Families Are The First Safety Net

One of the core beliefs of our campaign is that families are the foundation of our city and state. These families can take on many forms: one parent, two parents, grandparents, or foster parents. They can be made up of one mom, two moms, a mom & dad, or parents that don’t identify as either. The point is that we need to do a better job in Illinois in supporting all families. Strong families are the bedrock that stabilizes us in unsettling times. We turn to our families when we face seemingly insurmountable challenges in our lives. Families are the first safety net that catches us when we fall. 

Admittedly, about a quarter of Americans are estranged from their families and do not have this first safety net, but three quarters of us thankfully do. I also understand if you are reading this and asking how strengthening families benefits you directly. I would argue that fighting for people and causes that don’t benefit you directly is one the core principles that makes us all Democrats. Fighting for causes such as expanded health care, more affordable housing, and jobs that pay people fairly are extremely family friendly ideas and we should feel comfortable in presenting them as such. Families also act as multipliers, increasing the benefits of such progressive programs.  

“We should be strengthening families not as an alternative to the government safety net but to prevent as many people as possible from falling into that net.”

We can create stronger families by creating more affordable housing. The State of Illinois should be providing more funds to help cities build more 100% affordable housing units. We can create stronger families by making sure they have access to good schools in the neighborhood where they live. We can create stronger families by helping them with the staggering costs of daycare and eldercare. And we can create stronger families by making sure they have safe neighborhoods to live in. These are not radical ideas. These are ideas based on the American values of fairness and opportunity. 

Building stronger families will create a multitude of cascading benefits across our city and state but this is not to say that families should be the only safety net. We need to keep expanding state and federally funded health care, housing, and employment opportunities. We should be strengthening families not as an alternative to the government safety net but to prevent as many people as possible from falling into that net. 

Let’s remind ourselves that the term “safety net” itself is a metaphor, referring to the net that will catch a circus performer when they fall. We use it so frequently to refer to government that we forget this connection. Let’s expand on the metaphor, and recognize that high-wire circus performers are never up there performing alone. There are other people up there with them and many times those other people up there are literally their family members, The Flying Wallendas being one of the most notable high-wire act families.

These families depend on the shared strength of each other to survive. A trapeze performer builds up momentum, lets go of the trapeze, and flies through the air depending on another family member to catch them. If that family member does not have the strength to catch them then they will fall into the safety net below. If that family member is strong enough, if the family is strong enough, then they will make it to safety. 

If we can strengthen families through better access to affordable housing, affordable childcare, better schools, and safer neighborhoods they will have the strength needed to catch each other when they fall. This will create better outcomes for all of us and put less stress on that final safety net that lies below. 

G.