MIAMI — On Friday, February 15 Catalyst Miami hosts “Imagine a Thriving Miami,” a workshop part of the quarterly civic networking series, Imagine Miami, to discuss poverty and ways to combat it in our local community.
The event which will take place from 10am to 3pm at the Catalyst Miami office located in downtown Miami at 1900 Biscayne Blvd. features legal scholar and renowned author of So Rich, So Poor: Why the Wealthiest Nation in the World Is Losing the Battle Against Poverty, Peter Edelman as the keynote speaker.
Edelman, who famously resigned under the Clinton administration to protest treatment of the nation’s poor, will discuss issues such as the impact of under and unemployment when it comes to the ever-increasing challenges of ridding poverty in America. The workshop will include breakout sessions for attendees to explode the root issues of poverty and discuss grassroots solutions aimed creating a thriving, prosperous, and civically engaged Miami.
Imagine a Thriving Miami will also include a look at the 2013 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard released by the Corporation for Enterprise Development. The Scorecard explores the financial security of residents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and assesses policies that are helping residents build and protect assets across five issue areas: Financial Assets & Income, Businesses & Jobs, Housing & Housing & Homeownership, Health Care and Education. Published annually, the Scorecard offers the most comprehensive look available at Americans’ ability to save and build wealth, fend off poverty and create a more prosperous future.
Income disparity in the United States is wider today than at any other point since the Great Depression, and in Miami the poverty rates are staggering when compared to cities of similar size. Low-wage earnings, cuts to public assistance, an insufficient investment in the future of our children and inequities due to race and gender are major factors exacerbating poverty in the U.S. Additionally, a disproportionate number of citizens concentrated in both rural and urban live below the poverty line. In Miami-Dade County, 27.7% of residents lived under the poverty-line as compared to 14.7% in the state of Florida according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“The impact is even greater in Miami-Dade where language and cultural barriers have led to exploitation of vulnerable populations and lack of awareness about available programs,” explains Daniella Levine, CEO of Catalyst Miami. “Our Prosperity Campaign lessens those barriers, but much more needs to be done.”
Participants in the Imagine a Thriving Miami conference will reflect the diversity of Miami. Legislatures, AmeriCorps volunteer service members, nonprofit leaders, community activists, parents, and students are all encouraged to attend.
