By Josie Hathway
July 1, 2002

At the 70th Annual Conference of Mayors in Madison, The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Annie E. Casey Foundation announced an expansion of their partnership for working families. Conference President Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said, "You will remember from our Winter Meeting in January that we announced the beginning of a partnership with the Casey Foundation to examine the needs of working families in today's economy. Mayors are delighted to expand our partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Our joint efforts will help develop and promote the needs of America's Working families and our best ideas for addressing them."

Douglas Nelson, President of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, concurred, "We are delighted to partner with Mayor Menino and the Conference in efforts to help low-income working families succeed. Our partnership will allow us to assess best programs and to devise strategies that link and coordinate our resources on behalf of these families."

This partnership is part of Mayor Menino's aggressive agenda that addresses the fundamental concerns of America's working families. The joint effort will catalyze cities to improve economic opportunities for working families across America by:

The Casey Foundation's research indicates that there are over 10 million children at risk of being left behind and shut out of the full promise of American life; that children most at risk have parents who do not have the earnings, the assets or the social support systems to meet their children's needs; and, that half of these at risk families are concentrated in fewer than 800 neighborhoods in metropolitan areas in America where economic opportunity is scarce.

Nelson outlined Casey's agenda for family economic success, based on this research, which he had discussed with mayors at a morning focus group session. The agenda includes job access, skills training, strengthening programs that reward work including the earned income tax credit (EITC), building assets, strengthening support services and leveling the cost of living "playing field" including access to affordable housing.

"We need, as a nation, to heed Mayor Menino's call for a national campaign to preserve and expand rental and home ownership housing options for the growing number of under-housed, low-income families in urban America."

Mayor Menino said, "These are tough issues, but working together with great partners like the Casey Foundation, we will put our Working Families Agenda to work for all the families in our cities."