Advocate | Goodwill Industries International, Inc.

Advocate

New TANF Provision to Address EBT Card Abuse Draws Praise, Raises Concerns

Woman at grocery checkout using ebt card

In 2010, Goodwills provided services to nearly 160,000 people who received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and received over 112,000 referrals from TANF agencies. With the number of families living in poverty at an all-time high, Goodwill actively seeks opportunities to educate Congress and the public about our programs that assist this vulnerable population. [...]

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Senior Job Seekers Stand to Benefit from New Senate Bill

Female senior job seekerin a yellow shirt smiles

Senior job seekers stand to benefit from a new bill recently introduced in the Senate to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA). Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the bill (S. 2037) on January 26 and highlighted several provisions in the legislation, including those intended to strengthen and expand the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).

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Posted: February 2, 2012

State of the Union Address Includes Programs for Job Seekers

Man in suit holds American flag

On Tuesday evening, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address to Congress, outlining messages that are likely to form the foundation for his reelection campaign. The president’s speech acknowledged that, at a time when unemployment is stubbornly declining from the highest rates experienced in a generation, growing industries in science and technology can’t find workers with the right skills to perform the jobs they need to fill.

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Posted: January 26, 2012

Congressional Action Can Prevent Worsening Poverty Situation

Older woman living in poverty counts spare change.

A new study released by Indiana University finds that poverty is likely to get worse despite a recovering economy due to long periods of unemployment, continued impact on budget cuts to social programs and the quality of new jobs. The study warns that if Congress does not protect benefits for the long-term unemployed, and continues to make cuts to social safety net programs while reducing state fiscal relief, the poverty situation will worsen.

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Posted: January 19, 2012

Goodwill® Sets Agenda to Support Job Seekers in the Recovery

Caucasian woman helps African-American woman with her resume.

While jobless claims and the unemployment rate are showing some improvement in the overall employment picture, it’s interesting to look behind these numbers and examine just who is suffering – and benefiting — the most during this modest recovery. In consonance with these findings, GII’s 2012 Public Policy Agenda was drafted in close consultation with Goodwill members and leaders of GII’s mission advancement team.

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Posted: January 12, 2012

Congress to Resume Spending Bill Discussions on Heels of 2011 Logjams

Piggy bank sits on top of American flag

When the 112th Congress wrapped up its first session in December, it left behind a legacy of partisanship that caused public approval ratings to reach historic lows. As the second session kicks into gear this month, lawmakers will have to work quickly on payroll tax relief, emergency unemployment benefits, and reauthorization of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), all of which were only extended through February .Goodwill® looks forward to Congress addressing several other issues of importance to the enterprise and the people we serve.

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Posted: January 5, 2012

Congress’ Year-End Spending Agreement Includes Support for Programs Significant to Goodwill®

Diverse group of workers representing different occupations

On December 17, the Senate voted 67-32 to approve a $915 billion “megabus” spending package. The bill provides $10.7 billion to the Department of Labor’s Employment Training Administration (ETA), which administers several programs that support local Goodwill® agencies’ efforts to help people find jobs and advance in careers.

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Posted: December 22, 2011