SPLC offers data to states to address loss of federal aid

JANS – On Tuesday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released an online interactive tool titled “Building Economic Opportunity in the Deep South,” which examines the consequences of federal funding cuts to vital programs supporting health care, housing, education, public infrastructure, and more for communities throughout the Deep South. The tool includes state-specific briefs that provide state and county-level data for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

This tool is designed to help policymakers and community leaders identify potential funding gaps that need to be addressed in order to improve the quality of life for all southerners.  

“We don’t create stronger, healthier, safer, and more resilient communities by slashing the budgets of programs that have consistently lifted people out of poverty and set them on a path to financial stability,” said LaShawn Warren, Chief Policy Officer at the SPLC. “Building a better future for everyone demands bold investments in communities that have long been left behind – particularly communities of color across the Deep South. We urge policymakers and advocates to use this resource to pinpoint where those critical investments are most needed and to blunt the harms this administration is inflicting on children, families, and seniors already feeling the devastating effects of these unjust and cruel funding cuts.”

Each brief includes information on:

Race and ethnicity

Urban and rural populations

Poverty and unemployment

Educational attainment

Voting eligibility and registration

Health and medical care access

Housing

And more

The full maps can be found at https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/building-economic-opportunity-deep-south/.