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Check out sponsorship opportunities for Doorways' Open Hearts, Open Doors event! | |
Recent news highlights persistent inequities
Arlington is a wonderful place to live, work, and play. However, as recent news highlights, access to these benefits is not equitable.
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Arlington was recently named one of the top three "Best U.S. Cities for Working Parents in 2024." "Some U.S. cities are making it easier than others for working parents," CoworkingCafe said. "Our latest study unveils the top 20 cities with the ideal mix of career opportunities, great childcare and high quality of life," with Arlington coming in third.
Meanwhile, "the most recent poverty information for Arlington indicates that 24,758 people, or 11,678 households in Arlington, make under 30% of the area median income (AMI), or $46,410 for a family of four," the Arlington Community Foundation reported.
"With the cost of living for such a household two to three times that amount, fewer than 1,600 units are truly affordable to the 8,000+ renter households in Arlington, as demonstrated in this housing supply-demand mismatch graph."
Explore these two sides of the story to learn more about the persistent inequity in our community.
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Arlington named one of the best cities for working parents
"Arlington, VA, claimed third place overall due to a strong work environment that helped it rank second in this particular category. Additionally, it stood out by coming in second in the remote workers metric (27% of the total workforce), as well as in the share of office jobs (85%). Moreover, Arlington’s schools were recognized in 10th place on a state level based on their overall quality.
As such, Arlington supports a healthy environment for educational development for children — and their parents’ professional lives."
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New living wage video
"As you'll see in this new video (also on Facebook and Instagram), an Arlington worker with a partner watching two children at home must make at least $47.44/hour with full-time hours to survive here. For many of our essential workers, that's more than double their hourly earnings (and most are not full-time)."
| In many cases, even as low-income workers increase their wages, they end up making less overall (watch the Benefits Cliff video to see why). | |
Additional challenges faced by survivors of abuse
Note that research and data on working families often looks at households with two parents. High cost of living places an even greater burden one-parent households, including survivors of intimate partner violence.
In many cases, survivors have also faced financial abuse, with their abusive partners limiting their income and/or access to funds, monitoring their spending, accumulating debt in their name, and/or other abuse.
These factors make living and thriving in a high-cost community like Arlington even more challenging for survivors and their families.
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Can Arlington be both world class and inclusive?
"Yes. But not if our lowest wage earners continue to be displaced," the Arlington Community Foundation says.
"With the release of the 2024 Arlington poverty and living wages data, we're reminded once again how much work there is to be done to ensure that everyone has the opportunities and support to call Arlington home."
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Save the date! October 30th
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
NRECA, 4301 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203
Mark your calendars to join us for an evening of delicious eats, drinks, and great company – all to benefit Doorways. Together, we can create an Arlington free of violence. Because open hearts, open doors!
Ticket sales open August 21st. In the meantime, explore event sponsorship opportunities:
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Questions about the event or sponsorships?
Please contact Jan-Michael Sacharko, Director of Development, at 703-504-9291 or [email protected].
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Preventing sexual assault among college students
"Each fall, a new cohort of students moves into college towns and campuses, creating a wave of transition that can be exciting and scary. The first few months of the academic year are also known as the Red Zone, a period when more sexual assaults are reported, and this time of year is always a concern for higher education practitioners and advocates for student well-being and safety.
As campus leaders prepare for the fall, investing in sexual assault prevention is one way to promote student success and wellness."
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5 ways companies can better support domestic violence survivors
"As companies strive to cultivate a more empathetic and supportive workplace, it’s time for leaders to face the complex issue of domestic violence and incorporate it within their policies and strategies. Here are five strategies for companies to offer essential support in empowering survivors of employee abuse."
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Help create pathways out of homelessness, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Give the gift of safe harbor, healing, and hope today. | | | | |
