BUFFALO, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the launch of a new advisory council aimed at combatting child poverty.
The state hopes that with the creation of this advisory council in place, a plan can be developed to cut child poverty in half in the next decade.
The panel compromised of diverse individuals has been authorized by the Child Poverty Reduction Act, and will begin planning Oct. 13 at 10 a.m.
The meeting will be open to the public both online and in person in meeting room 6 at the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
The panel will include members from the state such as
- State Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner Shelia Poole
- State Department of Taxation and Finance Deputy Commissioner of Processing and Taxpayer Services Kristin Dence
- State Council on Children and Families Deputy Director and Counsel Elana Marton
- Former Children's Defense Fund Director of Health and Economic Justice Policy Ben Anderson
- Robin Hood Foundation CEO Richard Buery
- Community Member Candace Cabral
- Community Member Pamela Walcott
- Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council member Shelly Callahan
- Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council member Kathy Connerton
- Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy President & CEO Kate Breslin
- Westchester Children's Association Executive Director Allison Lake
- The Children's Agenda Director of Policy Peter Nabozny
- The Education Trust Executive Director Dia Bryant
- New York City Human Resources Administration Administrator Lisa Fitzpatrick
- Erie County Department of Social Services Commissioner Marie Cannon
"Alleviating poverty for all New Yorkers - especially our youngest - is a key priority for my administration," Governor Hochul said. "This talented and diverse group of policy experts, service providers, advocates, and community members will examine both proven strategies and new approaches to further this goal and address the broad and systemic inequities that perpetuate cycles of poverty in communities throughout New York State."
There are hundreds of thousands of children that are living in poverty throughout New York State, according to U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation as of 2021.
These findings represent nearly one in five children throughout the state.
New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Daniel W. Tietz said, "It is an honor to serve as co-chair of the Council and I am excited to begin the critical work of creating a blueprint that we can use to cut child poverty in half over the next decade. The work of the Council is intended to empower some of our most marginalized and vulnerable fellow New Yorkers and improve the quality of life for those most in need."
For those interested on learning more, people can visit www.governor.ny.gov
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