Wisconsin faith, anti-poverty groups launch campaign to end child poverty

poverty ad — An ad for a campaign to end child poverty in the state.
Photo: CAW

Anti-poverty groups and faith-based networks launched a campaign to eliminate child poverty and racial disparities in Wisconsin.

Their first goal is to cut both poverty and disparity rates in half by 2028.

The coalition launched the End Child Poverty campaign after three years of what organizers described as intensive policy discussions and moral reflection.

At least 24 churches are involved, along with the statewide groups Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Kids Forward, Wisconsin Council of Churches, WISDOM and Northeast Wisconsin.

The campaign’s primary goals

• Reduce child poverty — estimated to affect 250,000 children — by half in 10 years.

• Reduce racial disparities by half in 10 years.

• Establish an evidence-based evaluation to annually measure progress.

“We must address these challenges with both a sense of urgency and a long-term commitment,” said Nancy Heykes, president of the Kids Forward board of directors. “What we are lacking are not solutions but rather the public and political attention span and will to honestly confront this challenge.”

Robert Kraig, executive director of CAW, also believes there’s a way to end child poverty if there’s a will.

“If Wisconsin uses the power and resources it has available, and sets real and accountable goals, we have it within our power to create a state where every kid — no matter their race or ZIP code — has an equal chance to thrive and to enjoy the full promise of American life.”

Kraig said the coalition would look to mobilize tens of thousands of people in Wisconsin to drive policy and change.

“It isn’t going to be any one thing,” David Liners — state director of WISDOM — said of reforms and policies. “It’s going to be a lot of things. We have to do a lot of different things, try a lot of different things.”