Strong public policies have always been critical to promoting affordable housing, economic development, health, and jobs. The urgency surrounding these issues remains ever-present. LISC SVP for Policy Matt Josephs zeroes in on the goals of LISC’s federal policy agenda in a blog highlighting proposals that tackle gaps in health, wealth and opportunity affecting millions of families and their communities.
Community development is, at its core, about building a broadly shared prosperity throughout the country, one that offers everyone—no matter their race, class, or zip code—the opportunity to succeed.
It takes a great deal of creativity, as well as on-the-ground community expertise, to move toward that goal. But it also requires a strong infrastructure of federal policies to help catalyze various levels of public, private, and nonprofit support, all of which are needed to drive lasting progress.
In 2020, LISC released its federal policy agenda in the midst of pandemic crisis. While the federal public health emergency has ended, we know that economic uncertainty looms for many who still struggle to build strong and healthy futures for themselves and their families.
The importance of helping those most in need remains fundamental as we enter an era of post-COVID economic recovery. We should not forget that the pandemic left millions of people unemployed, underemployed, and struggling to make ends meet. In many cases, their health was at risk as well as their livelihoods. That was especially true for communities of color, women, and low-wage workers, all of whom have experienced a disproportionate impact. Even though life has shifted into a new normal for many of us, we should bear in mind that these deepening economic gaps remain a harsh reality for those who work every day to make ends meet.
Though many of the challenges we hope to address by enacting LISC’s Policy Priorities have been with us for years, we wanted to revisit our policy agenda for 2023-2024. We are pleased that in the time since we released our policy priorities document in 2020, we have seen some notable victories, including: significant new resources for Community Development Financial Institutions and minority depository institutions; historic investments in broadband infrastructure and programs supporting digital equity; authorization of programs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency supporting clean energy investments in distressed communities; and authorization of the Minority Business Development Agency at the Department of Commerce.
As we took stock, we appreciated the successes, but also knew that much more advocacy would be needed to reflect the time we are living in, marked by continued economic precariousness and a divided federal government. Taken together, these 2023-2024 priorities, which span 17 different federal agencies, recognize that while government cannot solve every problem, it is nonetheless vital to strategies focused on affordable housing, small businesses, schools, health, safety, and jobs. Put more simply, federal programs underpin local growth and support opportunities for families living on the margins.
During this time of a polarized Congress, we also recognize that bipartisan support is critical for these proposals to be enacted. From making it easier to seed entrepreneurs to better supporting homeownership, we are hopeful that Congress and the Administration see the value of uplifting these policies and programs that guide the most vulnerable to a pathway of prosperity.
LISC’s Policy Priorities
Together, we can help all Americans—regardless of race, class, or zip code—have the best possible chance to thrive.
The federal policies and programs we highlight here will help respond to the needs of all families and communities that historically have been left behind. As we did in 2020, we have called out those policies and programs that we believe will be particularly beneficial in helping to close the racial wealth gap, as well as those that will deliver positive outcomes to rural communities. For our updated policy priorities, we have also created a separate section highlighting the policies and programs we believe will best address climate resiliency and disaster recovery, which tend to be more pronounced in lower income and historically disinvested communities.
The LISC Policy Team will continue its work to bring attention to these much-needed resources for economic growth and opportunity with Capitol Hill policymakers and Administration officials. We invite you to join us in this work, to help us ensure that investments from the federal government are properly aligned to meet the health, wealth and opportunity gaps facing an unconscionable number of families and communities.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Josephs, Senior Vice President, LISC Policy
Matt manages the team that is responsible for developing LISC’s federal policy agenda; communicating this agenda to LISC employees, board members, funders and other stakeholders; and pursuing this agenda through engagement with members of Congress and other federal officials.
@LISC_policy