Lawrence – Week of July 6 2025
Guaranteed Income Program; Child-Care Crisis; Renter Cost-Burden; Poverty Rate Reduction; Bert Nash Oversight?
Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Proposed for Douglas County
Dual Crisis of Child-Care Cost and Low Wages Highlighted
Data Reveals Severe Renter Cost-Burden Across County
County Aims to Cut Poverty Rate for Single-Mother Households
Citizen Demands County Oversight of Bert Nash Amid Financial Crisis
1. Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Proposed for Douglas County
As part of a sweeping anti-poverty initiative, community partners presented a plan to the Douglas County Commission to launch a guaranteed income pilot program by 2027. The program would provide direct, regular cash payments to a target group of low-income women with children or who are expecting a child. Presenters noted that the community has already taken preliminary steps, including hosting “data walks” this past winter to educate the public on the concept and participating in a national program sprint to learn from other cities’ successes. The proposal is a central strategy in the county’s broader goal of improving economic mobility for families.
2. Dual Crisis of Child-Care Cost and Low Wages Highlighted
Presenters at the Douglas County Commission meeting outlined a two-pronged crisis impacting local families: the high cost of child-care and the low wages paid to child-care professionals. The commission heard that infant care can cost a family nearly $1,200 a month, while the median annual wage for a child-care worker is just $26,000. To address this, partners in the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) proposed creating a community-wide child-care scholarship fund and developing programs to help providers raise wages to a livable level of $20 or more per hour. Marie Taylor of Positive Bright Start offered her organization’s resources to administer a larger scholarship fund at no additional cost to the community.
3. Data Reveals Severe Renter Cost-Burden Across County
Data presented to the Douglas County Commission revealed a stark picture of housing unaffordability, with a high percentage of renters being “cost-burdened” in every major city in the county. According to the report, 52 % of all renters in both Lawrence and Baldwin City are cost-burdened, meaning a high portion of their income goes to housing costs. The situation is also critical in other communities, with 44 % of renters in Eudora and 38 % in Lecompton facing similar financial strain. The statistics underscore the widespread nature of the housing crisis and prompted a commissioner to inquire about specific housing strategies to address the pressure on local households.
4. County Aims to Cut Poverty Rate for Single-Mother Households
The Douglas County Commission reviewed a primary objective of its new Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP): to reduce the percentage of single female-headed households living below the ALICE threshold from 64 % to 50 % by the year 2029. ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, represents families who earn more than the federal poverty level but not enough to afford basic necessities. Data showed that the annual income needed for a single adult with two young children to meet the “survival budget” in Douglas County is over $69,000—far more than the median income for that demographic, which stands at $45,425. The ambitious 14-point reduction goal drives targeted initiatives like the proposed guaranteed-income pilot and expanded child-care support.
5. Citizen Demands County Oversight of Bert Nash Amid Financial Crisis
During public comment, a Lawrence resident called for Douglas County to assume control over a contract with an advisory firm hired to stabilize the finances of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. Citing the recent resignations of the center’s CEO, CFO, and Director of Finance, he pointed to a reported annual loss of $2.1 million and a cash reserve sufficient for only two-and-a-half days of operations as evidence of “systematic failures in internal controls, oversight, and accountability.” He argued that since the county would pay for the advisory contract, it should be the agency responsible for ensuring the firm delivers transparent and actionable recommendations, stating, “oftentimes the best way to solve problems is not to ask the people involved in the problems to solve the problems.”
Sponsors (click me!)
SUBSCRIBE TO GET THE CITIZEN JOURNAL IN YOUR INBOX - FREE!
Sources
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT2vLuIzUng
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT2vLuIzUng
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT2vLuIzUng
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT2vLuIzUng
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT2vLuIzUng
GET THE CITIZEN JOURNAL APP - FREE!
Contact: greg@loql.ai
