Mobile banking, debt relief, & other hopeful stories

categories: Education, Federal, Government, Health & Healthcare, News, States

Published July 06, 2009 @ 12:00PM PT

I'm travleing this afternoon and am leaving you with a collection of good news, promising policy developments, and innovative anti-poverty strategies that, ideally, give us hope to continue our work for another day.

"Mobile money seen as chance for the world's poorest" - Banking via cell phone need not be just a developing world strategy. There are plenty of unbanked households and check-cashing dependent communities at home that could benefit from this.

Finally, the feds offer income-based student loan repayment, and loan forgiveness based on public service. This is great news!

Medicaid will be restored to hundreds of families wrongfully denied benefits in Nebraska.

Federal minimum wage rises to $7.25/hour this month. I remember writing about this 2 years ago (scroll down).

Finally, House Dems in PA vote to expand health insurance for low-income adults. Let's see how the Senate responds.

(Photo of her cell phone by Samantha Celera)

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Comments (2)

The student loan help is about half of what's needed and if you don't pay it off within the allowed amount of time, it can bite you squarely in the tush. How? Anything unpaid at the end becomes taxable income - can you say OUCH? They also aren't doing squat to help those who land in poverty after college or who are dependent upon the "help" that they call their "forgiveness" for disability? The definition of disability is still something along the lines of will never of their own power do anything like sell trash art for spare change at any point in their lives after getting their loans forgiven. Though it does enough I won't call it a total failure and I especially like that it encourages public service via loan forgiveness.

Posted by Danetta Amschler on 07/06/2009 @ 04:35PM PT
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An approach for me to consider is the student loan repayment plan. I've defaulted on my loan for some time now and am still tryin to find a way to start paying this loan back. 10,000 is alot of money to raise during times as such when every-one is searching for ways to save money.

Posted by Aaron Shaw on 07/06/2009 @ 08:06PM PT
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Author

Leigh is a PhD candidate in urban planning at MIT, and a consultant on U.S. Gulf Coast recovery. She sits on the Board of the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation in Boston, and has worked with non-profits, foundations and local governments on policies and programs aimed at reducing urban poverty and inequality.