Policy Research Brief: Measuring the American Families Plan's Impact
A new research policy brief released by the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies, Measuring the American Families Plan’s Impact on Washington State Working Families’ Ability to Meet Basic Needs, demonstrates how four American Families Plan (AFP) policy initiatives targeting families with children could have affected Washington working families. This brief is based on research completed by Annie Kucklick (Research Coordinator, the Center for Women's Welfare), and Lisa Manzer (Director, the Center for Women's Welfare), and funded by a 2021-2022 Harry Bridges Center Washington State Labor Research Grant.
Kucklick and Manzer’s research shows that these proposed initiatives while not a catch-all, could have uplifted working families who need it most - including Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) who have experienced historic barriers and systematic racism, and families experiencing housing burden, which is defined as households spending between 30-50% of their income on housing costs. While comprehensive policy initiatives targeting working families are past due, this research demonstrates the need for these policy solutions to intentionally address systematic and institutional racism.
For questions and media inquiries, please contact Harry Bridges Center Research Coordinator Rachel Erstad at rerstad@uw.edu or hbcls@uw.edu. Hard copies are also available upon request.