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Joni Podschun
Saving DC's Safety Net
DC is in the midst of a major budget crisis. In an emergency legislative session last month, our elected leaders considered balancing the budget by slashing funding for services that support poor DC residents. In just a couple of days, our coalition built the website www.saveoursafetynet.com. Four days later, nearly two thousand people had called for responsible investments and courageous leadership. We won support from Councilmembers, and restored some of the proposed cuts -- but the crisis is only going to get worse. This presentation will show how we can use the internet to mobilize our neighbors. We'll ask the audience to consider the challenges of advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and we'll point the way towards opportunities to hold our leaders accountable for the pursuit of an economic recovery that includes everyone.
About Joni Podschun:
Joni Podschun is a member of the Advocacy & Social Justice department at SOME Inc. (So Others Might Eat), a local organization that works with DC residents struggling with homelessness and poverty. In this capacity, Joni works on welfare issues, access to food, and elder justice. She is co-author of a fortcoming report on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in DC. She serves on Mayor Adrian Fenty's Commission on Food and Nutrition and the DC Women's Agenda, and was part of the SOS-DC launch team. Joni is a recipient of the Fund for Theological Education Undergraduate Fellowship and the Hendrix-Lilly Service Fellowship.
