Chicago Resilient Families Task Force: Big Shoulders, Bold Solutions: Economic Security for Chicagoans
ITEP Work in ActionPeople with low and middle-incomes are financially savvy in ways that are often underestimated, but despite this are on thin ice financially. Despite doing all the right things, they are caught in a trap that is very hard to escape. Wages are falling behind and jobs are increasingly structured in ways that foster precariousness instead of supporting stability. Further, our safety net supports are inadequate to meet these growing challenges. These hardships, rooted in historical and contemporary structural inequalities, take both a personal toll and a community toll. We are heading towards a new status quo for many Chicagoans that is unacceptable.
Chicago Resilient Families Task Force heard directly from Chicagoans struggling to make ends meet. They described working hard, often in multiple jobs, and still not being able to make ends meet. They told us about their dreams and aspirations. Throughout the report you will find quotes and stories from these Chicagoans.