On August 9, The Kairos Center for Rights, Religions and Social Justice and Children’s Health Watch are hosting “Lessons from the Pandemic: Impact of the Child Tax Credit,” an online round table on the urgency of expanding the Child Tax Credit. The discussion will highlight the vital role the expanded CTC offered to poor and low-income families relief during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Join us at 6pm ET to hear from national organizers, policy researchers and social movement leaders as they offer their insights, concerns and a vision of how to move this critical policy intervention forward in the weeks and months ahead.

From our policy director, Shailly Gupta Barnes:

During the pandemic, our government implemented new and innovative legislation to provide for our health and economic well-being. Moratoria on evictions and utility shut offs made sure more people had access to housing, water and electricity. Increased funding for food programs provided for heightened food insecurity. Economic supports like stimulus checks and pandemic unemployment insurance boosted economic well-being and kept millions of jobs in the economy. The expanded Child Tax Credit began issuing monthly payments for several months. Although it was ended prematurely, new research from the Kairos Center and Children’s HealthWatch reveals how these payments improve the capacity of poor and low-income households to meet their needs. It also shows ongoing inequities that can and must be addressed by policy interventions that can be made now.

Join us on August 9 to hear directly from researchers and long-time welfare-rights and community organizers about these new findings and their implications on policy and organizing towards a movement to end poverty. This conversation is especially important given the inflationary crisis that is disproportionately burdening poor and low-income households and the increasingly hostile landscape for poor and low-income women following the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Join us for a press conference and a roundtable discussion. RSVP HERE.