Step Up Silicon Valley

Many resources can be found in the footnotes in the PDF file of our First Steps to Cutting Poverty in Half by 2020 Report. You can click on them to reach that source. Below are additional documents, sites and books you might find helpful.

Books:

The Working Poor: Invisible in America, by David K. Shipler; Vintage (January 4, 2005)

Social Solutions to Poverty: America's Struggle to Build a Just Society (Great Barrington Books) by Scott Myers-Lipton and Charles Lemert; Paradigm Publishers; illustrated edition (December 2007)

Bridges Out of Poverty Workbook by Philip DeVol, Terie Dreussi Smith Ruby K. Payne; aha! Process, Inc. (September 15, 2006).

On the web:

Federal Stimulus Funding Streams from Catholic Charities USA (PDF)

Working Partnerships USA, Life in the Valley Economy 2008
Working Partnerships USA developed this profile of Silicon Valley covering health, education, community, transportation, income, employment, savings, public safety, social policy, and other characteristics of middle-class, working, and low-income households to help us gauge the progress of our Valley's economy and understand families' financial circumstances in light of recent economic transformations.

How Much is Enough in Your County? The 2008 California Family Economic Self-Sufficiency Standard, Insight Center for Community Economic Development (May 2008)
“The Self-Sufficiency Standard is an alternative to the Federal Poverty Line for measuring income adequacy. Unlike the Federal Poverty Line, the Self-Sufficiency Standard demonstrates how much income is needed for a family of a certain composition in a given place to adequately meet its minimal basic needs. In contrast, the Federal Poverty Line is based on the cost of a single item:food. It does not vary by the local cost of living, and it relies on the outdated assumption that food represents one-third of a family's budget. For a family of four—whether in a high cost market like San Francisco, CA or a more affordable market like Baton Rouge, LA—the poverty line is $20,650 in annual household earnings.”

United Way of the Bay Area, The Bottom Line: Setting the Real Standard for Bay Area Working Families

The 2009 Silicon Valley Index
Released by Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, identifies opportunities and challenges to the region as it deals with the impact of the sub-prime mortgage crisis, volatility in financial markets and the rapidly changing global economy.

Pulling Apart - Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Economic Policy Institute, April 2008
The report on income inequality trends has been updated this year. The website also includes a PDF version, a US state map where each state is a link to an in-depth fact sheet, an excel table of each state, and some broadcast coverage. Income inequality by state either grew or remained the same, but did not decline.

Blue Ribbon Commission On Homelessness

Locked Out 2008, California Budget Project, February, 2008

Collaborative on Housing and Homeless Issues
Santa Clara County's Collaborative on Housing and Homeless Issues has its membership drawn from over 100 County, City, and private agencies that provide services to the unhoused residents of our community. For many years the County, Cities, nonprofit organizations, the faith community, and concerned citizens have worked together to meet the needs for shelter, housing, financial assistance, and supportive services. It is this "continuum of care" system of housing and services that the Collaborative seeks to develop. The Santa Clara Countywide Five Year Homelessness Continuum of Care Plan, developed by the Collaborative, seeks to create a comprehensive and coordinated system of affordable housing and supportive services for the prevention, reduction, and eventual end of homelessness. The Plan provides a common blueprint to guide the County, the Cities, service providers, the faith community, the business sector, philanthropy, and the broader community in realizing the vision of a community in which everyone's housing and life needs are met. In addition, the Collaborative is working with Santa Clara County on its 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.

Healthy Workers plan for low income workers

Santa Clara County Family Health Plan

Unnatural Causes
A seven-part documentary series exploring racial & socioeconomic inequalities in health. Produced by California Newsreel. Also contains various resources on experts, reports, advocacy guides, network list and other guides connected with the video project.

Child-only CalWORKS study, report 1: When Adults are Left Out

Child-only CalWORKS study, report 2: CalWORKS Parents Timed Out or Sanctioned

Addressing Barriers on the Path to Self-Sufficiency

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity
Monitoring efforts by the Obama Administration and Congress to fight poverty, while providing a non-partisan platform for innovative ideas, programs and practices at the federal, state and local levels.

Poverty in America: A Threat to the Common Good

Poverty and Racism: Overlapping threats to the Common Good

Catholic Charities USA Campaign to Cut Poverty

USCCB: Poverty in America quiz, multimedia gallery, education center