Webinar: The Impact of Advocacy in a Pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis has laid bare the racism and poverty that many communities experience daily. Low-wage workers, many of whom find themselves on the frontlines as essential workers and more exposed to illness, continue to struggle with access to healthcare, paid sick leave and other necessary supports. The affordable housing crisis is quickly worsening; one third of Americans did not pay rent in April. Undocumented immigrants have been largely left out of the recovery, particularly access to healthcare, which is crucial in a public health crisis. And families caught in the foster care system struggle to remain intact.

Since the initial weeks of the pandemic, the Shriver Center has been advocating all on fronts to call out the necessary law and policy changes and budget allocations needed to sustainably bring this response to scale. At a webinar given on May 18, several Shriver Center advocates shared updates on their COVID-19 response work and impact.

• Vice President of Advocacy Kate Walz gave an overview of landscape surrounding our current advocacy work for both immediate and long-term reform.
• Staff Attorney Emily Coffey outlined strategies to avoid the looming eviction and foreclosure cliff and connect returning citizens to housing.
• Director of Economic Justice Jeremy Rosen presented data on the exploding need for cash assistance in the wake of COVID-19 and how Illinois has responded.
• Staff Attorney Tanya Gassenheimer discussed the traumatic impact of the pandemic on families in the foster care system, including a recent lawsuit challenging the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ suspension of in-person visits between parents and children.

Watch a video recording of the webinar on our YouTube channel, and download the slide presentation.

Read more about the gains made during the special legislative session.