Social Safety Net
A safety net that protects dignity while promoting upward mobility and resilience.
A society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. The Halcyon Party believes the safety net should be a trampoline — not a trap. We support streamlined, evidence-based programs that protect people from crisis, promote upward mobility, and treat recipients with respect, not suspicion.
Simplify, Streamline, and Humanize
Help shouldn’t be a maze of paperwork and punishment.
We support:
One-stop digital enrollment systems that auto-check eligibility across multiple benefits (SNAP, housing, Medicaid, childcare).
Universal means-testing thresholds, with fewer arbitrary rules and less duplication.
Dignity-centered case management, where benefits recipients are treated like clients, not liabilities.
SNAP and Nutrition Assistance
Food insecurity is solvable — and morally inexcusable.
We advocate:
Automatic SNAP enrollment for low-income families on other federal programs.
Increased benefit levels indexed to regional cost of living.
Healthy food incentives instead of punitive restrictions — e.g., match programs for fruits, vegetables, and local produce.
Childcare & Family Support
Raising a kid shouldn't mean risking poverty.
We propose:
Subsidized universal childcare, scaled to income and delivered through both public and private providers.
Expanded Child Tax Credit, fully refundable and paid monthly, with no work requirement for the poorest families.
Parental leave policy offering a minimum of 12 weeks paid family leave, funded through payroll tax or social insurance model.
Medicaid & Health Access
Health crises shouldn’t lead to homelessness.
We support:
Medicaid expansion in all states, with opt-out replaced by opt-in federal override if states refuse.
Automatic re-enrollment and data-sharing, to avoid gaps in coverage when income fluctuates.
Home- and community-based care for seniors and disabled individuals, reducing unnecessary institutionalization.
Housing Support That Actually Works
Stability first — everything else follows.
We advocate:
Expanded housing vouchers, with guaranteed acceptance in federally financed housing markets.
Rental assistance programs tied to real-world wages and housing costs, not outdated fair market rates.
Integrated housing and employment programs, supporting transitions from homelessness to independence.
Work Support & Transition Services
Support should help people move forward — not just stay afloat.
We support:
Wage subsidies and hiring incentives for long-term unemployed or underemployed workers.
Skill-building stipends, letting recipients attend job training without losing benefits.
“Benefits cliffs” reform, ensuring no one loses more in assistance than they gain in earnings.
Social Security & Aging with Dignity
Retirement shouldn’t feel like a gamble.
We propose:
Protecting and expanding Social Security, funded by raising the income cap on payroll taxes.
Supplemental retirement savings accounts for low- and middle-income workers, auto-enrolled unless opted out.
Long-term care planning incentives, including caregiver tax credits and community-based service grants.
Crisis Response Safety Net
Sometimes life just hits hard — and fast.
We support:
Rapid-response benefits during recessions, disasters, or pandemics, triggered automatically by economic indicators.
Universal emergency savings accounts, seeded by government and matched over time.
Automatic eviction moratoriums and utility shut-off protections tied to national or regional emergencies.