Our Mission and Goals
Raising awareness of the senior poverty issue
Unless the problem of senior poverty begins to become part of the national
conversation, it cannot be solved.
A few key voices are needed to be articulate enough, and yes, loud enough, to gain traction and make the scope and urgency of the issue real.
We believe shouting from the rooftops is a vital part of the solution.
How do we plan to do this? Both by telling the stories of people over 50 who are in serious financial peril, or on the verge of it, and by getting the media, business and government leaders to understand that the size of this problem is far too big and too serious to continue to ignore.
We will take the issue of senior poverty to the halls of Congress, state legislatures, and town halls, board rooms of high tech companies, financial institutions and small businesses. the newsrooms of media organizations large and small, and to academic leaders who can make a difference.
Raising awareness, becoming part of the national conversation, is the first crucial step.
Forging partnerships with leaders in business, media, government and academia
By identifying and bringing together leaders who understand the problem and will pledge to commit energy, time and resources to helping solve it, we firmly believe huge strides can be made toward ending senior poverty.
Through heightened awareness, we believe leaders in these and other arenas will come to understand not only the magnitude of the problem, but the value that the millions of people over 50 offer to the economy and society in general, and will begin to move on their own toward our third goal.
Creating programmatic solutions
After raising awareness of the issue and forging partnerships with leaders in business, media, government and academia, meaningful programs can be created to help lift seniors out of poverty.
These programs can be created locally and nationally, within companies, schools and government at all levels to recognize the value seniors bring to the community and workplace.
SPPP will ask key business leaders to commit to creating training programs for older workers, and hiring workers over 50 – particularly in the high-tech industry and other fields that have crowded out older workers. We will ask media organizations to commit to doing at least one story a month about senior poverty and the people affected by it.
And we will continue to keep the issue of senior poverty in the national conversation, because we also know that the next generation is not preparing as well as it should to avoid the pitfalls that have led the millions of those over 50 into their current financial difficulties.