Advocacy

The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative has developed a list of policy priorities with actions aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty.

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Creating systemic change.

The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative has developed a list of policy priorities with actions aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty. 

These policy priorities were developed by RMAPI’s Policy Working Group after several months of meeting with local experts, community and government leaders, and representatives from non-profit agencies to determine which actions would be the most effective and the most needed to address poverty.

Systemic change video

No Turning Back: AntI-Poverty Advocacy day 2026

A delegation of statewide RMAPI partners traveled to Albany on March 4, 2026, to meet with lawmakers. Our goal was to build momentum for RMAPI’s Policy Agenda priorities and garner support to enable upward mobility across New York State. We also built relationships with key legislators and committees.

Check out the recap of our day, and stay tuned for opportunities to join us at our next Advocacy Day on February 22, 2027.

The policy priorities for 2026 include:

Opportunity-Rich Neighborhoods

  1. Preserve existing and create new
    permanently affordable housing
    options

 
Community Impact Assessment Form

Since taking office, President Trump has issued several controversial executive orders and actions that may have wide-ranging implications for individuals and our greater community. These decisions could influence significant federal funding, longstanding programs, and key initiatives.

If you or your organization have been or anticipate being directly affected, please use this form to share details with the office of U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle on how these changes impact you.

Click here to learn more and share your information.

For more information, click here. 

Tell Congress to increase funding for housing, homelessness, and community development
Contact your members of Congress and urge them to provide increased funding in FY27 for the programs people rely on for safe, affordable homes! 
2 Ways to Take Action:
  1. Call and email your members of Congress using this form. Click here to find local data for your state to include in the email.
  2. Add your organization to a national letter urging Congress to increase funding for housing, homelessness, and community development programs in FY27.

Quality Health & Social Care

  1. Enable universal child care to meet the
    needs of all families.

  2. Ensure equitable access to high-quality healthcare and expand peer and community supports

  3. Strengthen the local food system and secure uninterrupted access to healthy,
    affordable food options
 
Child Care Workers and CCAP Can’t Be Left Out of the Final Budget

We’re in the final stretch of New York’s state budget negotiations, and decisions are being made right now about what will be included in the enacted budget. Nearly 20,000 children are on the child care waitlist statewide, while child care programs struggle to stay open and families are left without options. It’s time to make meaningful investments in the Child Care Assistance Program and the childcare workforce so we can truly enable universal childcare.

Click here to take action.

Tell Governor Hochul & State Lawmakers—Fully Fund Hunger Relief Programs, HPNAP and Nourish New York!

The Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program provides essential funding for food banks, pantries, shelters, and community organizations to purchase and distribute nutritious, cost-effective food to their communities. The program also covers operational costs, ensuring that service providers have the necessary capacity and infrastructure to effectively distribute food within communities.

Nourish New York provides funding that allows emergency food providers to distribute healthy, fresh produce and dairy out to communities, doing so through direct purchases to over 4,000 New York-based farmers, producers, and food vendors. The program is a direct investment in New York agriculture, provides opportunities to get culturally relevant foods out to communities, and has served as a national model for statewide agriculture support programs. 

Click here to take action.

 
Tell DC: The Time is Now to Protect Head Start Funding!
President Trump’s administration has released its fiscal year 2027 (FY27) budget proposal, outlining federal funding priorities for the year ahead. The proposal maintains current funding levels for Head Start, continuing existing support for the program that serves children and families in every congressional district nationwide.Unfortunately, while the proposed funding level maintains continuity with FY26 funding for Head Start, it does not include an increase to account for rising operational costs, including workforce, facilities, and services.
 
Click here to urge your member of Congress to protect Head Start.
 
Let’s gain momentum with Daniel’s Law.

Urge your state representatives to vote this critical legislation favorably out of committee, with appropriate funding, so we can get it passed!

Our mental health crisis response system is broken. Having a mental health emergency is not a crime and should not be treated like one. Fill out this form as a constituent in New York to contact your representatives about this important issue.

https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=19373

Let your elected officials know Medicaid matters.

Send a message to your member of Congress and our U.S. Senators to remind them that Medicaid matters to New Yorkers!

Medicaid Matters New York Action Alert to Protect Medicaid

 

Moms, We Need You: Help Pass Baby Bucks!

Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblywoman Sarah Clark are fighting for a game-changing bill called Baby Bucks (S2132/A1597), and it could make a life-changing difference for families across our state. Baby Bucks would provide direct monthly cash support to 15,000 low-income moms and their babies, starting in the third trimester through the first 18 months of life. That’s real help when it matters most.

Click here to learn more.

Action Needed: Tell Congress to Oppose Any Cut to School Meals
Click here to ask your members of Congress to protect school meals and oppose any cuts that reduce funding and limit access to school meals.
New York can end Child Poverty!

We’re halfway there! New York has made a promise to cut child poverty by 50% by 2031. Learn more by clicking here. 

Help us make a difference by contacting Governor Hochul and your NYS legislators today!
 

Click here for more information.

Expand the Child Tax Credit NOW!

Tell your Senator to get the job done NOW and act quickly to pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act.

Community Change Action

Rewarding Work & Financial Security

  1. Raise the New York State Minimum
    Wage to a living wage standard
Sign the Petition to support the End Predatory Court Fees Act 
If you are one of millions of New Yorkers living paycheck-to-paycheck, paying off just one traffic ticket and its associated court fees can mean missing rent, going without food, and losing healthcare. Those who can’t afford to pay these fines and fees live with the constant fear of being arrested and jailed.
 

Your signature has the power to help us end the criminalization of poverty. Please add your name to the petition to show your support for ending predatory court fees.

Click here for more information.

Equitable & Responsive Government

  1. Advance policies that eliminate the
    criminalization of poverty and end racial
    inequities

  2. Meet people’s basic needs by
    streamlining, broadening, and protecting
    access to public benefits
Stop the Stops!
The Safe and Fair Traffic Enforcement Act (A6631/S9840) targets racial disparities in low-level traffic stops while protecting motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. It would bar stops for minor non-safety violations, certain warrants, and stops based solely on race or other minor infractions. The bill also strengthens transparency by requiring body cameras, informing people of their rights during searches, and collecting public data on stops.
 
If you’ve been unfairly stopped by policy while driving, biking, or walking, we want to hear your story.
 
 
 
Join Pretext Stops Lobby Day in Albany
Travel to Albany on May 11. More information and registration can be found by clicking here.
 
Support #CommunitiesNotCages
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Track RMAPI's 2026 Policy Priorities in the N.Y. State Legislature - Coming Soon

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Hope For The Future RMAPI
RMAPI: Poverty In Rochester
RMAPI: Income Inequalities
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