This report explores and provides examples of how key changes to components of the financial, education, justice, health, and tax systems can strengthen—rather than undermine—households’ financial security, and increase economic inclusion.

It describes innovative approaches that integrate a focus on building financial security across programs, while reforming the systems that most affect the balance sheets of lower-income families and families of color. The featured approaches run the gamut from small local programs to state and federal policy reforms and initiatives. These innovations and the changes that they represent to key systems may be adapted and expanded to strengthen the financial security of vulnerable people and communities nationwide.

This webinar will discuss why federal infrastructure investments matter and how these investments can advance equity and economic opportunity; lift up examples of infrastructure projects already underway that are improving communities and investing in workers who face barriers to employment; and share guiding principles for fair and equitable federal infrastructure investments.

Urban corner store interventions have been implemented to improve access to and promote purchase of healthy foods. However, the perspectives of store owners and managers, who deliver and shape these interventions in collaboration with nonprofit, government, and academic partners, have been largely overlooked. We sought to explore the views of store owners and managers on the role of their stores in the community and their beliefs about health problems and solutions in the community.

This fact sheet explores the benefits of making healthy food accessible by foot, bike, or transit, and highlights examples of how businesses, agencies, and nonprofits are taking action to improve transportation options to healthy food.

In 2015, 42.2 million people in 15.8 million households were food insecure at some point during the year, according to data released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service in the new report Household Food Security in the United States in 2015. The concept of “food security” is used by the USDA to measure a household’s ability to access adequate food. Today’s data show a decrease in the number of households impacted by food insecurity from 2014, but 12.7 percent of households still experienced food insecurity, highlighting the fact that too many families with low incomes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs. 

After increasing steadily for decades, the national childhood obesity rate has leveled off, but it is still alarmingly high compared with to a generation ago. The federal government has several sources that track obesity rates among children and teens, including the National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey and three major studies that track national trends and rates within some states

While the report shares new data on adult obesity rates, national data show that over the past decade, childhood obesity rates have stabilized at about 17 percent and are declining among 2- to 5-year-olds. A number of cities, counties and states, including St. Cloud, Minnesota, Cherokee County, South Carolina, Seminole County, Florida, Southern California, Philadelphia, Colorado, and New Mexico, have measured declines in their childhood obesity rates in the last year alone, joining a list of many others from coast to coast.

This set of 4 one-pagers introduces the rationale behind and benefits of a comprehensive approach to the retail environment. Use the sample talking points in each of the conversation starters below to identify shared goals and make the case for collaboration.