Advocacy

Building a Just World Together

Solid Ground is a catalyst for social change. We engage and support communities to advocate for a world where everyone can thrive. We can’t solve poverty without the voices of those who experience it – so we support people to share their experiences with those in power and advocate for equitable policies.

No one organization can end poverty or undo racism and other oppressions. We develop strong collaborations with partner agencies and coalitions to build movements that make our community stronger. We organize locally and regionally – and across Washington state as well through our advocacy partner, Statewide Poverty Action Network – to improve resources to support people moving out of poverty.

Statewide Poverty Action Network

Poverty Action mobilizes thousands of community members and organizations to build grassroots power to end the root causes of poverty and create opportunities for everyone to prosper.

Envisioning a state where people of all income levels fully promote and participate in building the fabric of socially, politically, and economically just communities, they:

• Organize communities to advocate for issues impacting their lives.
• Promote public policy changes that address the causes of poverty.
• Deepen democracy by mobilizing historically disenfranchised voters.
• Engage leaders in communities with low incomes.

Our society operates under a false narrative about poverty. We work to transform that narrative by shifting the focus from personal failings to structural barriers, such as laws or policies that marginalize people and communities. Solid Ground and Poverty Action have played important roles in successful campaigns for fair tenant laws, improved food security, access to benefits, and removing barriers to opportunity.

As Solid Ground’s advocacy partner, Poverty Action maintains their own website and legislative agenda highlighting campaigns such as:

• Save the Safety Net: Poverty Action plays an important role advocating for funding and access to a broad spectrum of programs such as TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and Disability Lifeline that help people meet their basic needs.
• Consumer Protections: Poverty Action has a long track record of fighting for legislation to rein in predatory lenders that target low-income communities, people of color, military personnel, and seniors.
• Roadblocks to Re-entry: Poverty Action works to reduce or eliminate barriers previously incarcerated people face to reentering their communities, such as LFOs (Legal Financial Obligations). They also helped pass the Voting Rights Restoration Act in 2009, restoring the right to vote for 400,000 previously incarcerated Washington state citizens.

Poverty Action organizes through a racial equity lens, drawing attention to the relationship between systemic oppression and poverty. They take direction from the communities in our state most impacted by poverty, and their Board of Directors is comprised of and accountable to people with low incomes and people of color.

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