Closing the wealth gap requires policies that provide economic relief over the next year and, in the long-term, reduce the structural barriers that can keep Black and Latinx people from building wealth.
The structure of programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ignore barriers rooted in structural racism and perpetuate disparities by focusing on individual shortcomings—even though evidence debunks the myth that laziness or poor choices cause poverty.
Join the Urban Institute on Thursday, February 25, for a discussion of how community-based organizations help level the playing field for underserved Latino and immigrant entrepreneurs and what roles local governments and philanthropy could play.
Policymakers looking to ease the burden of student debt could consider forgiving some parent loans. Three approaches to forgiveness could help boost families’ financial security, relieve or reduce the burden of monthly payments, or improve access to credit.
Evidence shows return-to-work services improve health and employment outcomes and can help workers avoid or delay permanent disability and exiting the labor force. But most workers do not have access to them.
