Expanding the Envelope of Anti-Poverty Initiatives: State Innovations and Innovators

Featured Report From Poverty: Opportunity Introduction: Bruce Katz Vice President and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program, Brookings Speakers: Diana L. Taylor Superintendent of Banks, New York State Banking Department The Honorable Dwight Evans Pennsylvania House of Representatives Mike Kreidler Insurance Commissioner, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner event registration Contact: Brookings Office of Communications Phone: 202/797-6105

Public and private leaders have a substantial, and widely overlooked, opportunity today to help lower income families get ahead by bringing down the prices they pay for basic necessities. The numbers should speak for themselves: 4.2 million lower income homeowners pay higher than average prices for their mortgages, 4.5 million lower income households pay higher than average prices for auto loans, and at least 1.6 million lower income adults pay too much for furniture, appliances, and electronics. Combined, these extreme prices add up to hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars spent needlessly every year.