Step Forward

Covers developments in poverty law and Shriver Center advocacy efforts in order to inform readers on legal and policy developments and to connect poverty law advocates through discussion and commentary.

Author: This blawg is written by staffers at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law in Chicago. Authors include John Bouman, president; Ilze Hirsh, vice president of communication programs; Dory Rand, supervising attorney, community investment project; Kate Walz, senior attorney; Michaella Furman, special projects coordinator, women’s law and policy project; and Brian Clappier, community investment specialist.

Blawg Related Categories: Civil Rights • Government Law • Legislation & Lobbying

Recent Posts from Step Forward

Thoughts on the Election
By John Bouman, President The astounding election of the nation’s first African American President, who is also the first President of any ancestry that many of us here in Illinois personally know, is an occasion…
Arizona and Ohio Ballot Measures May Curtail Reasonable Payday Loan Regulations
By Karen Harris, Supervising Attorney In recent years several states have enacted annual percentage interest rate (APR) limits that eliminate the triple-digit interest rates charged by payday lenders. The payday lending industry is now fighting…
New eNewsletter Will Chronicle Developments Toward Achieving a Civil Right to Counsel
By Marcia Henry, Senior Attorney-Senior Editor The inaugural issue of Civil Right to Counsel Update is now available. To be published quarterly, the Update will report on all aspects of advocacy to achieve recognition of…
Blogging to End Poverty
John Bouman, President Poverty is a complex, daunting issue that requires action on a variety of different fronts, but we can’t disregard the necessary job of keeping it in the public eye and on the…
Traditional Health Insurance and Modern Health Information Don’t Mix
By Margaret Stapleton, Senior Attorney Lots of things about health insurance are ironic. Example: Getting health care (which prevents more serious trouble or restores health) can trigger difficulties staying insured due to premium adjustments upward…
The Return of One-for-One Replacement for Demolished Public Housing Units
By Bill Wilen, Director of Housing Litigation Prior to 1996, federal housing law provided that every public housing unit that was demolished had to be replaced on a one-for-one basis with another public housing or…
The Numbers Don’t Lie-37 Million Still Living in Poverty
By John Bouman, President On Tuesday, Aug. 26 the U.S. Census Bureau released data about income levels, poverty rates, and health insurance from 2007. At first glance, the data look like good news. The nation’s poverty…
Rising Food Costs Hit Low-Income Families Hard
By Wendy Pollack, Director, Women’s Law & Policy Project The combination of a weak economy and the inflation of food prices has taken its toll on all households, but low-income households have been particularly hard-hit.…
Federal Home Foreclosure Bill Offers Aid to Low-Income Rental Housing, Too
By Kate Walz, Senior Staff Attorney On July 30 President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, H.R. 3221, passed by Congress in mid-July. But media coverage of the bill has largely…
ETHICS AND LEGAL AID: The Beginning of a Discussion
By Richard P. Weishaupt, Guest Blogger What would a blog on ethics and legal aid discuss? While some might argue tongue in cheek that the terms are an oxymoron, most legal aid lawyers and other…