Our Process

Process & Priorities for Developing Recommendations

PRWG adopted the following priorities and process to develop recommendations for the strategic plan.

Addressing root causes AND the urgency of now. PRWG prioritized addressing the root causes of poverty in the development of the strategic plan, recognizing that past poverty reduction efforts fell short by focusing too narrowly on symptoms rather than the underlying causes (right). Yet, there is also an urgent need to provide resources to the 1.75 million children, adults, and families struggling to make ends meet today. Our recommendations, therefore, address root causes and the urgency of now. In doing so, they are designed to mitigate the experience of poverty, as well as prevent it from happening altogether.

Elevating the expertise and influence of people experiencing poverty.

As the foremost experts on their lives, people experiencing poverty are essential to the design of effective solutions. Through the creation of the Steering Committee, PRWG ensured people disproportionately affected by poverty had a direct say in the strategies and recommendations from which they stand to benefit.

Race and social justice at the center.

The experience of poverty is not shared equally. Indigenous, Black, and Brown Washingtonians, women, families with young children, youth, rural residents, immigrants and refugees, seniors, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities have poverty rates above the state average. Reducing poverty in a way that achieves equity for each of these groups is essential for Washington state to maximize the well-being of its residents and fully realize the talent, potential, and contributions they have to offer. The strategies and recommendations contained in 10-year Plan to Reduce Poverty and Inequality target groups most affected by poverty so equity can be achieved.

Achieving equity, especially racial equity.

The experience of poverty is not shared equally. Indigenous, Black, and Brown Washingtonians, women, families with young children, youth, rural residents, immigrants and refugees, seniors, LGBTQ, and people with disabilities have poverty rates above the state average. Reducing poverty in a way that achieves equity for each of these groups is essential for Washington state to maximize the well-being of its residents and fully realize the talent, potential, and contributions they have to offer. The strategies and recommendations contained in 10-year Plan to Reduce Poverty and Inequality target groups most affected by poverty so equity can be achieved.

The experience of poverty is not shared equally. Indigenous, Black, and Brown Washingtonians, women, families with young children, youth, rural residents, immigrants and refugees, seniors, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities have poverty rates above the state average. Reducing poverty in a way that achieves equity for each of these groups is essential for Washington state to maximize the well-being of its residents and fully realize the talent, potential, and contributions they have to offer.

Racial discrimination also overlaps with other forms of discrimination — ageism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and ableism — to deepen the experience of poverty. Understanding the intersection of race with all forms of inequality, and how they compound, is necessary to fully realize the potential of the 10-year Plan strategies and recommendations upon implementation. A racial equity consultant facilitated PRWG’s work with a racial equity toolkit — a process designed to guide, inform, and assess how policies, programs, and practices burden or benefit people of color — to ensure strategies and recommendations address the disproportionate experience of poverty among Indigenous, Black, and Brown Washingtonians with intention.

“We love our children. We work hard to get by. We are smarter than we are typically given credit for. How do you design a system without the input of the people using it and expect it to work? I think the greatest opportunity we have is to build understanding about our experiences and design a system together that is based in reality and believes we can be successful.”

~ PRWG Steering Committee  Member

Blending evidence, innovation, and collaboration.

PRWG placed a high priority on using existing research and evidence to formulate the recommendations and, in many cases, relied on the efforts of other work groups and task forces with expertise on specific issues related to poverty. However, existing knowledge and practice has thus far failed to meaningfully reduce the demographic and geographic gaps in poverty among people of color and other groups disproportionately affected. Therefore, PRWG also prioritized innovative approaches informed by groups most affected, including and especially those recommended by Steering Committee members. We believe this approach — blending strong evidence with solutions informed by people experiencing poverty — increases the likelihood that the recommendations will succeed once implemented.

Inspiring hope and building on resilience.

Current policies, programs, and practices are based upon a long legacy of shaming and punishing people in poverty, instilling a sense of fear and undermining progress. Strong and growing evidence from brain science and behavioral economics shows that children, adults, and families experiencing poverty are remarkably resilient, especially when they have a sense of hope. The recommendations contained in this plan are intentionally crafted to eliminate shame and punishment from the experience of poverty, instill hope, and leverage people’s innate resiliency.

Examples of Significant U.S. Policies Affecting Poverty Outcomes by Race and Ethnicity

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“If you truly believe that racial groups are equal, then you also believe that racial disparities must be the result of racial discrimination.”

~ Ibram X. Kendi