About WEEL

WEEL believes that public and private entities must ensure that no person is left in need. Politicians often announce that the United States is the most powerful nation in the world. We believe that our country is only as strong as our most vulnerable families. It is our obligation to provide adequate food, shelter, education, healthcare, wages, assets, leisure, and equal participation in our community.

Emergencies happen. Your car breaks down a week into a new job. You don't have savings enough to cover the expense. Wanting to be self-sufficient and a responsible employee, you take out a loan. Many low-income families find themselves in a position where one unanticipated expense, such as automobile repair, turns into a mountain of debt with some predatory lending institutions receiving a 500% return on loans. Predatory loan institutions are located in low-income neighborhoods and prey upon families trying to end the cycle of poverty. Families experiencing poverty deserve equal access to fair lending options.

Asset-building Unlike some who acquire assets from their parents, low-income families must build assets – and, likewise, credit – from a zero-balance. By building assets through independent development accounts (IDAs), low-income families will create a nest egg that can be used for education, purchasing a home, or starting a small business. Assets provide a proven pathway out of poverty that is sustainable and holistic.

WEEL believes that everyone should have the choice to stay home and raise a child, not just the middle and upper classes. Most states provide childcare assistance to low-income families, but only if parents put their children in childcare. This not only dis-empowers parents'/guardians' ability to choose to care for their own children, but also forces them into non-sustainable, low-wage employment that ultimately lengthens their experience in poverty. At Home Infant Care recognizes that a strong economy begins with a strong family. Eligible parents choosing to care for their children receive state financial support equivalent to a daycare center's rates. This strengthens families and increases a parent's ability to gain sustainable employment when the family is ready. It is also culturally sensitive to family needs.

We believe that it is important for our community to take a deep look at institutional practices that intentionally or unintentionally promote a culture of racism and classism. Since landfall of Hurricane Katrina, Americans have been more comfortable talking about the disproportionate impact of a crisis on people of color and low-income families. Though this has been the reality for years, it took a catastrophic event to allow the stories to bubble to the surface. We can only speculate why our society feels such discomfort looking candidly at poverty and race. But to be a compassionate society that recognizes that each person has the right to access basics needs and to live their life with dignity, we must face that discomfort and move forward. Through assistance from the Western States Center, WEEL has begun its first racial justice analysis focusing on access to healthcare for children.

Now housed in Helena, WEEL's presence in the capital city assists us in holding agencies and decision-makers accountable to the people of Montana. We monitor management and implementation of programs such as Medicaid and CHIP and sit on councils that address government accountability. WEEL's members understand that the simple existence of public assistance programs alone will not address poverty. These programs must be well designed, easily accessible, thoughtfully implemented, and efficiently run. We are committed to ensuring that Montana's public assistance programs address the real, systemic issues facing low-income families in Montana and provide holistic solutions.

Now housed in Helena, WEEL's presence in the capital city assists us in holding agencies and decision-makers accountable to the people of Montana. We monitor management and implementation of programs such as Medicaid and CHIP and sit on councils that address government accountability. WEEL's members understand that the simple existence of public assistance programs alone will not address poverty. These programs must be well designed, easily accessible, thoughtfully implemented, and efficiently run. We are committed to ensuring that Montana's public assistance programs address the real, systemic issues facing low-income families in Montana and provide holistic solutions.

WEEL believes that everyone deserves access to quality healthcare regardless of income. It is time for us to approach healthcare in a way that brings everybody in and leaves nobody out. We have seen much in the news about increasing access to insurance, but insurance is only one method to providing healthcare services. WEEL believes we need to explore our options and implement a system that recognizes everyone's need equitably.

We believe that education is a powerful tool for reaching economic self-sufficiency. TANF parents should not be penalized for working on their GEDs, diplomas, or degrees will they are accessing public benefits.

WEEL is a member of the Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Though accurate numbers are not available, there is an undeniable overlap between domestic violence survivors and TANF participants. We believe that families fleeing a domestic violence situation should not be sanctioned from public benefits. We must make sure that survivors of domestic violence are not discouraged from fleeing a violent situation due to financial dependence on an abuser.

WEEL has been working diligently on a civic participation project through its membership in Montana Women Vote. WEEL's philosophy is that there is no insignificant voice, and, in fact, the voice of the low-income voter is a vast, untapped source of power. This voice was tapped into during the 2004 general election, helping Lewis and Clark County become one of the nation's top ten counties for voter turnout. Through our relationships, we can build partnerships that will shift outcomes at the local, state and national levels to elect individuals that will have a positive impact on the lives of the people who elect them.

Our civic engagement work did not end November 2nd. We used the momentum gained from the Montana Women Vote project to engage newly registered voters in civic lobbying. WEEL members voiced their stance on legislation through testimony during hearings, post card campaigns, and email. This work will continue by engaging members in our CHIP In! campaign and on-going Montana Women Vote projects.

WEEL's full-circle empowerment model works. By providing opportunities for members to develop leadership skills and encouraging members to manage events, WEEL reinforces that low-income people can and will achieve. This challenges the all too common social messaging that we are not good enough, smart enough to succeed. WEEL members and TANF parents have been elected to public offices and leadership positions ranging from school boards to the Montana House of Representatives.