Organizing Resources

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The Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition Forms to Fight for Positive Welfare Programs

The Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition (MN-WRC), organized in June 1996, is "committed to fight against threats to entitlement status of anti-poverty programs, time limits on welfare, immigrant restrictions, family caps and other legislative measures that increase suffering and undermine the basic human rights of individuals and families."

The Coalition was organized by the Minneapolis-based Welfare Rights Committee, two Duluth groups - Low Income People Organizing for Power and Mothers Organizing Duluth, and the Working Poor of Mankato. In establishing the Coalition these groups recognized the need to combine forces, to form links with other existing low income organizations, and to initiate and support smaller local groups, especially in rural areas. At its first meeting, the Coalition adopted its name, ratified a statement opposing attacks on welfare for use in its outreach activities, and began fundraising efforts. To become a Coalition member, a group must be made up of and led by low income people. Other Coalition members include the Northfield Women for Social Change, the Winona Chapter MN-WRC, Northwoods Coalition for Battered Women, and Minnesotans United for Social Justice in St. Cloud. Work is ongoing to bring in additional members.

The Coalition has held four statewide meetings in its brief existence. Its organizing members have divided the state into geographic areas and assumed responsibilities for outreach in those areas. Coalition members travel to public meetings throughout the state to do public education and to assist with efforts to establish new groups and to re-activate inactive groups.

The Coalition is also working in the state legislature which is now considering welfare reform implementation. After the President signed the federal welfare bill last summer, the Coalition developed a set of demands to the state regarding its implementation of the law. In addition to opposing the harmful policies mentioned above, the Coalition seeks jobs at living wages, affordable and quality child care, health care, affordable housing, and education for all. It has succeeded in getting other groups to sign on to its program. It has developed a legislative proposal reflecting its positions, sent the proposal to every legislator, and met with a number of them. The Coalition's proposal has helped shape the welfare debate, although no legislator has yet introduced legislation incorporating the proposal.

The Coalition's mobilization efforts have turned out 200 people to attend hearings on welfare. Some 300 people picketed and protested at the State Capitol during a Day of Action on the first day of the legislative session earlier this year. The Coalition used grant money to provide bus transportation and child care to enable low income people to participate. The Welfare Rights Committee has assumed responsibility for facilitating communication about state legislative developments through faxes and telephone alerts.

-- from the February 1997 issue of Welfare News