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Sep 24, 2020

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Meet Tony Messenger: Pulitzer Prize winner gives those who are struggling a voice

by | Sep 24, 2020

Development and Promotion, Equity work

Tony Messenger will give a keynote speech and answer questions at CCLP’s Communities Against Poverty virtual event, Nov. 19-21. Visit our event landing page to register or sponsor this informative community celebration of our work.

As one of the few commentators in the country who focuses on racial, social and criminal justice issues, perhaps Tony Messenger should be placed on some kind of “endangered species” list.

The metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Messenger’s honest, straight-forward and often powerful work often uncovers the negative effect that public policy and corruption has on Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens. Messenger and his newspaper colleagues were acclaimed for their coverage of racial unrest in Ferguson in 2014, which he says helped him uncover other flaws in the criminal justice system that essentially punishes people for being poor while often violating their civil rights. The subjects of Messenger’s columns openly recount their experiences firsthand with no filter, revealing tales fraught with systemic racism, drug addiction and brushes with the criminal justice system.

“When people are honest with their failings, most people are willing to understand,” he says. “As tough as times are now, I still believe in the fundamental goodness of people. If you let people tell stories in a way that lets other people identify with them, their eyes are open to seeing the bigger picture.”

Well-known in Missouri, Messenger’s body of work has garnered greater national attention in recent years. In 2019, the Pulitzer Prize Board recognized Messenger’s persistent reporting in a series of columns about debtors’ prisons in Missouri by honoring him with the prestigious and coveted Pulitzer Prize in Commentary.

Drawing inspiration from individuals who were abused by the judicial system, Messenger’s bold columns “exposed the malfeasance and injustice of forcing poor rural Missourians charged with misdemeanor crimes to pay unaffordable fines or be sent to jail,” the Pulitzer committee wrote. The series resulted in reforms and legislation in Missouri intended to correct injustices that too many Missourians have suffered.

From Littleton to Ferguson
A native of Littleton, Messenger lived in Colorado for about half of his life before settling to Missouri. He graduated from J.K. Mullen High School and attended Loyola University Chicago where he became sports editor for his college paper (but did not graduate). Having kick-started his journalism career, he then worked as a reporter, editor and publisher in small newspapers in Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona and Missouri.

Over the years, he gravitated to opinion journalism, eventually landing a job at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. There, he covered state politics and wrote a political column. Later, he was promoted as the editorial page editor where he was working in 2014, when Michael Brown — an unarmed Black teenager — was shot and killed in Ferguson, setting off a wave of unrest from protestors.

“Ferguson changed me,” Messenger says. “The stuff we were writing as it relates to police brutality and the criminal justice system is how I first became aware of this idea of the courts using fees to nickel and dime people to death… It has sort of become my life’s work at this point. I continued to expand the repertoire whenever I tackle a new issue. These are the people who deserve to have a voice, and if you are not going to write about them, then what’s the purpose?”

As the uprising in Ferguson reverberated, episodes of police violence against Black citizens continued to make headlines around the country from the killing of Elijah McClain of Aurora in 2019, to the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor of Louisville in March of this year to the horrible death of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer in Minneapolis in May. While such tragic and unfortunate episodes resulted in the avoidable loss of lives, they’ve also elevated the issue of systemic racism, got the issue of racism into the board rooms across America and changed the nature of the discussion.

“What’s happened in the past six months with Black Lives Matter becoming mainstream is because of the combination of that awful video of George Floyd and so many athletes deciding they were going to make it personal and they weren’t going to let it go,” Messenger says, alluding to peaceful protests from NBA and NFL players. “At the very least, it’s opened people’s eyes to something they weren’t aware of. Once people start thinking about these incidents in a different way, then we start to get closer to change. We’re still nowhere near where we need to be because of overall change. The powers of the status quo are really powerful. So, there’s a lot of pushback going on right now, but I think the conversation has been elevated to a significantly different place than it was two or three years ago. We still have a long way to go to pass the sorts of policies that might actually bring some justice in some of these cases.”

Uncovering inequities in Missouri and beyond
The incident at Ferguson opened Messenger’s eyes wider to the issues of racial and social injustice in every level of government, inspiring him to develop the Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles that told the story of how debtors’ prisons impacted peoples lives. While the series resulted in some reforms in Missouri’s criminal justice system, Messenger says there’s still much progress to be made.

“Unfortunately, on social justice issues, generally, Missouri does not do very well,” Messenger says. “The state legislature did pass a bill in response to debtors’ prisons in response to the columns that I was writing — and that was good — but it was one little drop in the bucket compared to the bad policies that negatively affect poor people all the time.”

Not one to rest on his laurels, Messenger vowed on the day that he won the Pulitzer to keep the spotlight on racial, social and criminal justice issues. Along with his day job at the Post-Dispatch, he’s making gains in the public speaking circuit and is completing his first book, tentatively titled “The Price of Poverty: A Tale of Profit and Abuse in the Name of Justice.” He says the project expands the work on the debtors’ prison series and examines the problem nationwide.

“It’s a problem all over the country … including in Colorado,” he says. “One of the areas that’s become a big national issue of concern is the suspending of driver’s licenses for failure to pay court costs. The punishment doesn’t fit the crime. You take away people’s drivers licenses, they can’t work, so how in the hell are they going to be able to pay the court costs? It doesn’t make sense.”

During his upcoming keynote speech at CCLP’s Communities Against Poverty virtual event, Messenger says he’ll discuss how the global pandemic’s effect on poverty and how it’s highlighted fundamental institutional problems in dealing with poverty among other themes.

The media’s role in democracy
Though traditional media might seem financially and socially beleaguered at this moment of time, with newspapers across the country struggling to stay afloat and politicians questioning the credibility of coverage, Messenger believes it widely misunderstood and essential for a functioning democracy.

“When the president of the United States calls you the ‘enemy of the people,’ it has a real impact on democracy because you have an entire segment of people who falsely believe that what most journalists do is somehow dishonest or partisan in nature rather than speaking truth — which is what every journalist I’ve ever known is trying to do,” he says. “It’s bad for democracy and it comes at a time when our financial model is in flux. It makes it that much more difficult because right now we need journalists and journalism institutions to be courageous in this time. For the past seven years, most of us have been worried about layoffs. And that changes morale and our overall ability to perform at a high level.”

Despite these daunting present-day challenges, Messenger is optimistic about the future of the free press.

“I absolutely think we are going to survive, but it will take different forms,” he says. “There’s a movement in the journalism world to create nonprofits that can withstand the pressures of our current system. I don’t know what the future looks like in 10 or 20 years, but the journalism model will prevail.”

Read the latest Tony Messenger columns from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and STLtoday.com through this link. Learn more about CCLP’s Communities Against Poverty event through this landing page.

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HEALTH:
HEALTH FIRST COLORADO (MEDICAID)

Health First Colorado is the name given to Colorado’s Medicaid program. Medicaid provides public, low-cost health insurance to qualifying adults and children. It is an entitlement program funded by the federal, state, and county governments and is administered by counties in Colorado. Those who are required to pay must pay a small co-pay when receiving certain health care services.

State Department: Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

Eligibility: Most adults 18 to 64 are eligible for Medicaid in Colorado if their household income is at or below 133% of the federal poverty limit (FPL). Pregnant women are eligible with incomes of up to 195% FPL, while children under 18 may be eligible if the live in a household with income at or below 142% FPL. Some adults over 65 may also be eligible for Medicaid.

Program Benefits: Through Medicaid, low-income Coloradans are eligible for a range of health care services at little to not cost. Services provided include doctors visits, prescription drugs, mental health services, and dental care. Co-pays for certain individuals may be needed for certain services.

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds our Medicaid program through state and federal dollars. Medicaid is an entitlement program, which means that all who are eligible for Medicaid can access the program, regardless of the funding level in a given year. This does not mean that it is always easy to access Medicaid, even when eligible. And since the program is administered by counties, funding levels for county staff and other administrative roles can make it easier or harder for Coloradans to access the program. On top of this, not all medical providers accept Medicaid which limits the ability of Coloradans to seek health services even if enrolled, such as if the nearest provider is a 2+ hour drive away.

Note: This data is from before the pandemic and does not reflect changes in enrollment rules during the COVID-19 pandemic and public health emergency.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 89.0% of the population at or below 133% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for Medicaid) were enrolled in Medicaid in Colorado.

FOOD SECURITY:
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP helps low-income Coloradans purchase food by providing individuals and families with a monthly cash benefit that can be used to buy certain foods. SNAP is an entitlement program that is funded by the federal and state governments and administered by counties in Colorado.

State Department: Department of Human Services

Eligibility: Currently, Coloradans qualify for SNAP if they have incomes below 200% FPL, are unemployed or work part-time or receive other forms of assistance such as TANF, among other eligibility criteria. Income eligibility for SNAP was different during the study period of this report than today—it was 130% FPL back in 2019 for example. The US Department of Agriculture uses the population at or below 125% FPL when calculating the Program Access Index (or PAI) for SNAP. We follow this practice in our analysis despite Colorado currently having a higher income eligibility threshold.

Program Benefits: SNAP participants receive a monthly SNAP benefit that is determined by the number of people in their household and their income. Benefit amounts decrease as income increases, helping households avoid a sudden loss of SNAP when their incomes increase, even by a minor amount. Benefits are provided to an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that can be used to purchase eligible food items, such as fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry, and fish; dairy products; and breads and cereals. Other items, such as foods that are hot at their point of sale, are not allowable purchases under current SNAP rules.

Program Funding and Access: SNAP, like Medicaid, is a federal entitlement program. This means that Colorado must serve any Coloradan who is eligible for the program. As such, funding should not be a limit to how many Coloradans can be served by the program. However, funding for administration of SNAP at the state and county level can limit the ability of county human service departments to enroll those who are eligible. Other program rules and administrative barriers can make it difficult for Coloradans to receive the benefits they are legally entitled to receive.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 61.1% of the population at or below 125% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for SNAP) were enrolled.

FOOD SECURITY:
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN (WIC)

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also know as WIC, provides healthcare and nutritional support to low-income Coloradans who are pregnant, recently pregnant, breastfeeding, and to children under 5 who are nutritionally at risk based on a nutrition assessment.

State Department: Department of Public Health and Environment

Eligibility: To participate in WIC you must be pregnant, pregnant in the last six months, breastfeeding a baby under 1 year of age, or a child under the age of 5. Coloradans do not need to be U.S. citizens to be eligible for WIC. In terms of income, households cannot have incomes that exceed 185% FPL. Families who are enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Medicaid are automatically eligible for WIC. Regardless of gender, any parents, foster parents, or caregivers are able to apply for and use WIC services for eligible children.

Program Benefits: WIC provides a range of services to young children and their parents. These include funds to purchase healthy, fresh foods; breastfeeding support; personalized nutrition education and shopping tips; and referrals to health care and other services participants may be eligible for.

Program Funding and Access: WIC is funded by the US Department of Agriculture. The state uses these federal funds to contract with local providers, known as WIC Clinics. In most cases, these are county public health agencies, but that is not the case in all Colorado counties. Some WIC Clinics cover multiple counties, while others are served by multiple clinics. Private non-profit providers are also eligible to be selected as a WIC Clinic.

Statewide Program Access 2015-17: Between 2015 and 2017, an average of 52.2% of the population eligible for WIC were enrolled in the program in Colorado.

Financial Security:
Colorado Works

Colorado Works is the name given to Colorado’s program for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF. It is an employment program that supports families with dependent children on their path to self-sufficiency. Participants can receive cash assistance, schooling, workforce development and skills training depending on the services available in their county.

State Department: Department of Human Services

Eligibility: In general, Coloradans are eligible to enroll in TANF if they are a resident of Colorado, have one or more children under the age of 18 or pregnant, and have very low or no income. For example, to be eligible to receive a basic cash assistance grant through TANF, a single-parent of one child could not earn more than $331 per month, with some exclusions—and would only receive $440 per month (as of 2022). That said, there are other services provided by counties through TANF that those with incomes as high as $75,000 may be eligible for. In addition to these, participants in TANF are required to work or be pursuing an eligible “work activity” or work-related activity. Any eligible individual can only receive assistance if they have not previously been enrolled in TANF for a cumulative amount of time of more than 60 months—this is a lifetime limit that does not reset. Counties may have additional requirements and offer benefits that are not available in other counties in Colorado.

Program Benefits:  While the exact benefits that one is eligible for under TANF can vary, all qualified participants are eligible to receive a monthly cash payment, call basic cash assistance. Other than cash assistance, counties are have a lot of choice in how to use their TANF funding; generally a use of TANF funds is appropriate so long as it advances one or more of the four purposes of the program: (1) provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of their relatives; (2) end the dependence of needy families on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; (3) prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

It is important to note that those eligible for TANF are also eligible for many of the other programs we’ve included in this report, such as SNAP, Medicaid, and CCCAP.

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds its TANF program through funds received from the federal government through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. Most of the federal funds are allocated by the state to counties, which are required to provide a 20% match of state funding. Federal and state rules allow the state and counties to retain a portion of unspent funds in a TANF reserve.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 50.7% of the population at or below 100% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for TANF) were enrolled in TANF in Colorado.

EARLY LEARNING:
COLORADO CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CCCAP)

The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program provides child care assistance to low-income families and caregivers living in Colorado in the form of reduced payments for child care. It is a program funded by the federal, state, and county governments and is administered by counties in Colorado. The share owed by parents/caregivers is determined on a sliding scale based on the family’s income.

State Department: Department of Early Childhood Education

Eligibility: Counties set eligibility for families separately, but must serve families with incomes at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Limit. Families accepted to the program are no longer eligible once their income exceeds 85% of the state median income. Parents or caregivers must be employed, searching for work, or engaged in another approved activity to be eligible for CCCAP. Parents and caregivers enrolled in Colorado Works (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF) or in the child welfare system are also eligible to participate in CCCAP. Generally, CCCAP serves families with children under 13, although children as old as 19 may be eligible under certain circumstances.

Program Benefits: If a family is eligible for CCCAP and has income, they may likely have to pay a portion of their child’s or children’s child care costs each month. The amount that families owe is based on their gross income, number of household members, and the number of children in child care in the household. As such, households tend not to experience a benefit cliff with CCCAP when they see their incomes increase

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds the CCCAP program using federal dollars it receives from the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. The state allocates federal and state funds to counties using a formula that takes into account factors like current caseloads and the number of eligible residents. Assistance is available until the county’s funds are spent, so the number of families that can be served is often a function of how much funding is available and the income and composition of the household that applies. It is not uncommon for counties to overspend or underspend their allocations of funds. The state reallocates unspent funds from counties who underspent to those who overspent. While underspending could indicate a problem with the way a county administers its CCCAP program, it could just as likely be a sign that there are few providers in the county who participate in CCCAP—or a lack of providers generally.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 10.8% of the population at or below 165% of FPL and younger than age 13 (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for CCCAP) were enrolled in CCCAP.

Housing:
HUD rental assistance programs

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has three housing assistance programs that we look at together: Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), Project-based Section 8, and Public Housing. In Colorado, these programs provided assistance to over 90% of the households who received federal housing assistance from all HUD programs. Through federally funded, local or regional public housing agencies (PHAs) are the agencies that administer these programs, through not all are available in all counties. These are not the only programs available in Colorado that assist households afford the cost of housing, such as units funded through federal and state tax credit programs.

State Department: Department of Local Affairs

Eligibility: Generally, households with incomes under 50% of the area median income (AMI) of the county they live in are eligible for these rental assistance programs, although PHAs have discretion to select households with incomes at higher percentages of AMI. That said, HUD requires that 75% of new vouchers issued through the Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 program in a given year are targeted to households with incomes at or below 30% of AMI. PHAs are also able to create criteria that give priority to certain types of households who are on waiting lists for these programs.

Program Benefits: These rental assistance programs help households afford the cost of housing by reducing their housing costs to around 30% of their household income. In the case of the Housing Choice Voucher program, the PHA pays the voucher holder’s landlord the remaining portion of the rent.

Program Funding and Access: Funding and access are both challenges for these rental assistance programs. In addition to limitations on the number of public housing units or housing vouchers a PHA can manage or issue, lack of funding compared to the need constrains the ability of PHAs to assist low-income households. In 2020, Coloradans were on waitlists for Housing Choice Vouchers for an average of 17 months. Waitlists also exist for the other rental assistance programs.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 21.1% of renter households with incomes at or below 50% AMI (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for HUD rental assistance programs) were living in subsidized housing.