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Food banks have been facing steep challenges in distributing food to a record number of people who fell into poverty and food insecurity due to the nationwide lockdown.

Affordable housing is an increasingly difficult problem for many Montana communities. With relatively few affordable homes available for households earning a low income, and with much of the existing affordable inventory ageing and in need of rehabilitation, many households earning a low income are being priced out of housing markets. Highly cost-burdened households experience many difficulties with regards to health and well-being outcomes, educational attainment of minors, employment opportunities, etc., while those households priced completely out of the market experience the unending difficulties associated with homelessness. The difficulties of being highly cost-burdened or homeless extend from the individuals directly involved to the communities where they live. This imposes costs on community hospitals, schools, criminal justice efforts, infrastructure upkeep, and many other community institutions. Reducing these costs will be an increasingly pressing problem moving forward.

More than 1.5 million youth in the United States experienced homelessness during the 2017-18 school year. It?s the highest number recorded in over 10 years.

Medicaid expansion has provided nearly $1.4 billion of health care to beneficiaries during its first two and half years.

Montana persistently ranks in the top three states with the most youth who die by suicide ? and their method of choice is overwhelmingly firearms.

Medicaid expansion has a substantial effect on Montana''s economy. Assuming that enrollment plateaus near current levels, Medicaid expansion will introduce approximately $350 million to $400 million of new spending to Montana''s economy each year. This spending ripples through Montana''s economy, generating approximately 5,000 jobs and $270 million in personal income in each year between 2018 and 2020. In addition to generating economic activity, Medicaid expansion appears to improve outcomes for Montanans?reducing crime, improving health, and lowering debt. While the state pays a nominal amount for these benefits, the costs to the state budget are more than offset by the savings created by Medicaid expansion and by the revenues associated with increased economic activity.

Medicaid expansion in Montana generates several thousand additional jobs and several hundred million dollars in additional income. It also pays for itself and grows the economy.

Twenty-five years ago, the Family and Medical Leave Act was passed to help working families, but today the law is no longer adequate.

Buying a house in Montana can be hard. A recent Gallup study found 45 percent of Montanans were dissatisfied with the availability of good affordable housing. Can we make housing affordable in Montana?

In Montana today, 19 percent of children live in poverty, while 28 percent of parents lack secure employment. Affordable housing has become an important topic in cities like Missoula and Bozeman. But the issues surrounding poverty for Montana families have been long-standing, as seen in this excerpt from the Montana Business Quarterly in 1965.

During the past few years, Montana families and children have experienced a range of positive developments, but these improvements have not changed existing disparity gaps. Montana ranks 24th out of 50 states in child well-being.

An Annie E. Casey Foundation report released today explains that the state should invest more in children''s early years, and high-quality preschool is vital.

While women now participate equally in the wage economy and earn a majority of all bachelor''s degrees, this has not led to financial equality. Women do not share equally in the economic well-being of the state.

How rich or poor are Americans? Where do they work, and what training do they have for their jobs? What languages do they speak? The American Community Survey is an ongoing survey that provides answers to questions like these and gives communities the current information they need to plan investments and services.

An increasing number of people in Montana are living on the financial edge, where even a small change in a family situation can cause an immediate plunge into poverty. Food insecurity and hunger issues affect many Montana families.

A fact sheet outlining key indicators of the well being of Montana's children, including data on birth rates, death rates, children in poverty and other important indicators.

Health care spending the in the United Sates continues to have a major impact on the national economy. Even with the increase in spending, 18 percent of Americans under age 65 do not have any health insurance. The lack of federal level reform has lead many states to enact changes to control the level of spending. Montana has made several incremental changes to address the rate of uninsured in the state. However, despite Montana's strong economic growth, the prospect of improvement in the state's uninsured rate is not strong.