Kentucky children thrive when parents can earn a living and meet basic needs for the family. Built on the premise of supporting work over welfare, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is designed to encourage and reward work while also delivering much-needed support to low-income families. VIEW NOW
The infographic highlights the important advantages of a state-level EITC in Kentucky and shows that workers, families, and communities all stand to gain from a state EITC. Enacting a state EITC would help keep Kentucky’s children out of poverty by supporting their working parents. VIEW PDF | VIEW JPG
All families need reasonably-priced financial services to pay bills and provide for their families. Yet, low-income families in Kentucky often pay higher prices than higher-income families for basic financial services, such as cashing a check or taking out a small loan. This report presents information that was shared by low-income working families across the state about their financial situations and use of financial products, specifically payday loans. VIEW NOW
All families need a steady, stable income to meet basic needs and support their children’s healthy development, yet many Kentucky families struggle to make it until their next payday. Some families rely on short-term payday loans to make ends meet, but working Kentuckians lose millions of dollars annually in fees paid for these loans. This report details the higher costs low-income families pay for goods and services. VIEW NOW
Lower-income families in Kentucky often pay hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars more in higher prices for basic necessities than their higher-income neighbors. Although not a new problem, the costs today are much greater in scope. This report examines the prices charged to lower-income families in Kentucky for basic necessities: financial services, auto-related products, home financing and household goods, and groceries. VIEW NOW
To better understand how the “high cost of being poor” is affecting local families, Kentucky Youth Advocates conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups throughout the Commonwealth. In this report, KYA focused on how families manage the costs of basic goods and services, and what they think is needed to help bring down these costs. VIEW NOW
