Families for Economic Security

The Arkansas minimum wage is $11 an hour. That’s a far cry from a livable wage. For a family with two working parents and two children, a livable wage would need to be close to $20/hour to comfortably cover food, child care, medical expenses, housing and transportation. A single working parent with two children would need to make $34/hour to make ends meet for their family. Where are the $34/hour jobs in Arkansas?

This is what many of our current lawmakers just don’t get. Low-income families simply don’t have access to jobs that pay enough to cover rent, meals, child care, healthcare and transportation.

We believe:

• Every Arkansas should be able to count on an income that covers basic living expenses.

• No one should struggle to cover their housing, food or medicine costs due to debt burdens.

Debt Relief Campaign

From the emergency room to the court room, medical debt and court costs are trapping thousands of Arkansans in debt cycles. Did you know that some 37% of Arkansans carry medical debt, and 20% have medical debt in collections? If you do, you are not alone.

Even if you don't have debt yourself, debt burdens affect us all because household financial insecurity affects cities and our communities. After an income disruption, financially insecure households are much more likely to:

• be evicted

• miss a housing payment

• miss a utility payment

Actions You Can Take

• Sign up for email updates from our Families for Economic Security Community. Check boxes for “Debt Relief” and/or “Livable Incomes”.

• Read the report: From the ER to the Courtroom, How Medical Bills and Court Costs Trap People in Debt Cycles

• Become a member and support our work helping low-income folks improve their credit ratings.