Poverty

In 1917, the WCC established and financed New York City's first free Maternity Center, reaching over 2,300 low-income patients in its first year.

Throughout our history, WCC has addressed the concerns of low-income New Yorkers — the population most vulnerable to fluctuations in the economy and hardest hit by financial crises. By current estimates, one-third of New Yorkers are poor, and even more children live in poverty.

We monitor city, state and federal issues closely for adverse effects on the poor. The Poverty Issues Committee advocates for policies and programs to lift and keep individuals out of poverty, and it opposes legislation and practices that would decrease or eliminate necessary benefits and/or services.

To read and learn about Poverty Committee Member Joan McAllister’s monthly resource newsletter for the homeless, “How… When… Where,” please click here.

Go to our Poverty Issues Committee page for more information about current priorities and recent actions.

Recent Poverty News:

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  • WCC Member Featured in Local Paper: “They Occupied Before Occupy” December 1, 2011
    Like many WCC members, Kitty Williston has a long history of activism and participation in protests for equality.  Her story is featured in the December 1 issue of The West Side Spirit as one of the “West Side’s Grannies”  fueling the Occupy Wall Street Movement. To Kitty, an active member of the WCC’s Poverty Issues [...]
  • NWLC Census Analysis Reports Record Numbers of Women in Poverty September 22, 2011
    Record numbers of women lived in poverty – and extreme poverty – in 2010, according to an analysis of Census by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). The figures show that U.S. women are hit hardest in every category, but much of the major media excluded this in their reports. (See Leslie Bennetts’ article, Women: [...]
  • Protect Food Programs June 22, 2011
    The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children – commonly known as “WIC” – plays an essential role in supporting the health and well-being of low-income women and children. WIC not only provides participants with a means to purchase nutritious foods, but also gives participants health referrals and counseling about healthy eating. As a result, [...]
  • Support Child Care Subsidy Bills June 9, 2011
    Child care and after-school care provide an avenue for women, particularly single mothers, to obtain jobs and create a path to self-sufficiency.  In the next few days, two important child care bills (A.6545/S.4115 and A.5843/S.4116) will be moving through the Committee on Children and Families in the State Senate.  To contact members of the committee, [...]
  • Issues of “How… When… Where” Now Available Online May 12, 2011
    For over 23 years, Women’s City Club member Joan McAllister has published a monthly newsletter that is distributed in 180 New York City hotels, shelters, and apartment buildings where homeless families live.  Acting as reporter, writer, photographer, and publisher, Joan’s newsletter, “How… When… Where,” informs families in the vast city shelter system about jobs, child [...]