b'THE RIGHT DIRECTION Stories of reaching for goalsHow do you hold your head upwhen you lose your job after seven years with the same company? How do you look your son in the eye and tell him everything will be all right when you get evicted from your apartment? Reeling, Tasha* tried moving in with family, but once she discovered a gun and drugs in the house, she moved with her kids to a motel and then her truck, until the money ran out. Eventually, she ended up at the local mission, with her kids in tow.Tasha had faithfully led her taxes while earning anEvas* lease ran outat the same time income, so she realized that her new life circumstancesthat she lost her job, leaving her homeless qualied her for additional tax credits. She got free lingwith two children depending on her. Many help and received a tax refund, followed by monthlysingle moms survive from paycheck to payments directly into her CashApp account when thepaycheck. Any disruption in employment temporary CTC expansion took effect. Claiming thosecan have a domino effect on nancial tax creditsobligations like rent, childcare, and has allowedgroceries. Staying at the local mission Tasha tountil she can get back on her feet, Eva makehas used her tax credits to pay off billsprogressand past-due rent while saving up for towarda car. The nancial assistance from those achieving thepayments has rekindled Evas dream to goals she setstart her own business. A mom taking for herself,steps to accomplish her goals sets a great like gettingexample for her children. her drivers license and purchasing a vehicle, as well as saving up for*Names have been changed to protect identities.an auto insurance policy. What a relief to be able to buy her son a pair of shoes, or purchase food and personal items without having to ask anyone for money.Because it offsets a portion of the costs of raising children, a well-designed child benefit increases the income and economic security of all families with children.Over the long term, a well-designed child benefit is a form of public investment in children that will provide social benefits that far exceed its costs.Shawn Fremstad, Senior Policy Fellow,Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)5'