Welcome, Monica Potts!

We’re thrilled to welcome American Prospect Senior Writer Monica Potts as a Fellow with the Asset Building Program.

At the Prospect, Monica has written extensively about challenges facing families in poverty, from navigating the complex public assistance system to making ends meet in the wake of the foreclosure crisis. If you’re not familiar with Monica’s work, check out some of our favorite recent pieces:

• In “The Weeklies,” she wrote about newly homeless families in the Denver suburbs, paying by the week to live in cramped hotel rooms. We hosted Monica for a public discussion about the piece and she shared additional insights in a follow-up podcast.
• In “What’s Killing Poor White Women?,” published last September, Monica investigated why white women without a high school diploma have experienced a dramatic decrease in life expectancy over the past two decades. Last month, the piece won an Impact Award from the Media Consortium.
• In “Poor, With Savings,” Monica explored the potential of the Financial Security Credit and programs like SaveUSA, noting that “helping families save is nothing new for the government, but until now, federal programs have seldom targeted the poor.”

Lastly, Monica has provided consistent and astute coverage of the Farm Bill negotiations, including a new piece today that offers a measured critique of Rep. Paul Ryan’s latest anti-poverty proposals.

Please join us in welcoming Monica to the Asset Building Program. We look forward to featuring her work on the blog and at some of our upcoming events. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MonicaBPotts.