Click here for West/Southwest IAF Key Victories in 2023
Dallas Morning News Lauds Skill QUEST for Curbing Poverty
Skill QUEST Curbs Dallas Poverty by Helping Workers Move Into New Careers, Dallas Morning News
Austin Interfaith Fights for Wage Raises & More in City Budget
Later that night, one dozen leaders spoke in support of specific priorities including a wage increase to $13.03 for all adult city employees, including part-time temporary workers; investment in Capital IDEA training; after-school programming; investments in branch libraries; improved park facilities and more.
Read moreTexas IAF Organizations Take Wage Fight Local
Texas IAF organizations in San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso are at the forefront of potential living wage victories for county and city employees. Due to the work of COPS / Metro Alliance and Austin Interfaith, the cities of San Antonio and Austin are on the verge of passing proposed budgets which would increase wages from more than $11 per hour to $13 per hour. Bexar County and El Paso County also have upcoming votes to raise the wages of county workers from $9.45 to $10 in El Paso and from $11.66 to $13 in Bexar. Graphic to the right shows the relative impact of this wage work .
Read moreAMOS Makes Racial Profiling a Focus in Iowa
Black Iowans Fell Profiled by Police, Des Moines Register
COPS / Metro Gains Support of Mayor on $13 / Hour Living Wage
This raise will directly impact 1,300 - 1,500 City employees who, in the words of Councilmember Ray Lopez, might no longer "have to have a second or third job." An additional 1,500 workers would indirectly benefit through wage compression, in which those currently earning close to $13 / hour will also see their wages rise.
Read moreCOPS / Metro Gains Support of City Manager On $13 / Hour Living Wage Standard
COPS / Metro leaders and allies are celebrating a huge victory — the city manager and a majority of city council members are now agreeing to COPS / Metro's proposal to raise wages for the lowest paid city workers to $13 / hour for fiscal year 2016. This exceeds the City's current living wage standard of $11.47 / hour.
Read moreOne LA Enrolls 7,000+ in Health Services
As a result of a unique collaboration with the LA County Department of Health Services to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA), One LA-IAF vetted and enrolled 7,000+ county residents into health programs funded at the federal, state or local level. Embedded in the enrollment effort was time set apart for conversations with families. This not only facilitated the building of a constituency that went on to win an additional $6 Million for healthcare services for undocumented residents, it is it leading to other strategies around employment (see above), transit and affordable housing.
COPS Recognized for Founding Palo Alto College in San Antonio
"At the first convention of Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS) in 1974, Fernando Rodriguez Jr. introduced a resolution to open a community college on the West Side or South Side. Berriozábal remembers the idea of such a college was a hard sell for local officials.
Read moreValley Interfaith Secures Streetlights in Olmito Colonia
Read more