New York aims to cut the state’s child poverty rate, currently stagnant at 20%, in half over the next decade. As highlighted in the recently enacted state budget, significant measures such as a slight increase in minimum wage and the expansion of child tax credits could help accomplish this, according to officials on Wednesday.
The state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, established in 2021, is tasked with crafting recommendations for this cause and regularly assessing relevant Albany policies.
However, officials recognize that attaining these child poverty reduction goals necessitates further action in areas such as housing and eligibility criteria for social services and benefits.
Although some tension exists between policies aimed at reducing child poverty and those targeting broader help for the state’s neediest residents, the officials expressed optimism about the tax credits’ potential to alleviate poverty.
Specifically, they pointed to the expanded child tax credit, which now benefits families with children under 4 years old, providing around $330 annually per child.
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