[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_letter_spacing=”1px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”|||40px|false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ border_width_left=”6px” border_color_left=”#156489″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
The goal of the Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign<\/em> is to decrease the racial wealth gap by reducing\/eliminating harmful fees and fines that disproportionately mire low-income communities in debt. The campaign also advocates for and implements policies that put cash in families\u2019 pockets.<\/h2>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”|600|||on||||” link_text_color=”#094361″ ul_line_height=”1.8em” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_letter_spacing=”1px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.8em” header_4_font=”|600|||||||” header_4_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” border_color_left=”#156489″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]Recently, the Utilities Affordability sub-campaign has gained significant traction over the last few years (especially in light of the COVID pandemic), with parents fighting unfair and exorbitant utility bill fines that overburden low-income families of color. [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(2,2,2,0.5) 0%|rgba(2,2,2,0.5) 100%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_1335-scaled-2.jpg” background_position=”top_center” min_height=”400px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”|300|||||||” header_2_text_align=”center” header_2_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_2_font_size=”44px” custom_padding=”140px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Major highlights and victories
\n<\/h2>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”|600|||on||||” link_text_color=”#094361″ ul_line_height=”1.8em” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_letter_spacing=”1px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.8em” header_4_font=”|600|||||||” header_4_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” border_color_left=”#156489″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
2024:\u00a0<\/strong>After three years of organizing, parents help secure Illinois’s state child tax credit! The Illinois child tax credit will provide low-income families with young children 0-12 up to $300 in its first year (to be doubled in the following year). Undocumented families who are ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) filers will also be eligible for the credit.\u00a0<\/p>\n2023:\u00a0<\/strong>The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved recommendations from COFI and POWER-PAC IL, the National Consumer Law Center, and Legal Aid Chicago to implement low-income discount rates<\/strong> for Peoples Gas, Nicor, and Ameren customers and lower fixed customer charges for each of the utilities which will hit family\u2019s gas bills starting October 2024. The ICC also significantly reduced the rate hike proposals for all three utility companies \u2013 Ameren\u2019s proposal was reduced by 50.8%, Nicor was decreased by 30.3%, and Peoples Gas was slashed by 25%. Additionally, parents helped pass House Bill 2719, aimed at preventing medical debt by requiring hospitals to screen for eligibility for insurance and discount services.<\/p>\n2022: <\/strong>Parents celebrate several landmark hard-fought victories. They win funding for Children\u2019s Savings Accounts for all children born or adopted in Illinois starting in January 2023. Chicago launches a Guaranteed Income Pilot, which distributes $500 monthly payments to 5,000 families. The Illinois Earned Income Credit is expanded, granting much needed tax relief to 4.5 million+ low-income residents, including immigrants who file taxes.<\/p>\n2021:<\/strong> Five POWER-PAC IL mother leaders are named as the inaugural fellows of the Closing the Women\u2019s Wealth Gap Community Leader Fellowship, focused on amplifying and centering the voices of women of color at national tables. Parents win the signing of Senate Bill 265 into law, which expands access to and improves the Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP), making utility bills more affordable for hundreds of thousands of Illinois families.<\/p>\n2020:<\/strong> After years of organizing, POWER-PAC IL parents win a historic agreement to make utilities more affordable in Illinois, one of the most comprehensive utility-focused COVID-19 relief plans in the country. The plan ensures key protections for low-income families, including reconnection of previously disconnected families, reducing or eliminating down payments for deferred payment agreements, and new debt forgiveness and financial assistance opportunities.<\/p>\n2019:<\/strong> Parents win historic reforms to Chicago\u2019s fines and fees system, including ending driver\u2019s license suspension over unpaid parking tickets, reducing down payment requirements to pay ticket debt, and stopping doubling fines for city sticker violations.<\/p>\n2018:<\/strong> POWER-PAC IL leaders release the report \u201cStopping the Debt Spiral,\u201d<\/a> a powerful and compelling in-depth look at debt and how it keeps low-income families trapped in impossible situations. With City Clerk Anna Valencia, POWER-PAC leaders co-convene the Chicago Fines, Fees, and Access Collaborative, which also includes other city officials, advocates, and researchers.<\/p>\n2017:<\/strong> POWER-PAC IL partners with local organizations in Evanston to pilot a Children\u2019s Savings Accounts program. Parent leaders help win the Illinois Student Bill of Rights to address predatory policies of the student loan industry.<\/p>\n2010:<\/strong> Parents win the creation of a Legislative Task Force to explore Children\u2019s Savings Accounts (CSA) in Illinois.<\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#e7f8fe” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”6px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Rosazlia-Grillier-and-Liliana-Olayo-Presenting-at-Prosperity-Now-scaled-e1670283885277.jpg” alt=”Ms. Rose speaking at a conference” title_text=”Rosazlia-Grillier-and-Liliana-Olayo-Presenting-at-Prosperity-Now” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”|600|||on||||” link_text_color=”#094361″ ul_line_height=”1.8em” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_font_size=”28px” header_2_letter_spacing=”1px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.8em” header_4_font=”|600|||||||” header_4_line_height=”1.5em” header_5_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” border_color_left=”#156489″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Recommendations<\/h2>\n\n- \n
Fees and fines keep us trapped:<\/h5>\n\n- Implement a Financial Justice Scan\u00a0at all levels of government in Illinois to ensure that public fees and fines do NOT have a disparate impact on our state\u2019s low-income residents and residents of color.<\/li>\n
- Legislate governments, including the court systems,\u00a0so that they cannot impose unwieldy fees or debt collection procedures in order to fund their budgets on the backs of families least able to pay.<\/li>\n
- Limit Driver License suspensions\u00a0to actual traffic violations only.<\/li>\n
- Protect savings from debt collection,\u00a0particularly college and retirement savings accounts.<\/li>\n
- Strengthen laws prohibiting the use of credit reports\/scores in hiring.<\/li>\n
- Nationally, fortify the deferral Consumer Financial Protection Bureau\u00a0and closely regulate all predatory lending.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Utility debt that keeps us in the cold:<\/h5>\n\n- Implement Lifeline Rates\u00a0for utility costs, based on a family\u2019s actual income, so that they\u2019re charged electric and gas rates based on their ability to pay.<\/li>\n
- Spread the word about available debt reduction, utility assistance, and shut-off prevention programs for low-income consumers.<\/li>\n
- Regulate scam artists\u00a0and predatory companies that run rampant in this market.<\/li>\n
- Implement Community Solar\u00a0in Illinois with low-income families at the table and ensure that cost savings go to families that most need them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Medical debt weighs our families down:<\/h5>\n\n- Expand Illinois\u2019 Charity Care\u00a0and ensure that all patients at nonprofit hospitals and medical centers are told of their rights to assistance and how to access it.<\/li>\n
- Ensure that access to the program is available in Spanish,\u00a0family-friendly, transparent, and unimposing.<\/li>\n
- Expand other free and low cost options\u00a0for the uninsured and undocumented.<\/li>\n
- Nationally, maintain the Affordable Care Act and fund CHIP\u00a0(the federal Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cash in the hands of those who need it:<\/h5>\n\n- Expand and increase funding for local and federal programs and initiatives that increase cash for struggling families, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and Guaranteed Income programs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”4px|||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||4px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”|600|||on||||” link_text_color=”#094361″ ul_line_height=”2.4em” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_font_size=”28px” header_2_letter_spacing=”1px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.8em” header_4_font=”|600|||||||” header_4_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” border_color_left=”#156489″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Publications and recent news<\/a><\/h2>\n\n- “Some ComEd customers seeing triple-digit bill increases as supply rate hike, heat wave converge”<\/a> \u2013 Chicago Tribune (July 2025)<\/li>\n
- “Great Lakes energy bills are rising: Federal cuts could add to the pain”<\/a> \u2013 Planet Detroit (July 2025)
“Illinois expanded tax credits for some workers and families but not all of the money is claimed, experts say”<\/a> \u2013 Sun-Times (February 2025)<\/li>\n- Parent Leader Discusses State Child Tax Credit Proposal with WBEZ<\/a> \u2013 WBEZ (May 2024)<\/li>\n
- \u201cCongress reaches deal to expand Child Tax Credit\u201d<\/a> \u2013 WCIA-Springfield (January 2024)<\/li>\n
- \u201cNew discount rate system a \u2018game changer\u2019 for Chicagoans struggling with heating bills, advocates say\u201d<\/a> \u2013 Sun-Times (December 2023)<\/li>\n
- \u201cJudge recommends reducing Peoples Gas rate hike request, but it would still set a record\u201d<\/a> \u2013 CBS 2 Chicago (October 2023)<\/li>\n
- \u201cIllinois could create new Child Tax Credit\u201d<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 WTVO-Rockford (February 2023)<\/li>\n
- \u201cMeet Chicagoans who plan to apply for the city\u2019s guaranteed income pilot\u201d<\/a> \u2013 WBEZ Chicago (April 2022)<\/li>\n
- \u201cGas bills hit Chicagoans hard\u201d<\/a> \u2013 Chicago Sun-Times (April 2022)<\/li>\n
- \u201cWhat the child tax credit meant for Illinois families\u201d<\/a> \u2013 The 21st Show, Illinois Public Media (February 2022)<\/li>\n
- \u201cHow this Englewood Resident Became an Advocate for Utility Assistance\u201d<\/a> \u2013 City Bureau (February 2022)<\/li>\n
- \u201cAnother blow to working people during the pandemic: states snatching back tax refunds\u201d<\/a> \u2013 The Center for Public Integrity (July 2021)<\/li>\n
- POWER-PAC IL Report: \u201cStopping the Debt Spiral\u201d<\/a> (2018)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/ul>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_icon font_icon=”||fa||900″ icon_color=”#F18A02″ icon_width=”32px” align=”left” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_icon][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.7em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
I was watching in my own neighborhood, how they would get tickets and hearing in other neighborhoods those are things that don\u2019t even go on. I wanted to fight for my neighbors and the whole city of Chicago, the Black and Brown community, to get these things off their back.”<\/h3>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-5px||||false|false” custom_padding=”|31px|||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/michelle-morton.jpg” alt=”Photo of Michelle Morton” title_text=”michelle-morton” align=”right” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” module_alignment=”right” custom_padding=”|127px|0px||false|false” border_radii=”on|100px|100px|100px|100px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”|0px||0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” custom_margin=”|||-119px||” custom_margin_tablet=”|||0px|false|false” custom_margin_phone=”|||0px|false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Michelle Morton<\/span><\/p>\nPOWER-PAC IL Co-President Emeritus and former Closing the Women\u2019s Wealth Gap Fellow<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign Working to end the cycles of poverty and debt POWER-PAC began the Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign in 2009 after the Great Recession hit their families particularly hard. Parents in the campaign partnered with other champions and advocates, such as Financial Inclusion for All Illinois and Economic Security Illinois. Parents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2167,"parent":308,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\r\n
POWER-PAC began the Stepping Out of Poverty<\/em> Campaign <\/em>in 2009 after the Great Recession hit their families particularly hard. Parents in the campaign partnered with other champions and advocates, such as Financial Inclusion for All Illinois and Economic Security Illinois. Parents hosted workshops and community conversations on ways to decrease the racial wealth gap and find asset building solutions, winning major legislative and administrative changes along the way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe goal of the Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign<\/em> is to decrease the racial wealth gap by reducing\/eliminating harmful fees and fines that disproportionately mire low-income communities in debt. The campaign also advocates for and implements policies that put cash in families\u2019 pockets.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRecently, the Utilities Affordability<\/em> sub-campaign has gained significant traction over the last few years (especially in light of the COVID pandemic), with parents fighting unfair and exorbitant utility bill fines that overburden low-income families of color.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/span>![\"A](\"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/IMG_1335-1-scaled.jpg\")
\r\nMajor highlights and victories<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
2022: <\/strong>Parents celebrate several landmark hard-fought victories. They win funding for Children\u2019s Savings Accounts for all children born or adopted in Illinois starting in January 2023. Chicago launches a Guaranteed Income Pilot, which distributes $500 monthly payments to 5,000 families. The Illinois Earned Income Credit is expanded, granting much needed tax relief to 4.5 million+ low-income residents, including immigrants who file taxes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2021:<\/strong> Five POWER-PAC IL mother leaders are named as the inaugural fellows of the Closing the Women\u2019s Wealth Gap Community Leader Fellowship, focused on amplifying and centering the voices of women of color at national tables. Parents win the signing of Senate Bill 265 into law, which expands access to and improves the Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP), making utility bills more affordable for hundreds of thousands of Illinois families.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2020:<\/strong> After years of organizing, POWER-PAC IL parents win a historic agreement to make utilities more affordable in Illinois, one of the most comprehensive utility-focused COVID-19 relief plans in the country. The plan ensures key protections for low-income families, including reconnection of previously disconnected families, reducing or eliminating down payments for deferred payment agreements, and new debt forgiveness and financial assistance opportunities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2019:<\/strong> Parents win historic reforms to Chicago\u2019s fines and fees system, including ending driver\u2019s license suspension over unpaid parking tickets, reducing down payment requirements to pay ticket debt, and stopping doubling fines for city sticker violations.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2018:<\/strong> POWER-PAC IL leaders release the report \u201cStopping the Debt Spiral,\u201d<\/a> a powerful and compelling in-depth look at debt and how it keeps low-income families trapped in impossible situations. With City Clerk Anna Valencia, POWER-PAC leaders co-convene the Chicago Fines, Fees, and Access Collaborative, which also includes other city officials, advocates, and researchers.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2017:<\/strong> POWER-PAC IL partners with local organizations in Evanston to pilot a Children\u2019s Savings Accounts program. Parent leaders help win the Illinois Student Bill of Rights to address predatory policies of the student loan industry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n2010:<\/strong> Parents win the creation of a Legislative Task Force to explore Children\u2019s Savings Accounts (CSA) in Illinois.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JbEF5YjG4x8&t=128s\r\n<\/div><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
<\/span>\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Rosazlia-Grillier-and-Liliana-Olayo-Presenting-at-Prosperity-Now-scaled-e1670283885277-1200x1191.jpg\")
<\/figure>\r\nRecommendations<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFees and fines keep us trapped:<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n- Implement a Financial Justice Scan\u00a0at all levels of government in Illinois to ensure that public fees and fines do NOT have a disparate impact on our state\u2019s low-income residents and residents of color.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Legislate governments, including the court systems,\u00a0so that they cannot impose unwieldy fees or debt collection procedures in order to fund their budgets on the backs of families least able to pay.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Limit Driver License suspensions\u00a0to actual traffic violations only.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Protect savings from debt collection,\u00a0particularly college and retirement savings accounts.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Strengthen laws prohibiting the use of credit reports\/scores in hiring.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Nationally, fortify the deferral Consumer Financial Protection Bureau\u00a0and closely regulate all predatory lending.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Utility debt that keeps us in the cold:<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n- Implement Lifeline Rates\u00a0for utility costs, based on a family\u2019s actual income, so that they\u2019re charged electric and gas rates based on their ability to pay.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Spread the word about available debt reduction, utility assistance, and shut-off prevention programs for low-income consumers.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Regulate scam artists\u00a0and predatory companies that run rampant in this market.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Implement Community Solar\u00a0in Illinois with low-income families at the table and ensure that cost savings go to families that most need them.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Medical debt weighs our families down:<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n- Expand Illinois\u2019 Charity Care\u00a0and ensure that all patients at nonprofit hospitals and medical centers are told of their rights to assistance and how to access it.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Ensure that access to the program is available in Spanish,\u00a0family-friendly, transparent, and unimposing.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Expand other free and low cost options\u00a0for the uninsured and undocumented.<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- Nationally, maintain the Affordable Care Act and fund CHIP\u00a0(the federal Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Cash in the hands of those who need it:<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n- Expand and increase funding for programs and initiatives that increase cash for struggling families, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and Guaranteed Income programs<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Publications and recent news<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n- \u201cMeet Chicagoans who plan to apply for the city\u2019s guaranteed income pilot\u201d<\/a> \u2013 WBEZ Chicago (April 2022)<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- \u201cGas bills hit Chicagoans hard\u201d<\/a> \u2013 Chicago Sun-Times (April 2022)<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- \u201cWhat the child tax credit meant for Illinois families\u201d<\/a> \u2013 The 21st Show, Illinois Public Media (February 2022)<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- \u201cHow this Englewood Resident Became an Advocate for Utility Assistance\u201d<\/a> \u2013 City Bureau (February 2022)<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- \u201cAnother blow to working people during the pandemic: states snatching back tax refunds\u201d<\/a> \u2013 The Center for Public Integrity (July 2021)<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
- POWER-PAC IL Report: \u201cStopping the Debt Spiral\u201d<\/a> (2018)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
I was watching in my own neighborhood, how they would get tickets and hearing in other neighborhoods those are things that don\u2019t even go on. I wanted to fight for my neighbors and the whole city of Chicago, the Black and Brown community, to get these things off their back.<\/p><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/michelle-square.png\"\/)
<\/div><\/div>Michelle Morton<\/h2>POWER-PAC IL Co-President Emeritus and Closing the Women's Wealth Gap Fellow<\/small><\/div><\/div>\r\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2152","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStepping Out of Poverty Campaign | COFI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign aims to eliminate harmful fees and fines that disproportionately mire low-income communities in deb.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cofionline.org\/es\/the-work\/power-pac-il\/stepping-out-of-poverty-campaign\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign | COFI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" 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\n<\/h2>\n
2023:\u00a0<\/strong>The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved recommendations from COFI and POWER-PAC IL, the National Consumer Law Center, and Legal Aid Chicago to implement low-income discount rates<\/strong> for Peoples Gas, Nicor, and Ameren customers and lower fixed customer charges for each of the utilities which will hit family\u2019s gas bills starting October 2024. The ICC also significantly reduced the rate hike proposals for all three utility companies \u2013 Ameren\u2019s proposal was reduced by 50.8%, Nicor was decreased by 30.3%, and Peoples Gas was slashed by 25%. Additionally, parents helped pass House Bill 2719, aimed at preventing medical debt by requiring hospitals to screen for eligibility for insurance and discount services.<\/p>\n 2022: <\/strong>Parents celebrate several landmark hard-fought victories. They win funding for Children\u2019s Savings Accounts for all children born or adopted in Illinois starting in January 2023. Chicago launches a Guaranteed Income Pilot, which distributes $500 monthly payments to 5,000 families. The Illinois Earned Income Credit is expanded, granting much needed tax relief to 4.5 million+ low-income residents, including immigrants who file taxes.<\/p>\n 2021:<\/strong> Five POWER-PAC IL mother leaders are named as the inaugural fellows of the Closing the Women\u2019s Wealth Gap Community Leader Fellowship, focused on amplifying and centering the voices of women of color at national tables. Parents win the signing of Senate Bill 265 into law, which expands access to and improves the Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP), making utility bills more affordable for hundreds of thousands of Illinois families.<\/p>\n 2020:<\/strong> After years of organizing, POWER-PAC IL parents win a historic agreement to make utilities more affordable in Illinois, one of the most comprehensive utility-focused COVID-19 relief plans in the country. The plan ensures key protections for low-income families, including reconnection of previously disconnected families, reducing or eliminating down payments for deferred payment agreements, and new debt forgiveness and financial assistance opportunities.<\/p>\n 2019:<\/strong> Parents win historic reforms to Chicago\u2019s fines and fees system, including ending driver\u2019s license suspension over unpaid parking tickets, reducing down payment requirements to pay ticket debt, and stopping doubling fines for city sticker violations.<\/p>\n 2018:<\/strong> POWER-PAC IL leaders release the report \u201cStopping the Debt Spiral,\u201d<\/a> a powerful and compelling in-depth look at debt and how it keeps low-income families trapped in impossible situations. With City Clerk Anna Valencia, POWER-PAC leaders co-convene the Chicago Fines, Fees, and Access Collaborative, which also includes other city officials, advocates, and researchers.<\/p>\n 2017:<\/strong> POWER-PAC IL partners with local organizations in Evanston to pilot a Children\u2019s Savings Accounts program. Parent leaders help win the Illinois Student Bill of Rights to address predatory policies of the student loan industry.<\/p>\n 2010:<\/strong> Parents win the creation of a Legislative Task Force to explore Children\u2019s Savings Accounts (CSA) in Illinois.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#e7f8fe” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”6px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Rosazlia-Grillier-and-Liliana-Olayo-Presenting-at-Prosperity-Now-scaled-e1670283885277.jpg” alt=”Ms. Rose speaking at a conference” title_text=”Rosazlia-Grillier-and-Liliana-Olayo-Presenting-at-Prosperity-Now” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”|600|||on||||” link_text_color=”#094361″ ul_line_height=”1.8em” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_font_size=”28px” header_2_letter_spacing=”1px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.8em” header_4_font=”|600|||||||” header_4_line_height=”1.5em” header_5_font=”|600|||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” border_color_left=”#156489″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”4px|||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||4px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”|600|||on||||” link_text_color=”#094361″ ul_line_height=”2.4em” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_font_size=”28px” header_2_letter_spacing=”1px” header_2_line_height=”1.5em” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.8em” header_4_font=”|600|||||||” header_4_line_height=”1.5em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”90%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” border_color_left=”#156489″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_icon font_icon=”||fa||900″ icon_color=”#F18A02″ icon_width=”32px” align=”left” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_icon][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_line_height=”1.7em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-5px||||false|false” custom_padding=”|31px|||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover_enabled=”off|desktop”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cofionline.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/michelle-morton.jpg” alt=”Photo of Michelle Morton” title_text=”michelle-morton” align=”right” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” module_alignment=”right” custom_padding=”|127px|0px||false|false” border_radii=”on|100px|100px|100px|100px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”|0px||0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” custom_margin=”|||-119px||” custom_margin_tablet=”|||0px|false|false” custom_margin_phone=”|||0px|false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Michelle Morton<\/span><\/p>\n POWER-PAC IL Co-President Emeritus and former Closing the Women\u2019s Wealth Gap Fellow<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign Working to end the cycles of poverty and debt POWER-PAC began the Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign in 2009 after the Great Recession hit their families particularly hard. Parents in the campaign partnered with other champions and advocates, such as Financial Inclusion for All Illinois and Economic Security Illinois. Parents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2167,"parent":308,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"\r\n POWER-PAC began the Stepping Out of Poverty<\/em> Campaign <\/em>in 2009 after the Great Recession hit their families particularly hard. Parents in the campaign partnered with other champions and advocates, such as Financial Inclusion for All Illinois and Economic Security Illinois. Parents hosted workshops and community conversations on ways to decrease the racial wealth gap and find asset building solutions, winning major legislative and administrative changes along the way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The goal of the Stepping Out of Poverty Campaign<\/em> is to decrease the racial wealth gap by reducing\/eliminating harmful fees and fines that disproportionately mire low-income communities in debt. The campaign also advocates for and implements policies that put cash in families\u2019 pockets.<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Recently, the Utilities Affordability<\/em> sub-campaign has gained significant traction over the last few years (especially in light of the COVID pandemic), with parents fighting unfair and exorbitant utility bill fines that overburden low-income families of color.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Major highlights and victories<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2022: <\/strong>Parents celebrate several landmark hard-fought victories. They win funding for Children\u2019s Savings Accounts for all children born or adopted in Illinois starting in January 2023. Chicago launches a Guaranteed Income Pilot, which distributes $500 monthly payments to 5,000 families. The Illinois Earned Income Credit is expanded, granting much needed tax relief to 4.5 million+ low-income residents, including immigrants who file taxes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2021:<\/strong> Five POWER-PAC IL mother leaders are named as the inaugural fellows of the Closing the Women\u2019s Wealth Gap Community Leader Fellowship, focused on amplifying and centering the voices of women of color at national tables. Parents win the signing of Senate Bill 265 into law, which expands access to and improves the Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP), making utility bills more affordable for hundreds of thousands of Illinois families.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2020:<\/strong> After years of organizing, POWER-PAC IL parents win a historic agreement to make utilities more affordable in Illinois, one of the most comprehensive utility-focused COVID-19 relief plans in the country. The plan ensures key protections for low-income families, including reconnection of previously disconnected families, reducing or eliminating down payments for deferred payment agreements, and new debt forgiveness and financial assistance opportunities.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2019:<\/strong> Parents win historic reforms to Chicago\u2019s fines and fees system, including ending driver\u2019s license suspension over unpaid parking tickets, reducing down payment requirements to pay ticket debt, and stopping doubling fines for city sticker violations.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2018:<\/strong> POWER-PAC IL leaders release the report \u201cStopping the Debt Spiral,\u201d<\/a> a powerful and compelling in-depth look at debt and how it keeps low-income families trapped in impossible situations. With City Clerk Anna Valencia, POWER-PAC leaders co-convene the Chicago Fines, Fees, and Access Collaborative, which also includes other city officials, advocates, and researchers.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2017:<\/strong> POWER-PAC IL partners with local organizations in Evanston to pilot a Children\u2019s Savings Accounts program. Parent leaders help win the Illinois Student Bill of Rights to address predatory policies of the student loan industry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2010:<\/strong> Parents win the creation of a Legislative Task Force to explore Children\u2019s Savings Accounts (CSA) in Illinois.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I was watching in my own neighborhood, how they would get tickets and hearing in other neighborhoods those are things that don\u2019t even go on. I wanted to fight for my neighbors and the whole city of Chicago, the Black and Brown community, to get these things off their back.<\/p><\/div>Recommendations<\/h2>\n
\n
Fees and fines keep us trapped:<\/h5>\n
\n
Utility debt that keeps us in the cold:<\/h5>\n
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Medical debt weighs our families down:<\/h5>\n
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Cash in the hands of those who need it:<\/h5>\n
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Publications and recent news<\/a><\/h2>\n
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“Illinois expanded tax credits for some workers and families but not all of the money is claimed, experts say”<\/a> \u2013 Sun-Times (February 2025)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
I was watching in my own neighborhood, how they would get tickets and hearing in other neighborhoods those are things that don\u2019t even go on. I wanted to fight for my neighbors and the whole city of Chicago, the Black and Brown community, to get these things off their back.”<\/h3>\n
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<\/figure>Recommendations<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Fees and fines keep us trapped:<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Utility debt that keeps us in the cold:<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Medical debt weighs our families down:<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Cash in the hands of those who need it:<\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Publications and recent news<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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<\/div><\/div>Michelle Morton<\/h2>POWER-PAC IL Co-President Emeritus and Closing the Women's Wealth Gap Fellow<\/small><\/div><\/div>\r\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2152","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n