Episode 12: Wealth, The Working Poor & Making it In the Sunshine State

Poverty and inequality sting and scar wherever they are experienced, and--not surprisingly--we’ve got a lot of battle wounds here in Florida. This is particularly true for those who work full-time or more and don't make enough or barely make enough to pay their bills, raise their families, and save for the future.   Earlier this year, the United Way of Florida released its 2017 ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) report which, among other things found, that 45% of Florida households--that's about 7.4 million men, women, and children--can't afford a bare minimum survival budget.  And the picture becomes even starker when you look it working poverty and wealth along racial and geographic lines.  Last month, Holly Bullard, Director of Financial Stability Initiatives at United Way Suncoast, Francesca Menes, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Florida Immigrant Coalition and Political Director for FLIC Votes, and Dedrick Asante-Muhammad,  Senior Fellow of the Racial Wealth Divide Initiative at Prosperity Now, joined us on the Cast to discuss working poverty, the racial wealth divide, proposed policy solutions, and good books, publications and podcasts for staying informed.  Here's a list of publications/resources we discuss on the show: United Way ALICE Report: Florida (2017)Census Bureau Income & Poverty Data (2017)Prosperity Now Racial Wealth Divide Initiative (Ongoing)The Road to Zero Wealth (2017)Latinos and the Racial Wealth Divide (2017)Washington Post Analysis of Income & Wealth Data (2015)Average Income of Trump Voting Households (2016)Guest Reading/Listening/Involvement Suggestions:Race & Wealth Podcast (Hosted by Dedrick Asante-Muhammad)On The Economy PodcastToxic Inequality: How America's Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide, and Threatens Our FutureThe Miami TimesCatalyst Miami (get involved)EcoTech VisionsRichard Thaler Section of the Freakonomics PodcastPoverty Interrupted by Ideas42