A new partnership between UCDD and a national organization will further help address poverty across the Upper Cumberland.
Rural Innovation Driving Equitable Resilience (RIDER) is a national organization awaiting its non-profit status. UCDD Executive Director Mark Farley said the partnership gives UCDD a chance to learn how other agencies are addressing poverty nationwide.
“It may be different people in different situations, but the problems are somewhat still the same,” Farley said. “They’re still tackling childcare, housing, moving people up skill wise in their jobs. It’s all the same problems, but you know, they’ve learned ways of doing things that we haven’t thought about.”
Farley said the organizations within RIDER are similar to the Empower UC program. Farley said the groups met for the first time last November, and the partnership has since developed for UCDD to be involved at a higher level.
Farley said the partnership allows UCDD to do a few different things.
“As a collective group of orgnaizations across America, it enables us as a collective group to go to different foundations and look for additional funding to try and tackle various problems that we’re dealing with,” Farley said. “But more important to me is better understanding what other areas of America are doing to fight poverty, especially among children.”
Farley said this partnership can help local families because it can spread the word about the problems they face. Farley said more awareness may prompt policy changes to better help families in need.
“One of the biggest issues a lot of our working families are facing is what’s called the benefit cliff,” Farley said. “You know, they may be receiving childcare assistance or housing assistance or SNAP benefits. And they get in a point that they add another dollar of income, they lose those benefits, and it’s a bigger loss than what they’re actually making through new money.”
Farley hopes to create a national voice to call for review and modernization of some welfare policies.