Lily
Roberts
Managing Director
Poverty to Prosperity
We work to develop, protect, and expand vital policies that alleviate hardship and ensure economic stability for people nationwide.
What We're Doing
Ensure an equitable recovery from COVID-19
The best opportunity we have to break the cycle of poverty is to make sure no one gets left behind now. To avoid a repeat of the slow recovery seen after the Great Recession, we are building support for race-conscious investments and policies that center those most affected by the pandemic.
Modernize and repair the safety net
The safety net underpins our economy, but it must provide sufficient and accessible support. We are working on ideas to address harsh restrictions in cash assistance programs while building pathways to broader access to housing, food, and other crucial supports at the state and federal level.
Reduce child poverty
The expanded child tax credit has already seen great success in reducing hardship among families with children in 2021, but we will fight to make it permanent alongside other policies to support families and children.
Featured Experts
Lily
Arohi
Pathak
Director, Policy
Christine
Sloane
Director, Anti-Poverty Advocacy
Justin
Schweitzer
Policy Analyst
Areeba
Haider
Research Associate
Nicole Lee
Ndumele
Senior Vice President, Rights and Justice
Rasheed
Malik
Director, Early Childhood Policy
Featured
How Weak Safety Net Policies Exacerbate Regional and Racial Inequality
Report
![]()
How Weak Safety Net Policies Exacerbate Regional and Racial Inequality
While all low-income individuals and families, particularly those of color, struggle to avoid falling into poverty, some receive less support solely because of where they live.
5 Details About the Largest Increase to SNAP Benefits in the Program’s History
Article
![A volunteer helps to bag food boxes at a pop-up food pantry in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on April 14, 2020. (Getty/The Boston Globe/Erin Clark)]()
5 Details About the Largest Increase to SNAP Benefits in the Program’s History
Using Holistic, Multigenerational Strategies To Alleviate Poverty
Report
![(A young child pours breakfast cereal with the help of his grandmother in Burlington, Vermont, December 2015.)]()
Using Holistic, Multigenerational Strategies To Alleviate Poverty
Recent work
2021 Was a Year of Bold Economic Policy That Must Be Extended
Report
![A gold balloon with anti-eviction message]()
2021 Was a Year of Bold Economic Policy That Must Be Extended
Alleviating Food Insecurity in the Disabled Community
Report
![A high school girl wearing scrubs, a face mask, and latex gloves hands a bag of food to an elderly senior sitting on her porch.]()
Alleviating Food Insecurity in the Disabled Community
The Senate Must Act Now and Pass the Build Back Better Act Before the Expanded Child Tax Credit Expires
Article
![A partial lunar eclipse behind the dome of the Capitol building]()
The Senate Must Act Now and Pass the Build Back Better Act Before the Expanded Child Tax Credit Expires
It’s a Good Jobs Shortage: The Real Reason So Many Workers Are Quitting
Article
![A man walks by a]()
It’s a Good Jobs Shortage: The Real Reason So Many Workers Are Quitting
Partners & Coalitions
CAP’s Poverty to Prosperity team works with nonpartisan organizations and coalitions throughout the poverty policy space by coordinating research and advocacy efforts to sway public opinion and influence legislation that would help those in need. Some of the team’s closest partners are listed below.
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
CLASP focuses on economic security as a whole and dismantling barriers caused by systemic racism.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)
In addition to its expertise on how budget and tax issues affect low-income populations, CBPP also focuses on safety net programs and poverty trends.
Children’s Defense Fund (CDF)
CDF seeks to set every child up for success by working to end child poverty and ensure access to health care, a quality education, and a safe environment.
Coalition on Human Needs (CHN)
CHN is an alliance of civil rights, labor, faith, and human needs-focused groups that promote policies addressing vulnerable, low-income, and poor populations.
Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
FRAC is a leading voice on the national level in the fight against poverty-related hunger and undernutrition in the United States.
Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality (GCPI)
As a prominent part of Georgetown Law, GCPI works with poverty experts to develop policies that alleviate hardship and advance racial and gender equity.
Groundwork Collaborative
The Groundwork Collaborative works to create an economy of shared prosperity and opportunity for all, instead of just the wealthy few.
National Employment Law Project (NELP)
NELP develops and fights for policies that create quality jobs, expand access to work, and support low-wage and unemployed workers.
National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)
NLIHC is dedicated to ensuring low-income renters have accessible, safe, and affordable homes.
ProsperUS
ProsperUS is a coalition united by the belief that the government must prioritize public investments and policies that meet people's needs.
Latest
Supplemental Security Income: An Essential Program for Disabled Americans
Testimony
![]()
Supplemental Security Income: An Essential Program for Disabled Americans
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a vital anti-poverty program for disabled people, and Congress has the monumental opportunity to raise benefits and fix harmful archaic rules.
Moving America’s Families Forward: Lessons Learned from Other Countries
Testimony
![]()
Moving America’s Families Forward: Lessons Learned from Other Countries
Melissa Boteach, Vice President of the Poverty to Prosperity Program, testified before the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Resources, November 17, 2015.
Social Security Disability Insurance: A Bedrock of Security for American Workers
Testimony
![]()
Social Security Disability Insurance: A Bedrock of Security for American Workers
Rebecca D. Vallas, Director of Policy, Poverty to Prosperity Program, testified before the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee.
Investing in Millennials Through an Economy that Works for All
Testimony
![]()
Investing in Millennials Through an Economy that Works for All
Rebecca D. Vallas, Director of Policy, Poverty to Prosperity Program, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget.