Elana Levin

Letter to the Editor of the Week!

Like most people in the world, DMI Fellow Maureen Lane's letter to the editor of the New York Times wasn't blessed with publication this week. But its about a subject too important to ignore that is all to often, ignored. So in response to last week's article "The Mayor Focuses on Poverty, and a Panel Is Ready to Help" I am pleased to pronounce this the Letter to the Editor Of The Week!
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I applaud Mayor Bloomberg's new focus on eradicating New York's chronic poverty ("The Mayor Focuses on Poverty, and a Panel Is Ready to Help ," July 17), especially the Commission on Economic Opportunity's commitment to rethinking policies that make it harder for people to work their way out of poverty.

The panel should take a visionary look at the city policies that discourage people receiving welfare from pursuing education. Postsecondary education in particular has proven effective in moving people permanently out of poverty. College graduates are more likely to be employed and earn a non-poverty income than those with a high school diploma or less. Studies indicate as many as 88 percent of people leaving welfare who earn a bachelors degree find family-sustaining employment.

Mayor Bloomberg states that "getting a good education is at the heart of any solution to poverty." I couldn't agree more. Like many of the 396,000 New Yorkers receiving welfare, I am eager to see what type of educational opportunities the Mayor will open up.

Maureen Lane
Co-Director, the Welfare Rights Initiative at Hunter College, CUNY
Fellow, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

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Sure I'm biased but Maureen Lane, I salute you.

Elana Levin: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 9:54 AM, Jul 27, 2006 in Cities | Economic Opportunity | Education | Employment | Letter To The Editor of the Week | Welfare | public services
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