dr. Robert Jones, the head of the Downtown Health Plaza; DSS Director Victor Isler; Public Health Department Director Joshua Swift; and former county commissioner Everette Witherspoon.

No. 1 Medicaid expansion

No. 2 More health-care education, especially prenatal and maternal. There was also a new call for expanding that education among private providers.

No. 3 Improve bus affordability and access. There was a new call for a local jitney service.

No. 4 Subsidize food stamps for healthier foods.

No. 5 Expand pro bono medical care

Participants noted that the benefits cliff also adversely impacts medical services, with patients losing coverage if they accept raises. They called for reforming the WIC program, including by expanding it to all new mothers, a recommendation from the Thought Force report. One participant called for supporting local food initiatives, such as urban farming and more local farmers’ markets, as that would be beneficial for health. Another called for increased access to mental-health services, and training in culture competency for health-care facilities and providers.

Education forum, August 29, St. Peter’s World Outreach Center. Resident experts were School board chairwoman Malishai Woodbury; County Commissioner Fleming El-Amin; Parkland teacher India Reaves; Tripp Jeffers, a local teacher and leader in the North Carolina Association of Educators; and Tash Lane of Forsyth Promise.

No. 1 Universal pre-K in Winston-Salem

No. 2 Higher pay for pre-K teachers

No. 3 Improve transit for education

No. 4 Program connecting young residents with senior-citizen mentors

No. 5 Local churches or colleges/universities “adopting” elementary schools.

Participants recognized that the city is not statutorily involved in education funding, but called for more collaboration between the city and county to address problems in education. They called for community partnerships to help schools, and for pressure on the legislature to provide more funding for education, especially for teacher pay.