Volume 31
Issue
I

Letter from the Editors

by Sierra Campbell and Ruby Grace
Now entering its 31st volume, the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy has been the leading journal bringing solutions to systemic and deeply entrenched issues relating to poverty law. We remain committed to fighting the legal, economic, and social structures that perpetuate racial and socioeconomic inequalities. Through our print publications, we strive to highlight […]

A Systemic Reimagining of Poverty Law

by Victoria M. Esposito
A multitude of legal and administrative systems in America combine to regulate low-income people and to create and perpetuate poverty. Despite this, a literature review shows that poverty law scholarship has not analyzed how these systems interlock with each other and considered their cumulative effects on this population. The earliest poverty law scholarship, as exemplified […]

Unequal Homes, Unequal Health: Applying the Loss of Chance Doctrine to Landlord-Tenant Cases

by Delaram Takyar
Low-income families and families of color in the U.S. are disproportionately likely to live in homes that are negligently maintained by landlords, with significant implications for their physical health. Despite suffering harm, tenants often cannot seek legal relief without ruling out all possible alternate causes of their injuries. For example, if a tenant develops asthma […]

Medical-Legal Partnerships as Tools to Reduce Child Welfare Contact: Shifting Health Care Providers from Sites of Surveillance to Sites of Support

by Sierra Campbell
The child welfare system can have devastating short- and long-term impacts on children and families. Families experiencing poverty should be met with support rather than pushed into this potentially harmful system. Yet, when families with low incomes and Black families come into contact with health care providers, they are disproportionately funneled into the child welfare […]

A Review of ARPA: How Some States Are Using the Funds for Political Goals, And Ways to Prevent this Misuse in the Future

by Karina Pereira
Access to affordable housing in the United States is a significant and growing challenge, exacerbated by recent economic trends and the COVID-19 pandemic. Issues like supply chain disruptions and rising interest rates have worsened the shortage of affordable housing for both renters and homeowners. This crisis disproportionately affects low-income individuals and communities of color, who […]

Heroes Abroad, Forgotten at Home: The Case for Reparation for Black WWII Veterans

by Micah Poulson
Over one million Black Americans served during World War II. Black soldiers earned acclaim and awards in the air as the Tuskegee Airmen, on the ground as 761st Tanker Battalion, and at sea as Sailor Doris Miller. Despite their extraordinary sacrifices, most Black WWII veterans never received their GI Bill benefits. Although the GI Bill […]

The American Rescue Plan as a Guide for Helping Mothers Permanently Secure Accessible, High- Quality Childcare and Out-of-School Time Care

by Lauren Smith
COVID-19 caused a perfect storm that showcased the indispensability of childcare to the overall well-being of children, families, and communities while simultaneously illuminating the many gaps and shortcomings rife within the American childcare system. The virus only exacerbated the accessibility and affordability challenges faced by families seeking high-quality childcare. This Note evaluates the necessity of […]