Communities of concentrated poverty in rural, urban and suburban areas are increasingly isolated from jobs in more affluent, job-rich areas within a metropolitan or rural region. Without public transit-access-to-jobs people cannot get to work, despite their desire to do so!

In Indiana, the Interfaith Federation waged a powerful campaign to win commitments from the Metropolitan Planning Organization to site a major commuter rail project through the populated areas of Lake County, to improve access to jobs for the majority of residents, instead of building a train to sprawl land benefiting only a few people.

In Michigan, MOSES mobilized thousands of people to win $60,000,000 in increased state funding for public transportation despite opposition of the road builders’ lobby who said any added funding for public transit is "highway robbery.

In Chicago, the Metropolitan Alliance of Congregations, secured commitments from the MPO and Pace Bus Company to build a new bus line for 2^nd shift and weekend workers to get to work.

In Denver Col., People United (PUF) won use of TANF (Welfare Reform) dollars for bus passes to work, auto insurance, and even funding toward the purchase of autos for travel to work.

Federal Campaign—1998 the Transportation Equity Network, with tremendous support from Congressman Danny K. Davis (7^th Dist, Illinois) won $150,000,000/yr for six years for projects that improve transportation access to jobs for low-income workers.

Opportunity Housing is: housing in a community with an increasing job base--a developing (gentrifying) city neighborhood.

Opportunity Housing is: housing in a job-rich suburban community.

Opportunity Housing is not: Housing limited to areas with few job opportunities, in city neighborhoods or suburban communities of concentrated poverty, with high rates of unemployment. Community development efforts to improve housing in poor communities, as well as efforts to improve schools and services in every community, must be encouraged.

In addition, increased options are needed for families seeking a better life for their families and choosing to live closer to jobs in city or suburban communities.

City/County Campaign: PUF organization in Denver Col won Section 8 Preservation Ordinance: Landlords in Denver must give the city option to buy out their property when they go off section 8 program, in order to maintain opportunity housing for low income residents in gentrifying neighborhood

State Campaign: ISAIAH of Minnesota is waging a powerful campaign for Inclusionary Housing Legislation in the state of Minnesota, to expand housing options for low and moderate-income people in job-rich neighborhoods.

In Wisconsin, HOSEA/WISDOM is waging campaign to force a welfare contractor, Maximus, to increase enrollment and to challenge state of Wisconsin to terminate Maximus. HOSEA met with Governor Thompson and secured commitments to advance a state policy to invest more resources in enrollment.

Existing drug treatment programs are clearly inadequate to meet the need for People suffering from drug addiction find it difficult or impossible to secure and maintain AODA in poor communities. are addicted to drugs.

In Milwaukee MICAH/WISDOM won $10,000,000 in TANF (Welfare Reform) funds from the state legislature for AODA (drug treatment) in Wisconsin.

Areas of isolated concentrated poverty suffer from a lack of job opportunities.  Because the welfare law requires welfare recipients to work, workfare abuses have too often been part of so called jobs programs. In communities where there are simply no jobs, cities and states should publicly funded jobs with training opportunities

The Philadelphia Employment Project (PUP) has waged a powerful campaign to win 3,000 public jobs in city and 15,000 in the state of Pennsylvania. The total of 18,000 is by far the best in the nation.