Poverty is one of the most persistent challenges in our society, and addressing it is both urgent and complex. Its root causes are woven into nearly every aspect of American life – housing, education, healthcare, public safety, transportation, food access and more. Many families navigating these challenges have faced a long history of inadequate social support systems. And it’s our children who often suffer the most.
There are 1.3M children living in poverty in the United States today, and roughly 150,000 in Maryland. For too long, concentrated childhood poverty has existed in neighborhoods across the state, denying many children the ability to reach their full potential. But every child deserves more than just a chance to survive – they deserve the opportunity to thrive.
As Marylanders, we have a shared responsibility to ensure fairness across neighborhoods, because your zip code should not determine your outcome in life. And when every community thrives, Maryland wins with a healthier economy, a stronger tax base and less strain on public service programs.
“There's a measure of intentionality that drives concentrated poverty – so there needs to be a measure of intentionality in how we're going to address it.”
Governor Wes Moore
In 2024, the Moore-Miller Administration spearheaded the passage of the Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments, and Households (ENOUGH) Act, a law intended to tackle the root causes of poverty in Maryland by addressing inequities and working with impacted communities to develop local solutions. This first-in-the-nation, community-driven effort to reduce the number of children living in concentrated poverty has an initial commitment of more than $100 million for four years from state, philanthropic, and private partners.
Today, Maryland’s ENOUGH Initiative, administered by the Governor’s Office for Children (GOC), is supporting 27 community-led organizations across 12 counties, representing rural, suburban and urban areas in the state that have been historically impacted by barriers to economic mobility. Through the use of data, residents’ lived experiences, and cross-sector collaboration, this pioneering grant initiative aims to improve access to four key pillars of development for young people – quality healthcare, safer communities, good schools and good jobs – so that more children and families can prosper. The Initiative also provides support to Local Management Boards, which bring together local service providers across education, health, child welfare, housing and community safety, to build the capacity of community-based organizations to tackle child poverty in every jurisdiction in Maryland.
Join our movement to end childhood poverty in Maryland. We Are ENOUGH.
“This is an opportunity to leverage additional sources of capital. This legislation will channel private, philanthropic, and state resources to communities with the highest rates of generational poverty.”
Governor Wes Moore
