Claim it! Campaign Helps Hardworking Minnesotans
January 31, 2013 in Archive, Financial Fitness
Did you know that one in five Minnesotans eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is not accessing it? According to the IRS, that’s the number of people who’ve earned it but aren’t claiming it. Claim it!, a statewide awareness campaign, aims to reduce that number. This tax season it launches a new look, a new website, and a new message – “You earned it, you claim it!”
Who earns the EITC?
For those not familiar with the EITC, it’s a refundable federal tax credit for individuals who work but do not earn high wages. Because the credit can be as large as $5,891, it often translates into a significant income-boost for hardworking Minnesota families that often times have difficulty making ends meet. The EITC is responsible for lifting tens of thousands of Minnesotans out of poverty, many of them children. EITC recipients might also be eligible for other important tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit and Minnesota Working Family Credit, which together can boost a family’s income by up to 40%! Read the rest of this entry →
“The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works—whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.” – President Barack Obama
So, what’s the answer? I’ll tell you one thing. It’s not just jobs. What’s needed is systemic change, policy change, collaboration and yes, jobs. What else? A wise young person recently said to me and to the Mayor of Minneapolis, we need authentic voices to be heard.
My second question: do we have any jobs? The 
According to a recent report from the 
The Twin Cities have the highest level of racial disparity in unemployment in the country, according to a study released on Monday. The Economic Policy Institute found that African-Americans in the Twin Cities metropolitan area were 3.3 times as likely to be unemployed as whites in 2011 – the highest level of disparity among 19 major metropolitan areas in the nation.
In 2007, Greater Twin Cities United Way (United Way) invested $5 million in 36 job training and employment assistance programs. At the same time, the organization launched a years-long project to analyze the impact of the programs. Five years later, the analysis is starting to yield impressive and meaningful results. 
In a recent speech at the 
