Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 97
CHAPTER 3
Inclusion for the Excluded and Denied
Chapter Summary
We can get close to ending hunger in America by making improvements in economic policies as discussed in
Chapters 1 and 2. But we cannot end hunger altogether without confronting knottier social issues. Often, hunger
is a by-product of social exclusion, which can
appear in many forms of discrimination. Ending
hunger requires ending discrimination and having
a safety net wide enough to protect those who are
at the margins of society. This chapter addresses
issues of social exclusion, focusing on people
with criminal records, at-risk youth on their way
to dropping out of school, adults and children
with disabilities, and low-income seniors. Clearly,
these are not all the excluded groups, nor do they
represent all forms of discrimination. They are
examples of why ending hunger requires more
than just getting to full employment and making
sure every job is a good job.
MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS CHAPTER
• Abolish laws that prohibit people with criminal
records from receiving public benefits and that make
it hard for them to get jobs and earn an honest living.
• Establish an employment program that targets
individuals with significant barriers to work so
that they are able to gain work experience, build
skills, and improve their long-term prospects for
employment.
• Guarantee every child a high-quality education
from Pre-K through grade 12 and assure critical
benchmarks are reached.
• Increase income assistance for people with
disabilities who cannot work; provide better
support to those who can and want to work.
• Improve SNAP outreach to low-income seniors;
ensure that there is sufficient funding to deliver
meals to all those who are homebound and in need.
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