Rural Family Economic Success Action Network
Helping low-income rural families earn more, keep more of what they earn, and grow what they keep into assets.
Over the past 10 years, the national obesity rate has increased – from less than 15 percent in 1990 to over 30 percent in 2010. So has the dialogue about what to do about it. While a groundswell of inspiring media stories feature communities taking on obesity through farmers markets and walking trails, few stories […]
At the RuFES Action Network, we are always looking for creative and practical ideas to help families Earn it, Keep it and Grow it. One of our Framework’s 28 family-focused goals, Keep It Goal 8, motivates us to find ways to ensure that, “families have ready access to affordable basic goods and services,” including health care. Almost always, affordable health care starts with […]
Families need to save if they are to get ahead. But it’s hard to get started. Saving just a little regularly is the best way to go. That helps families establish a financial cushion, the first Grow It goal of the RuFES Action Framework. Every year, free tax prep sites look for ideas to encourage low-income families to save […]
A virtual peer learning series for rural practitioners – The RuFES Action Network recognizes that there are some opportunities where a little help from your friends can make a big difference. Integrating affordable health insurance enrollment into tax prep programs is one of those opportunities. This year only, health insurance enrollment under the Affordable Care Act will overlap with […]
With its beaches, forests, farms, and bucolic villages, Orcas Island – a rural island of 5,000 residents off the coast of northwest Washington State – has long drawn honeymooning, whale-watching, kayaking tourists and, increasingly, tech-exec millionaires building luxury homes. But as the “hidden Paradise” reputation of Orcas grew with vacationers and second home-owners, soaring land […]
Every autumn, RuFES Network members start gearing up their free tax assistance promotional campaigns and programs. Their aim? Help low-income rural families file their taxes and obtain the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credits (CTC) for which they qualify. This tax season, you can make even more difference at tax time – by helping low-income […]
Ensuring Rural Family Health Insurance — As anyone with an ear on the news knows, the new health insurance marketplaces launched October 1. These state-based online health insurance marketplaces, a key feature of the 2010 Affordable Care Act [ACA], offer a singular opportunity for RuFES network members: You can now apply your place-based, RuFES-honed wisdom […]
MAINE — In the dog days of summer, it’s hard to think about winter, let alone sky-high home heating costs. But low-income rural families in southwest Maine can’t start saving early enough in their Rainy Day Savings Account – a matched savings account that they can use to save up for emergency expenses like an unaffordable […]
In today’s uncertain and competitive economy, a college degree is increasingly considered a must-have to get a decent-paying job. Rural residents are less likely than city dwellers to have a college degree. And this is especially true for residents of chronically poor rural communities, a study by the Carsey Institute at the University of New […]
Owning a safe, reliable, efficient and affordable car can help a low-income rural family move from surviving to thriving. Research by the Carsey Institute shows that a good car not only increases a family’s access to jobs, health care, and nutritious food, it can also reduce household expenses and improve a family’s financial outlook. But […]
Rural Family Economic Success Action Network 