Economic Policy Institute: Alabama is making a costly mistake on COVID-19 recovery funds. Here’s a better path forward. Legislators wrapped up their first special session back in September by allocating nearly 20% of Alabama’s federal COVID-19 relief funds to a prison construction plan. In a guest blog post for the Economic Policy Institute, Arise’s Dev Wakeley explains why that decision was “a shortsighted and costly mistake” and examines what real criminal justice reform in Alabama will require. He also explains how the state can use the rest of the relief money to drive transformative change and improve life for every Alabamian.  |
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WSFA: Renters struggling with COVID-19 assistance program, advocates say Alabama urgently needs to step up efforts to connect struggling families with federal rental assistance. Arise’s Dev Wakeley describes the plight of renters facing eviction while the state’s distribution of relief funds remains far too slow. “We’re just not seeing the amount of rental assistance go out the door in a timely manner to people who are qualified to receive it,” Dev tells WSFA 12 in Montgomery. Further reading: - AL.com: Still lagging, but Alabama passes out more rental assistance in October
- Alabama Daily News: Authority: $40.8M in emergency rental assistance has reached Alabamians
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AL.com: When Alabama’s coverage gap hit home for my family Arise story collection coordinator Whit Sides has interviewed dozens of people across Alabama about living in the Medicaid coverage gap. But this year, she saw the pain of that struggle up close among her loved ones. This is Whit’s heartbreaking AL.com piece about the cancer death of her lifelong family friend – a veteran’s wife only three years shy of Medicare eligibility – and how being uninsured added to the family’s suffering. |
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WHNT: Biden proposal includes health insurance that could help 340,000 low-income Alabamians Arise campaign director Jane Adams breaks down how the federal Build Back Better Act would affect working Alabama families. “If the Build Back Better plan passes as it is written and is signed into law by President Biden — for the first time in more than a decade, those individuals, starting on Jan. 1 can go to healthcare.gov and get free health insurance, private health insurance on the marketplace,” Jane tells WHNT 19 in Huntsville. |
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Cover Alabama: Alabama veterans letter of support for Medicaid expansion Veterans Day is this week, and we believe one of the best ways to honor Alabama’s veterans is ensuring they and their families have access to the care they need. We’re seeking veterans to sign on to our letter to Gov. Kay Ivey asking for Medicaid expansion. If you are a veteran, please sign on by Tuesday evening. |
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