Poverty
We are a group of curious, passionate and humble folks trying to learn, educate and advocate for better working conditions that allow ALL, not just to survive but to thrive. Currently, we are advocating with letters to our representatives to raise the NC minimum wage which has stood at $7.25/hr, despite inflation, for the last 17 years. At this wage, according to the NC Budget and Tax Center, a single adult with one child would need to work 229 hours a week to afford to live in Wake county!
Announcements and News
- The next meeting of Poverty Issues Group is on Monday May 12 at 7:00pm. Contact chair Katie Hirscher at poverty@sapc.com for the zoom link.
Posts
- Article – Raising the Minimum Wage Would Be an Investment in Growing the Middle ClassRaising the Minimum Wage Would Be an Investment in Growing the Middle Class
- Article – Raising the Minimum Wage Would Boost and Economic RecoveryRaising the Minimum Wage Would Boost an Economic Recovery—and Reduce Taxpayer Subsidization of Low-Wage Work A serious article by the Center for American Progress.
Group Information
- The Poverty Issues Group meets monthly by Zoom at 7:00pm. Contact chair Katie Hirscher at poverty@sapc.com for the zoom link and for more information.
- For committee documents and meeting minutes, click here. (Requires access to the shared Google Drive folder.)
Meeting minutes and other committee documents. (Password required.)
Organizations That We Follow

NC Budget and Tax Center
Economic Snapshot 2024 – County Data Sheets

NC Families Care
Data sheets and legislative action items
Resources
Write to Your Representative
A site by democracy.io making it easy to communicate with your representative.
MIT Living Wage Calculator
Today, families and individuals working in low-wage jobs make too little income to meet minimum standards of living in their community. The Living Wage Calculator was developed to help individuals, communities, employers, and others estimate the local wage rate that a full-time worker requires to cover the costs of their family’s basic needs where they live. Explore the living wage in your county, metro area, or state for 12 different family types.
Steps for Making a Bill in North Carolina
Steps for Making a Bill in the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA)