Such policies and programs include those that facilitate: incomes sufficient to meet basic needs,
including decent affordable housing, and reliable access to nutritionally adequate food;
opportunities for basic education, job training and employment; efforts to provide support
services such as affordable, quality childcare and early childhood intervention; access to health
resources; and convenient access to energy efficient, environmentally sound transportation.

The LWVM 2024 poverty study update concludes that the extent of local poverty has not been
fully recognized, that access to resources has been inconsistent, and that too many of those in
need are underserved. Utilization of public and private-sector resources can help identify and
serve people in need by providing information on what assistance is available and helping them
secure it. We encourage promotion, coordination and full utilization of government and
philanthropic resources to assist low-income people, and coordination of eligibility rules and
phaseouts, so those receiving multiple benefits do not lose them simultaneously.
Specifically, the League of Women Voters of Moscow will…

In the area of housing:

• endorse programs that enhance the availability of appropriate and safe housing for the
homeless, especially homeless families in Latah County
• advocate for more housing for low-income residents
• advocate for more programs to prevent housing insecurity and relieve causative elements
• advocate for more emergency shelters for inclement weather, and policies and funding to
enable them

In the area of food insecurity:

• support expansion of all programs that support providing meals to children and adults who
are food insufficient
• encourage legislation that would address the regressive sales tax on food
• advocate for local food facilities for collection and distribution of foods and the receipt of
monetary donations for those purposes
• encourage development of a centralized system to outsource management of SNAP/EBT and
Double-Up Food Bucks Programs at farmers markets that want it
• advocate for additional secure drop-off locations to safely transfer food from donors and
distributors to food banks and meal sites in communities throughout Latah County

In the areas of education and job training:

• support career-technical training, apprenticeships in skilled trades, career guidance in public
schools, and cooperation among secondary education providers and workforce training
partners
• advocate for job training and retention in healthcare-related fields
In the areas of employment and the economy:
• advocate for the Idaho Legislature’s setting a state minimum wage that is higher than the
2017 federal minimum wage and with automatic adjustments based on scientifically valid
indices linked to the cost of living in Idaho
• advocate for development of a light industrial park to broaden the economic base and provide
job-training opportunities in Latah County
In the areas of childcare, early childhood education and out-of-school programs:
• advocate for measures to identify individuals and families who are eligible for assistance
programs that affect children
• advocate for increasing the eligibility of individuals and families for programs that affect
children and expand the parameters for eligibility
• advocate for a county-level childcare ordinance, starting with standards and regulations
relating to health and safety
• advocate for more government investment in childcare and early childhood education,
including, but not limited to, higher wages and scholarships and student loan forgiveness for
degrees and certification in early childhood education
• encourage public and private leaders to facilitate access to start-up, maintenance, and
expansion capital for childcare providers and early childhood educators

In the areas of healthcare and eldercare:

• advocate for transportation services to enable access to health facilities in our community,
especially for low-income and medically underserved people, including people with
disabilities
• support programs that would increase the number of professionally licensed and/or certified
healthcare providers in the State of Idaho
• support and encourage the expansion of Medicaid
• advocate for increased funding for Department of Health and Welfare and institutions that
deliver healthcare services to maintain adequate staffing
• advocate for availability and funding for the training/certification of in-home
paraprofessional caregivers, transport service workers, and nonclinical healthcare support
staff
• advocate for maternal healthcare as an essential part of women’s healthcare
• advocate for lowering the cost of prescription medications
• advocate for community programs and healthcare services to help at-risk elders
• advocate for adult day care services in Latah County
• advocate for affordable, universally accessible housing for older residents who seek to agein-
place near supportive services and infrastructure

In the area of transportation:

• advocate for an increased number of fixed routes in bus service in Moscow and a mechanism
to fund them
• support the establishment of public transportation to outlying communities in the region
• support transportation fuel assistance and car/light truck acquisition subsidy programs for
low-income individuals
• support incentive programs for replacing fuel-inefficient vehicles with fuel-efficient ones for
low-income individuals
• advocate for expanding ADA paratransit and other demand-response transit services,
including for non-medical purposes, and a mechanism to fund them
• advocate for expanding outreach to inform and encourage the public to utilize public transit

Read the full study.

Position adopted: April 1, 2024