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Connections

Can new statewide recommendations cut child poverty by 50% in 10 years?

Four people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at left in foreground has long blonde hair and is wearing a black and white plaid blazer with bright pink pants; a man at left in background has short brown hair, a brown beard and is wearing a blue and white button-down shirt; a bald man at right in background is wearing a blue vest with a green shirt; a man at right in foreground has short dark hair and is wearing a grey sweater, jeans and hiking boots.
Gary Pudup
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Barbara C. Guinn, (background) Pete Nabozny and Jason DeLooze on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, February 20, 2025
A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.
WXXI News

According to data from the 2022 census, more than one in five New Yorkers under the age of 18 are living in poverty. New York State's child poverty rate is the fourth highest in the U.S.

What would it take to change that? The Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council has been charged with creating a plan to cut child poverty by 50% in New York within 10 years. One of its members is Pete Nabozny of the Rochester-based nonprofit, The Children's Agenda.

Late last year, the council issued a number of recommendations. From child tax credits to baby benefits to housing vouchers, our guests discuss a number of the recommendations and how Governor Kathy Hochul's budget may affect them.

In studio:

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.