The pathway out of poverty should be clear and easy to navigate, but instead it’s overgrown, confusing, and insufficient to meet people’s needs along the way.

So this year, the Statewide Poverty Action Network – Solid Ground’s advocacy partner – is giving Washington state lawmakers a map for how to clear it. It shows we must invest to remove obstacles, build bridges, and make the pathway out of poverty in our state easy to navigate.

Below is an excerpt from Poverty Action’s statewide policy agenda for 2025. To read the whole thing, go to 2025 Policy Agenda: Clearing the Pathway Out of Poverty, or download their one-page 2025 Policy Priorities. 

Issue #1: Meeting Basic Needs

We’re each experts in our own lives, which means we know how to meet our own needs better than anyone else. With direct, flexible cash assistance, we can have what we need to make the best decisions for ourselves.

Our state has abundant resources that, if tapped, could be used to meet Washingtonians’ basic needs. As we face a revenue shortfall, we should ask the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share and find other sources of progressive revenue instead of making cuts to vital services.

What we can do about it: 

• Fund the Growing Resilience in Tacoma (GRIT) 3.0 Guaranteed Basic Income pilot.

• Fund Direct Cash Transfer to young people experiencing housing instability.

• Pass progressive revenue – including a 1% tax on wealth above $100 million, a High Earners Payroll tax, and the Affordable Homes act to lower the tax rate on homes selling for under $3 million (and increase the tax rate for properties selling for more).

• Fund Community Assemblies to support communities to identify and meet their own needs.

Issue #2: Clearing the Pathway Out of Poverty

Our state’s direct cash assistance programs – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) – are our most effective pathways out of poverty. However, community members statewide report from the trail that these programs are confusing to access, difficult to navigate, and riddled with benefits cliffs without sturdy bridges to financial stability.

Families aren’t given a clear map and often aren’t aware of the support available to them. Even for those able to navigate the trail, the amount they receive makes it nearly impossible to meet all their basic needs, never mind build up savings.

We envision a system where Washingtonians living on low incomes are presented with a clear, well-marked pathway out of poverty. Investing in much-needed trail maintenance to our state’s direct cash programs will make it easier for Washingtonians to access and maintain financial stability.

What we can do about it: 

• Reinstate TANF Hardship Time Limit Exemptions to ensure that all families that need help can receive it and increase equitable access.

• Ensure that the TANF grant amount increases with the rising cost of living by aligning it with 16% of the Need Standard.

• Expand access to the WFTC to young adults who are currently excluded.

• Align WFTC eligibility and application to integrate with other social safety net programs in our state.

Issue #3: Bolstering Consumer Protections

While clearing the pathway out of poverty, we’re also working to secure hard-fought gains from predators along the way by bolstering consumer protections. Predatory lending is a persistent threat to the financial stability of Washingtonians living on low incomes. When struggling to navigate the pathway out of poverty, many have to use credit to meet their basic needs like rent, groceries, and utility payments.

Instead of asking families already struggling to make ends meet to climb another steep hill, a basic amount should be automatically protected to ensure that folks can meet their basic needs while living in debt.

What we can do about it: 

• Automatically protect $3,000 from bank account garnishment.

• Ensure that the protected amount automatically increases with inflation.

Conclusion 

When we tap into Washington state’s plentiful resources, we have abundant supplies to maintain the pathway out of poverty. When families aren’t slowed down by insufficient cash grant amounts, benefits cliffs, and obstacles to access, they can navigate a pathway to financial stability. When we take direction from those walking the pathway out of poverty, we can invest in the most effective solutions. And when we clear the pathway, we can move forward toward a poverty-free future, where everyone can meet their basic needs.