Income:

 Facilitator: Sarah Standiford

•  What are the most significant barriers that prevent families from reaching an adequate income in Maine?  What is an adequate income?

•  Many low income people in Maine are working.  Why are they poor?

•  Is there an adequate safety net for those struggling in Maine?  What is adequate?

•  How high is the cost of poverty to all of Maine's people?

•  Why does poverty matter to all of us?

Affordable Housing:

 Facilitator: Nicole Witherbee

•  What are the housing issues for specific populations that need to be addressed to help end poverty in Maine?  (Elderly, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, those who are homeless, etc.)

•  Why should businesses be concerned about public policies that help ensure Maine has an adequate supply of affordable housing for all of our residents?

•  When we think about public policy actions, what are the linkages between affordable housing and the issue areas being discussed in the other workshops today (education, health care, and poverty) and in what capacity can the legislature become more involved in housing because of these links.

•  What policy initiatives are currently underway in the area of affordable housing and how can we help move them and other good ideas forward?

Education:

Facilitator: Lisa Pohlmann

•  What are the education issues for specific populations that need to be addressed to help end poverty in Maine, such as  adults and children in families with low incomes, those who are elderly, have disabilities, or are ethnic minorities?

•  Why should businesses care about improving educational opportunity for low-income people? What are they/should they be doing about it?

•  When we think about policy action, how can we make linkages between education and other issues being discussed today (income, housing, health care, etc.)?

•  What policy initiatives are underway in the area of education and how can we help move them and other good ideas forward?

Health Care:

Facilitator: Sarah Gagne Holmes