Credits

Several excellent collections with a similar focus released over the last few years (Washington State's Statewide Poverty Action Network's in-depth collection, "Faces of Poverty"; the Alliance for Children and Families' "Faces of Change"; NETWORK's "Welfare Reform Watch Project"). The National Coalition for the Homeless' "Faces of Homelessness Speakers Bureau" is another collection of people who make themselves available to tell their stories of their experiences with homelessness at panel discussions, motivational speeches, and rallies. SII's Face on the Numbers attempts to expand the focus of these collections to both identify gaps in services and highlight the positive value and effectiveness of government programs in the context of the federal budget.

We have based our system for collecting these narratives while preserving anonymity on a similar system used by Thomas E. Lengyel, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, Faces of Change: Welfare Reform in America Alliance for Children and Families.

Disclaimer

The stories available in this database are personal accounts written by the individual storyteller or told to a member of a nonprofit group (the "Collecting Organization"). By working through nonprofit organizations, the Face on the Numbers project aims to offer a vehicle for storytellers to share their diverse experiences with the public while protecting the individual identity. However, neither OMB Watch, nor the Social Investment Initiative, nor the Collecting Organization can verify the accuracy of the stories. The stories are intended as a first step in learning about the lives of those who depend on, benefit from, or miss out on the many services the federal government provides. The information provided through the Face on the Numbers project is not fact-checked or verified and neither OMB Watch, the Social Investment Initiative, nor any Collecting Organization is liable for any inaccuracy or errors contained herein. Those storytellers who have agreed may be contacted through the Collecting Organization for more information.