WASHINGTON - September 28 - With the presidential debates and election approaching, the candidates must face three faces of poverty. The traditional face made up of the chronically unemployed and homeless; the contemporary face comprised of the working poor; and the future face of poverty who are the vanishing middle class who are one or two paychecks away from economic ruin. In all, more than 110 million Americans are in or near the surging waters of poverty, and 1.3 million more Americans fell into poverty last year.

The Community Action Partnership, the nation's largest poverty-fighting network, is collecting 1,000,000 signatures from across the country to call for a White House Conference on American Poverty. The point of the conference is to convene the nation's expert economists, social theorists, and best practices with the intent to develop new legislation aimed at eradicating the factors that increase poverty.

The Partnership has written both candidates to ask if elected, would either commit to the nation's first White House Conference on American Poverty within the first 100 days of their administration. There has been no reply. This should be a debate question for the candidates.

Based in Washington, DC, the Community Action Partnership is the national association representing the interests of the 1,000 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) organized to change people's lives, embody the spirit of hope, improve communities, and make America a better place to live. CAAs care about the entire community and are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other. For more information about the Partnership and CAAs, visit the association's website at www.communityactionpartnership.com.

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