Working Hard, Falling Short: A Report on America's Working Families

One in four working families is low-income in the U.S., according to the recently released report Working Hard, Falling Short: America's Working Families and the Pursuit of Economic Security. Bob Herbert of The New York Times highlighted this report in an October op-ed: "Families with that kind of income are teetering on the edge of an economic abyss. Any misfortune might push them over the edge -- an illness, an automobile breakdown, even something as seemingly minor as a flooded basement."

The Working Poor Families project, a three-year, 15 state effort supported by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, and Rockefeller foundations, has been examining the status of today's low-income working families as well as the ways in which public policies can improve the lives of these families. The Working Hard, Falling Short report builds on this work and takes a broader look at how low-income working families are faring in terms of economic security. Please join us for a discussion of the report's findings with co-author Brandon Roberts and commentary by experts on public policies affecting low-income families.

Participants

• Brandon Roberts
  Director, Working Poor Families Project and Co-Author, Working Hard, Falling Short: America's Working Families and the Pursuit of Economic Security


• Ron Haskins
  Co-Director Welfare Reform and Beyond and Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, Brookings Institution; and Senior Consultant, Annie E. Casey Foundation


• Ray Boshara
  Director, Asset Building Program, New America Foundation


• Karen Kornbluh
  Director, Work and Family Program, New America Foundation