Earlier News Coverage

“No one should have to choose a paycheck over their well-being,” said Audra Wilson, President and CEO of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. “That’s why we focus on creating a level playing field for women workers with low wages, Black workers and Latinx workers—who in many cases cannot afford to take unpaid leave. This recent victory will have a huge impact on helping all working families.”

The Shriver Center on Poverty Law found in 2020 that 70 percent of the United States’ most hazardous waste sites are located within one mile of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-assisted housing facilities.

Eric Sirota, director of Housing Justice for the Shriver Center, said he doesn’t think assistance to own a home or rent is the silver bullet.

“We’re hoping people get over to the marketplace and see there are affordable plans so we don’t lose a lot of people,” said Stephanie Altman, director of healthcare justice at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law in Chicago.

A coalition of advocacy and labor groups is pushing for a state law to give Illinois workers 26 weeks of paid leave if they need to recover from an illness, sexual assault or domestic violence or to take care of a sick family member or new child.

The Family Medical Leave Insurance Act, recently introduced in the Illinois Legislature, would create a state-run insurance program that allows workers to use up to 26 weeks of paid protected leave every year.

Shriver Center President & CEO Audra Wilson discusses the impact of Illinois' rising minimum wage on working people.

Audra Wilson, president and CEO of the Shriver Center, said lack of a paid-leave policy has a disproportionate, negative impact on Black and brown workers.

Although there are no federal laws mandating paid leave for workers, some states do require it. Illinois will soon become one of them. Listen to Shriver Center President & CEO Audra Wilson discuss the new legislation on Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons.