January 18, 2024– Statement from Khadijah Williams, National Director of Policy and Advocacy, LIFT Inc.
Washington, DC – LIFT Inc. and its National Director of Policy and Advocacy, Khadijah Williams, released the following statement in support of expanding the Child Tax Credit following Tuesday’s bipartisan agreement between the House and Senate.
“LIFT urges Congress to include an expanded Child Tax Credit in the 2024 Tax Relief Act to show what the data has already made clear – that families are excellent stewards of public funds. With broad, federal interventions like the Child Tax Credit to protect families, we can close the racial wealth gap, ensure economic prosperity for families, and put an end to childhood poverty once and for all. At LIFT, we trust parents to make the best decisions to put their family on the path towards generational wealth and economic freedom. This is one of the many reasons we firmly supported an expanded Child Tax Credit in 2021 and are doing so again. Families shouldn’t wait for relief – we must pass in time for tax season.
Seventy two percent of LIFT families would be among the roughly 16 million children who would benefit from an expanded Child Tax Credit and be lifted out of poverty. According to CBPP’s analysis, “1/3 of Black and Latino children would benefit from the expansion.” Decades of racial inequity and underinvestment in our communities have kept families trapped in a cycle of poverty and disenfranchisement, and we owe it to our families to reverse this cycle and proclaim that we will no longer let race or income dictate a child’s future or a family’s legacy.
As LIFT-Chicago Member, Cheryse, put it: “I hope that the lawmakers hear my heartbeat. Hear me as a parent. I hope that we are able to get these funds – so the families that are working daily to survive and keep their heads above water can have funds to put ourselves on track, be financially free and get out of the hole that we’re slowly drowning in.”
LIFT believes that investing in families is a pro-growth strategy for the economy. During the pandemic, we distributed more than $1 million in emergency cash to all families in our program, and we saw an INCREASE in employment and education rates among our members. This, coupled with the 46% decrease in child poverty the nation saw with the 2021 Child Tax Credit, demonstrates that providing more money to struggling American families is the path forward to helping families not only survive, but thrive.”
About LIFT
LIFT is a national nonprofit breaking the cycle of poverty by investing in parents, because all families deserve a better future – no matter their race, ethnicity, or zip code. Centered in Hope, Money, and Love, LIFT’s approach provides immediate relief for families in poverty, while creating the conditions for their long-term success. Their cash-meets-coaching model gives families direct cash infusions to create an immediate safety net and their expert coaching program empowers parents to set and achieve goals that put families on the path towards economic mobility – such as going back to school, improving credit, eliminating debt, or securing a living wage. LIFT advocates for policies that humanize the experience of poverty and break the systems that trap generations in their cycles. And they partner with community institutions to ensure LIFT can meet parents where they are in their daily lives. LIFT operates sites in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. Learn more at whywelift.org, and on social media at Instagram and X/Twitter @liftcommunities.