For Immediate Release

Contact: Patricia Cole

pcole@catholiccharitiesusa.org
703-236-6218

Catholic Charities USA Calls for Greater Focus on Policies that Reduce Poverty
For those living in poverty, the State of our Union leaves them struggling to get by
Alexandria, Virginia (January 20, 2015) Responding to the Presidents annual State of the Union address,
Catholic Charities USA welcomes the discussion of new ideas to help people achieve their full potential, but
encourages greater discussion on how our country can more effectively address the plight of the 45 million
individuals living at or below the poverty line in America.
For those living in poverty, the State of our Union leaves them struggling to get by, said Rev. Larry Snyder,
President of CCUSA, which represents a national network of faith-based social service providers who
supported over 9 million individuals last year. We urge the President and both chambers of Congress to
bring their best ideas to the table about building a nation that enables everyone to achieve their full potential.
While we often hear about the need to support the middle-class, its important to remember that there are
millions of individuals and families who are still seeking to escape the cycle of poverty in America, said
Snyder. The percentage of individuals and families living at or below the federal poverty line remains roughly
where it was when our nations War on Poverty was launched more than 50 years ago.
Proposing bold ideas, like the Presidents proposals to enable all students to attend two years of community
college, to expand paid leave to working parents, and to make home ownership more accessible and
sustainable, is what is needed to break up the status quo that leaves so many on the sidelines. People of good
will can have disagreements about the strategies to achieve a future without poverty, but what we cannot do is
let divided government or differences of opinion prevent us from working together to strengthen pathways
out of poverty for those in need.
In its work to reduce poverty, CCUSAs theory of change is based on the four principles of Catholic Social
Teaching found in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church: Respect for human
dignity, the common good, solidarity, and subsidarity. Additionally, CCUSA looks at all policy proposals
through the pillars of its Campaign to Reduce Poverty in America: Hunger, health care, housing, education
and workforce development, and family economic security.
About Catholic Charities USA
Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is leading a national movement to end poverty in America. In communities across the country,
Catholic Charities member agencies are helping individuals and families in poverty achieve their full potential. Together we are
dedicated to creating a life of opportunity and self-sufficiency for each of the 45 million of our brothers and sisters who live in
poverty. CCUSA was founded in 1910 on the campus of Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. as the National
Conference of Catholic Charities. For more than 100 years, CCUSA has guided and supported the vast network of Catholic Charities
agencies nationwide in a common mission to serve, advocate, and convene. For additional information, please
visit www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.
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