1. Making Ends Meet in Howard County Work Support Study, 2011 Marsha R. B. Schachtel Shelley E. Spruill Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies Preview of Report Findings Board of Directors’ Meeting July 28, 2011

2. Study Elements Effects of increasing income on eligibility for work supports Portrait of the working poor in Howard County Industries and occupations in Howard County that are growing and pay a self sufficiency wage Paths to self sufficiency

3. Income

4. Educational Attainment

5. Federal Poverty Level (FPL) versus Howard County Self-sufficiency Household compositionFPL (2009) Howard County self-sufficiency income* (%FPL) One adult$10,830$31,517 (291%) 2 adults$14,570$42,432 (291%) 2 adults and one infant$18,310$63,537 (347%) 1 adult and two teens$18,310$47,437 (259%) 1 adult and two preschoolers$18,310$72,000 (393%)

6. Lose Earned Income Tax Credit Lose Food Stamps Lose Primary Adult Care Lose Eviction Prevention s s Lose Food Bank Grants Lose Home Energy Assistance Lose Eligibility for Public Housing Lose Tax Assistance

7. Lose TCA Lose SNAP FARM Benefits Reduced Lose Medicaid Eligibility Lose HCVP Lose Eviction Prevention

8. Lose TCA Lose Food Stamps Lose HCVP Lose Eviction Prevention Lose Child Care Subsidy Lose Head Start Lose Medicaid

9. Working Poor Labor Shed Analysis (cont.): Occupation OccupationWorking Poor Office & administrative support occupations20.1% Sales & related occupations12.6% Education, training, & library occupations7.5% Management occupations7.0% Personal care & service occupations5.6% Construction & extraction occupations5.0% Transportation & material moving occupations4.9% Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations4.5% Building & grounds cleaning & maintenance occupations4.3% Food preparation & serving occupations4.2% Business & financial operations occupations3.9% Production occupations3.3% All other occupations17.0%

10. Public Policy Committee Next Steps Consider strategies to address key findings – Struggle for working poor; disincentives to earn more – Necessity of affordable, accessible child care – Need for career coaching to help benefits recipients understand increased income is essential to long-term stability – Need for HC community to understand precariousness of “working poor”

11. Study Release Strategy August 5PAC Steering Cmte members September 7Pre-release PPC briefingfor County leadership September 21ACS General Membership Meeting: members & media September 22Present to BPSS OngoingUse of ACS networking opps. Gavel group; First Fridays group Front line service worker education/training