Granted, few of us relish the thought of filling out a census questionnaire. But consider this: In 2000, more than 1.75 million children under age 10 were never counted at all.
That is significant because the 10-year temperature-taking of America’s population is among the most important information-collection tasks our government undertakes. It informs the way voting districts are drawn and – perhaps more importantly – it is key to the distribution of $400 billion in federal funds.
Which is why a new report by demographer William O’Hare is so disturbing. It challenges the popular belief that under-counts are typically comprised of adults who dodge census-takers for nefarious reasons.
“Unlike adults, who may bear some responsibility for making sure they are counted,” he says, “children are dependent on others to make sure they are included. Yet in 1980, 1990, and 2000, Census Bureau data show children, particularly young children, are one of the groups most likely to be missed.”
All evidence also suggests they are most likely to be poor. African-American went uncounted more often than whites, and young American Indians living on reservations were overlooked most of all.
The reason for this? Children live in “hard-to-count” neighborhoods more often than other demographic groups, O’Hare writes. Also, the census form only has space for complete information on six household members so in those homes with more than six inhabitants, the youngest often go uncounted. Also, people who don’t speak fluent English are more likely to have difficulty with the forms, and trends since 2000 indicate increasing numbers of non-English speakers.
For low-income communities, the under-counts can translate into less funding for schools, clinics and child care centers. Further, uncounted children can upend school enrollment forecasts. One analysis from the 1990 census showed that the number of children missed in New York City (77,000) could have filled 150 average-sized elementary and secondary schools!
“When children are not counted accurately we don’t get a true picture of our nation, and communities don’t get their rightful share of public funds or political power,” O’Hare writes. "Unlike many other groups that may be under-counted in the census, young children have no voice in this process. They are totally dependent on the rest of us to make sure they are counted accurately. Yet they will be the ones to suffer the consequences if their community does not get the resources it deserves for schools, clinics, or child care centers."
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Face of America
With an avalanche of articles about the recession, unemployment and hungry children, it's easy to go numb after a while. Really, how many statistics can you process before all the numbers get blurry?
AmericanPoverty.org, remedies that. If you never read another word about the economic crisis many Americans are suffering, just scan this web site.
It puts real meaning to the motto "A picture's worth 1,000 words."
AmericanPoverty.org, remedies that. If you never read another word about the economic crisis many Americans are suffering, just scan this web site.
It puts real meaning to the motto "A picture's worth 1,000 words."
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Newsroom Decision-Making 101
Any reporter knows that being "fair" is not the same thing as being objective. Contrary to popular phraseology, there is no such thing as "objective" journalism. News stories are written by humans, who make choices about which subjects to showcase and which quotes to use -- choices, therefore, that kill so-called objectivity.
But you can be fair.
Which brings me to today's Washington Post. A story there about soaring unemployment rates among young black men raises many important and troubling points: namely that joblessness within this population -- a stunning 34.5 percent -- has skyrocketed to levels not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s. That is a disaster and bodes ill for the future, even after we pull out of this recession.
Yet you can't help wondering at the newspaper's decision to use a 24-year-old convicted drug dealer as the leading illustration of these dismal facts -- especially when they also interviewed a highly educated, young black woman.
Apparently, Delonta Spriggs felt he had to deal drugs to support his 3-year-old daughter after work in the construction industry didn't pan out. But if you're trying to focus readers' attention on a complex problem, don't you undercut the point by attaching it to a less-than-sympathetic -- perhaps less-than-credible source?
Discuss....
But you can be fair.
Which brings me to today's Washington Post. A story there about soaring unemployment rates among young black men raises many important and troubling points: namely that joblessness within this population -- a stunning 34.5 percent -- has skyrocketed to levels not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s. That is a disaster and bodes ill for the future, even after we pull out of this recession.
Yet you can't help wondering at the newspaper's decision to use a 24-year-old convicted drug dealer as the leading illustration of these dismal facts -- especially when they also interviewed a highly educated, young black woman.
Apparently, Delonta Spriggs felt he had to deal drugs to support his 3-year-old daughter after work in the construction industry didn't pan out. But if you're trying to focus readers' attention on a complex problem, don't you undercut the point by attaching it to a less-than-sympathetic -- perhaps less-than-credible source?
Discuss....
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
If You Think No One's Listening, Think Again
Latino civil rights advocates in Texas say two unexpected victories earlier this month give them hope for the possibility of real immigration-policy reform in 2010. Both events were symbolic, rather than policy-based, but in these media-driven days, symbolism can galvanize masses.
The first was the well-publicized resignation of frequent immigration-rights critic Lou Dobbs from his news anchor post at CNN. The second, also job-related, involves the firing of a Texas elections official accused of making disparaging remarks about Spanish-speaking voters.
Two weeks ago at a seminar for political party bosses, Melinda Nickless, an assistant director in Texas's state elections division, advised election workers to talk to Spanish-speaking voters as if they are dumb, or perhaps hard-of-hearing.
"Say really slow and loud: 'Sit down, I will call someone to help you. Un momento por favor, me telefono somebody.'” Nickless is reported to have said. She then quipped about the day her mother's car was hit by a Spanish-speaking shopper outside of a Wal-Mart, who disappeared from the scene.
“Really mother, duh,” Nickless said to chuckles from her audience.
But Democratic Party activist Rosalie Weisfeld was so offended that she stood up to complain, and then took the matter to Nickless's boss -- who happens to be Texas’s first Latina secretary of state.
“I stood up to say that all citizens who enter a polling place to vote should be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what language they speak," she told the Rio Grande Guardian. "I stood up to speak for all voters after a high level member of the Secretary of State's office told a demeaning story and gave offensive instructions about assisting Spanish speaking voters to more than 400 Democratic and Republican chairs, election administrators and other election staff charged with ensuring the sanctity of the vote.”
Martha Sanchez, community activist for La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), said both incidents show that "Latinos cannot be denigrated anymore." She characterized the Dobbs resignation and Nickless' firing as "two small victories on the way to the big one: comprehensive immigration reform.”
The first was the well-publicized resignation of frequent immigration-rights critic Lou Dobbs from his news anchor post at CNN. The second, also job-related, involves the firing of a Texas elections official accused of making disparaging remarks about Spanish-speaking voters.
Two weeks ago at a seminar for political party bosses, Melinda Nickless, an assistant director in Texas's state elections division, advised election workers to talk to Spanish-speaking voters as if they are dumb, or perhaps hard-of-hearing.
"Say really slow and loud: 'Sit down, I will call someone to help you. Un momento por favor, me telefono somebody.'” Nickless is reported to have said. She then quipped about the day her mother's car was hit by a Spanish-speaking shopper outside of a Wal-Mart, who disappeared from the scene.
“Really mother, duh,” Nickless said to chuckles from her audience.
But Democratic Party activist Rosalie Weisfeld was so offended that she stood up to complain, and then took the matter to Nickless's boss -- who happens to be Texas’s first Latina secretary of state.
“I stood up to say that all citizens who enter a polling place to vote should be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what language they speak," she told the Rio Grande Guardian. "I stood up to speak for all voters after a high level member of the Secretary of State's office told a demeaning story and gave offensive instructions about assisting Spanish speaking voters to more than 400 Democratic and Republican chairs, election administrators and other election staff charged with ensuring the sanctity of the vote.”
Martha Sanchez, community activist for La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), said both incidents show that "Latinos cannot be denigrated anymore." She characterized the Dobbs resignation and Nickless' firing as "two small victories on the way to the big one: comprehensive immigration reform.”
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Immigration Reform on the Map
Tomorrow night, Nov. 18, communities across Texas will hold "listening parties" to get a sense of the immigration reform legislation about to be proposed by Illinois Rep. Luiz V. Gutierrez.
Perhaps there is enough of a groundswell nationally to finally move the dial on this issue -- one that has been mired in endlessly politicized debate. Already, The New York Times has weighed in and President Obama has said he will make immigration reform a central part of his agenda in 2010.
Stay tuned.
Perhaps there is enough of a groundswell nationally to finally move the dial on this issue -- one that has been mired in endlessly politicized debate. Already, The New York Times has weighed in and President Obama has said he will make immigration reform a central part of his agenda in 2010.
Stay tuned.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Down to Basics: Recession and the Dinner Table
On Monday came word that will be old news to 17 million households: parents are scrimping on food and children across the country went hungry in 2008.
According to a government report -- the same one that has been conducted each year since 1995 -- millions more people went hungry in 2008 than had in 2007. And Vicki Escarra, president of Feeding America, a nonprofit organization with a national network of more than 200 food banks, told The New York Times that the Agriculture Department had probably understated the problem.
With unemployment and other economic indicators continuing to worsen in 2009, she said, “there are likely many more people struggling with hunger than this report states.”
Moreover, for those with incomes at the federal poverty line, as well as homes headed by single parents, blacks or Latinos, the so-called "food insecurity" rates were worse still. Regionally, food insecurity was most prevalent in the South.
According to a government report -- the same one that has been conducted each year since 1995 -- millions more people went hungry in 2008 than had in 2007. And Vicki Escarra, president of Feeding America, a nonprofit organization with a national network of more than 200 food banks, told The New York Times that the Agriculture Department had probably understated the problem.
With unemployment and other economic indicators continuing to worsen in 2009, she said, “there are likely many more people struggling with hunger than this report states.”
Moreover, for those with incomes at the federal poverty line, as well as homes headed by single parents, blacks or Latinos, the so-called "food insecurity" rates were worse still. Regionally, food insecurity was most prevalent in the South.
Friday, November 13, 2009
16 States Tell Poor, 'Show Us the Money'
A national analysis by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has found that 16 states -- including many identified by Marguerite Casey Foundation as having some of the neediest residents in the country -- tax the working poor even deeper into poverty.
In the south last year, Alabama collected almost $500 from two-parent families raising children on less than $22,000.
In Georgia, extremely poor families, meaning those couples raising children on less than $16,513, were taxed. Other states following similar policy are Hawaii, Michigan, West Virgina, Illinois, Indiana, Montana and Ohio.
The outlook was even worse for single parents. In three states -- Alabama, Georgia and Montana -- mothers or fathers raising children on earnings of less than $12,874 were required to pay.
“Undermining families’ efforts to work their way out of poverty is never a good idea,” says Phil Oliff, co-author of the study. “But it’s especially harmful in the current recession, when people are already struggling just to get by.”
Twenty-six states, he notes, collect taxes from families with household incomes hovering just above the poverty line.
Over the past two decades, policymakers increasingly have viewed tax exemption for poor families as a straightforward way to reduce poverty and support work. Between 1991 and 2008, the number of states levying income taxes on such families decreased from 24 to 16, and the federal government has exempted poor families since the mid-1980s.
Taxing people deeper into poverty runs counter to the goal of helping families achieve self-sufficiency,” Oliff says.
In the south last year, Alabama collected almost $500 from two-parent families raising children on less than $22,000.
In Georgia, extremely poor families, meaning those couples raising children on less than $16,513, were taxed. Other states following similar policy are Hawaii, Michigan, West Virgina, Illinois, Indiana, Montana and Ohio.
The outlook was even worse for single parents. In three states -- Alabama, Georgia and Montana -- mothers or fathers raising children on earnings of less than $12,874 were required to pay.
“Undermining families’ efforts to work their way out of poverty is never a good idea,” says Phil Oliff, co-author of the study. “But it’s especially harmful in the current recession, when people are already struggling just to get by.”
Twenty-six states, he notes, collect taxes from families with household incomes hovering just above the poverty line.
Over the past two decades, policymakers increasingly have viewed tax exemption for poor families as a straightforward way to reduce poverty and support work. Between 1991 and 2008, the number of states levying income taxes on such families decreased from 24 to 16, and the federal government has exempted poor families since the mid-1980s.
Taxing people deeper into poverty runs counter to the goal of helping families achieve self-sufficiency,” Oliff says.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Help with heating bills available for poor
Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas customers in need of help with their heating bills can apply now for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Customers may be eligible if their income is 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of four, that is a 30-day income level of $2,756. For a single individual, that is $1,354.
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More districts use income, not race, as basis for busing
Struggling to improve schools that have large populations of poor and minority students and under legal pressure to avoid racial busing, a small but growing group of school districts are integrating schools by income.
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=Half of American kids will live in households receiving food stamps before age 20, according to a study reported Monday in Archives of Pediatrics & A
Half of American kids will live in households receiving food stamps before age 20, according to a study reported Monday in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Although one in five children rely on food stamps for years, many more live in families who turn to food stamps during a short-term crisis, says author Mark Rank of Washington University in St. Louis. He analyzed 30 years of data from the University of Michigan's Panel Study of Income Dynamics survey.
Read MoreSunday, November 1, 2009
Edelman remains the children's advocate
Marian Wright Edelman speaks softly and rapidly, rattling off statistics about children in poverty.
"We lose a child to gun violence every two hours and forty-five minutes," the founder of the Children's Defense Fund said. "That's eight children a day."
Read MoreDeaths of Hospitalized Children Linked to Lack of Insurance
In research published online in the October 30th Journal of Public Health, researcher Fizan Abdullah, MD, PhD, assistant professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, found that children without insurance are 60% more likely to die from a serious illness than a sick child that does have insurance.
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Homeless for the holidays
When the temperature hits 40 degrees at night, Katherine Jhllenkenes starts shaking.
"You have to drink sugar and water or wine," said Jhellenkenes, 48.
She typically gets about an hour of sleep. On a good night, she might get two. She rests a lot during the day to make up for the lack of sleep. The evening before she was interviewed, Jhllenkenes was awoken by a police officer in the park where she'd bedded down for the night.
Illinois school test scores: Income-based gap proves hard to close
Surrounded by sports fields and suburban lawns, Hadley Junior High School could be the envy of the state.
Nine of every 10 students at the Glen Ellyn school passed state exams in reading and math, according to the 2009 Illinois School Report Card made public Friday.
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Nine of every 10 students at the Glen Ellyn school passed state exams in reading and math, according to the 2009 Illinois School Report Card made public Friday.
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Missing: Black and Latino boys
In Humboldt Park’s Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High School, one stairwell is adorned with pictures of Puerto Rican male activists with quotes beneath that speak to the men’s cultural pride and pain.
Principal Matt Rodriguez says he wants to communicate that the school—overall, one of the higher-performing alternative schools in Chicago—is a place where the oppression his students may feel is understood. Indeed, the school is named after one of the leading political figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement.
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Principal Matt Rodriguez says he wants to communicate that the school—overall, one of the higher-performing alternative schools in Chicago—is a place where the oppression his students may feel is understood. Indeed, the school is named after one of the leading political figures in the Puerto Rican independence movement.
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Survey that shows drop in L.A. County homeless surprises some
A new report by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority that seemed counterintuitive in the wake of a slumping economy and rising unemployment found that homelessness in Los Angeles County had dropped by about 25,000 people, a startling 38 percent since 2007.
The findings also ran counter to a similar effort in Long Beach at the same time that found homelessness here climbing slightly during the same time frame.
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The findings also ran counter to a similar effort in Long Beach at the same time that found homelessness here climbing slightly during the same time frame.
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Showdown: Hundreds Gather to Talk About Foreclosures, Financial Struggles
Chicago - Hundreds of people from around the country gathered in Chicago for three days of events dubbed "Showdown in Chicago," intended to draw attention to the foreclosure crisis and related financial problems and to call for more regulation in the financial industry. While some protesters waved signs that read "Put people first" and "Wanted: Wall Street bankers," others chanted, "Bust up big banks!" and "Bailout? No thanks!"
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Low-income families get help from energy company
WASCO, Calif. -- Low-income families received free weatherization upgrades to their homes on Saturday.
The Southern California Gas Company helped 24 Wasco-area homes become more energy efficient by installing weather strips, replacing old furnaces and adding insulation to qualified homes.
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The LAPD fights crime, not illegal immigration
On March 12, Juan Garcia, a 53-year-old homeless man, was brutally murdered in an alley off 9th and Alvarado streets in the Westlake District, just west of downtown Los Angeles. At first, the police were stumped; there were no known witnesses and few clues. Then a 43-year-old undocumented immigrant who witnessed the crime came forward and told the homicide detectives from the Rampart station what he saw. Because of his help, a suspect was identified and arrested a few days later while hiding on skid row. Because the witness was not afraid to contact the police, an accused murderer was taken off the streets, and we are all a little bit safer. Stories like this are repeated daily in Los Angeles.
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Congress' health care bills leave millions uninsured
WASHINGTON — The high cost of health insurance premiums would continue to put coverage out of reach for millions even if Congress approves legislation President Obama says is intended to ensure "that every American has affordable health care."
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Friday, October 23, 2009
NM low-income families get help with energy costs
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Low-income households in New Mexico will be getting help with their heating bills this winter thanks to $15 million in grants from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the funds Thursday.
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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the funds Thursday.
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Living in a motel: Family struggles to get back on their feet after layoffs
Don’t tell Bryon Carlson and fiancée Rosa Garcia that economists are saying the recession is over. Garcia and their oldest daughter, Alayna, will celebrate their upcoming 27th and 7th birthdays in a motel room because they were evicted Wednesday from their Woodstock rental home.
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Poll: 1 in 4 Adults Say Family Member Lost Health Coverage
More than a quarter of U.S. adults report that at least one member of their immediate family lost health insurance coverage within the past year, a new poll reveals.
Low-income families, those whose household earning is $35,000 and less, and young adults, ages 18-29 years old, are the most likely to have lost their health coverage, according to the Zogby Interactive poll. Thirty-seven and 35 percent of people in each group, respectively, lost coverage.
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Stimulus cash to give low-income Illinois parents child care break
Low-income parents receiving help from the state to pay for child care services soon will see some extra benefits due to a $74 million infusion of federal stimulus money.
The Illinois Department of Human Services is using the cash to lower co-payments for child care services and extend the time parents have to search for a job should they get laid off.
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The Illinois Department of Human Services is using the cash to lower co-payments for child care services and extend the time parents have to search for a job should they get laid off.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Out of fields, into class for migrant kids
OCALA, Fla. — Elizabeth Pineda climbs out from bed, her 4-year-old son Adrian asleep nearby. She lays out a tiny pair of shorts and a white T-shirt for his first day of school, gathers her purse and tiptoes outside. Her cousin will get the boy up and off to class in a few hours.
It is 4 a.m. and only a few solitary street lamps light the darkened roads in this rural central Florida community. She climbs into an old white Ford work van and starts the engine.
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As aid shrinks, more 'stuck' for day care
For a month, Stephanie Torres has been phoning and filing paperwork, trying to get state help to keep her daughter in a Glendale, Ariz., day care center.
The single working mom says she can't foot the $115 weekly day care bill on her $14-an-hour part-time office job.
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Growing Calls for Immigration Reform That Leaves No Family Behind
Congress has promised to begin the process of reforming America's broken immigration system later this year. There is widespread consensus that reform is urgently needed, and a growing insistence among lawmakers that any reform effort must adhere to our nation's long-standing commitment to family unification. Under current immigration law, millions of families remain separated because of inexcusable visa backlogs, unnecessary bureaucratic paper trails and discriminatory policies that do not recognize lesbian and gay families for the purposes of equal immigration rights.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Are 1 in 6 Americans in Poverty?
The level of poverty in America is even worse than first believed.
A revised formula for calculating medical costs and geographic variations show that approximately 47.4 million Americans last year lived in poverty, 7 million more than the government's official figure.
The disparity occurs because of differing formulas the Census Bureau and the National Academy of Science use for calculating the poverty rate. The NAS formula shows the poverty rate to be at 15.8 percent, or nearly 1 in 6 Americans, according to calculations released this week. That's higher than the 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million, figure made available recently under the original government.
Read More
A revised formula for calculating medical costs and geographic variations show that approximately 47.4 million Americans last year lived in poverty, 7 million more than the government's official figure.
The disparity occurs because of differing formulas the Census Bureau and the National Academy of Science use for calculating the poverty rate. The NAS formula shows the poverty rate to be at 15.8 percent, or nearly 1 in 6 Americans, according to calculations released this week. That's higher than the 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million, figure made available recently under the original government.
Read More
Homeowners eligible for energy audits
San Mateo residents with financial restraints may be able to weatherproof their homes with help from the city.
A survey of homes in San Mateo’s North Shoreview neighborhood indicated 89 percent of homes have not had energy audits performed and only a small number of homeowners had invested in energy-efficient retrofits.
The findings were revealed in a City Council study session last night on the progress of San Mateo’s Sustainable Initiatives Plan. The plan is intended to be a blueprint to help the city and its residents reduce their carbon footprint and to promote awareness of and increase sustainable activities within the city.
Up to 16 percent of San Mateo households are eligible for the home-retrofit project immediately, according to a staff report by Robert Beyer, director of Community Development.
Read More
A survey of homes in San Mateo’s North Shoreview neighborhood indicated 89 percent of homes have not had energy audits performed and only a small number of homeowners had invested in energy-efficient retrofits.
The findings were revealed in a City Council study session last night on the progress of San Mateo’s Sustainable Initiatives Plan. The plan is intended to be a blueprint to help the city and its residents reduce their carbon footprint and to promote awareness of and increase sustainable activities within the city.
Up to 16 percent of San Mateo households are eligible for the home-retrofit project immediately, according to a staff report by Robert Beyer, director of Community Development.
Read More
Judge halts cuts to California in-home aid
A federal judge on Monday halted the state of California's plan to cut or reduce caregiver services for 130,000 disabled and low-income seniors starting Nov. 1.
Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland imposed a preliminary injunction against the plan, which is intended to cut $82.1 million this year out of In-Home Supportive Services.
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Judge Claudia Wilken in Oakland imposed a preliminary injunction against the plan, which is intended to cut $82.1 million this year out of In-Home Supportive Services.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Foreclosures Force Ex-Homeowners to Turn to Shelters
CLEVELAND — The first night after she surrendered her house to foreclosure, Sheri West endured the darkness in her Hyundai sedan. She parked in her old driveway, with her flower-print dresses and hats piled in boxes on the back seat, and three cherished houseplants on the floor. She used her backyard as a restroom.
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California gives the poor a new legal right
California is embarking on an unprecedented civil court experiment to pay for attorneys to represent poor litigants who find themselves battling powerful adversaries in vital matters affecting their livelihoods and families.
The program is the first in the nation to recognize a right to representation in key civil cases and provide it for people fighting eviction, loss of child custody, domestic abuse or neglect of the elderly or disabled.
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Campaign to Make Immigration Reform a Top Issue in 2010
Last Tuesday, October 13, immigrant families from around the country gathered to join in a vigil and rally in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., where Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez and other elected officials launched a new push for comprehensive immigration reform, building to the opening months of 2010. Our banners read “Reform Immigration FOR Families” and “Family Unity Cannot Wait.”
More than 750 people traveled to Washington on buses from up and down the Eastern seaboard and as far away as Texas, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, and Michigan. They spent Tuesday morning meeting with Congressional offices before being joined by thousands of people from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area, who gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to listen to testimonies from families, veterans, and children who face family disintegration because of immigration laws and deportation.
Read More
More than 750 people traveled to Washington on buses from up and down the Eastern seaboard and as far away as Texas, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, and Michigan. They spent Tuesday morning meeting with Congressional offices before being joined by thousands of people from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area, who gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to listen to testimonies from families, veterans, and children who face family disintegration because of immigration laws and deportation.
Read More
Friday, October 16, 2009
New law repairs damage for youth
Hindsight may be 20/20, but in this case, foresight is priceless.
For the first time this fall, Alabama begins a new, proven approach to dealing with low-risk juvenile delinquents. During the 2008 regular session of the Alabama Legislature, lawmakers got it right when they passed new legislation to transform the state's juvenile justice system. The Alabama Juvenile Justice Act begins to repair the damage done over the past two decades by the state's approach to juveniles.
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For the first time this fall, Alabama begins a new, proven approach to dealing with low-risk juvenile delinquents. During the 2008 regular session of the Alabama Legislature, lawmakers got it right when they passed new legislation to transform the state's juvenile justice system. The Alabama Juvenile Justice Act begins to repair the damage done over the past two decades by the state's approach to juveniles.
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A School’s Painful Decision
Paul Krugman’s column certainly hit home, as I recently had to make the unprecedented, painful decision to close enrollment at LaGuardia Community College. More than 1,000 students — almost all of whom are low-income and the first generation of students in their families to seek a college education — were unable to enroll.
We have neither the classrooms nor the faculty and staff to handle surging demand. This happens as students understand that success in today’s global economy requires an education beyond the high school level.
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We have neither the classrooms nor the faculty and staff to handle surging demand. This happens as students understand that success in today’s global economy requires an education beyond the high school level.
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Thousands demonstrate in favor of comprehensive immigration reform
A 2-year-old U.S.-born boy was deprived of his rights when his undocumented parents were deported. At that age, he had no choice but to go with them.
"When they deported my parents, I was also deported," said Miguel, who is now a 24-year-old father and husband. He chose not to reveal his last name in fear the immigration system could victimize him and his family again.
"I missed out on growing up in the U.S. and speaking English," Miguel said in Spanish. "I've had a difficult time integrating into American society."
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"When they deported my parents, I was also deported," said Miguel, who is now a 24-year-old father and husband. He chose not to reveal his last name in fear the immigration system could victimize him and his family again.
"I missed out on growing up in the U.S. and speaking English," Miguel said in Spanish. "I've had a difficult time integrating into American society."
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Smart start for kids
A unique early-childhood program is helping low-income students enter Wichita-area schools prepared to learn, according to data released by the Opportunity Project, or TOP.
TOP administrators on Thursday gave Gov. Mark Parkinson and community leaders a tour of one of the program's two Early Learning Centers, where students 1 to 5 years old receive eight to 10 hours of instruction a day.
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Thursday, October 15, 2009
As City Adds Housing for Poor, Market Subtracts It
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is closing in on a milestone: building or preserving 165,000 city-financed apartments and houses for low-, moderate- and middle-income families, the goal of a $7.5 billion housing plan he announced in 2002 and expanded in 2005.
Alan Ceballos at his building in the Bronx. He lives in a subsidized two-bedroom apartment for about the same price that he payed previously for a market-rate one-bedroom.
It has already financed the creation or preservation of 94,000 units, including 72,000 for low-income households, city officials say.
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City of Tampa helping low income home owners
TAMPA, FL -- The city of Tampa is using $7.3 million dollars of a federal grant from Housing and Urban Development to buy abandoned and foreclosed homes in distressed parts of the city. After the houses are fixed up they will be sold to first time or eligible lower income families.
The houses, which have yet to be selected, will be bought in Sulpher Springs, North Tampa, University Square and Old West Tampa.
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The houses, which have yet to be selected, will be bought in Sulpher Springs, North Tampa, University Square and Old West Tampa.
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D.C. Vows to Shelter Homeless Despite Budget
A top D.C. official pledged again Wednesday to shelter all the city's homeless during the coldest winter months despite sharp budget cuts to providers who have expressed fears they will have to close some of their facilities.
Human Services Director Clarence H. Carter told a D.C. Council committee that "whatever the demand for emergency shelter is this coming winter, the District is committed and prepared to meet" it.
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Human Services Director Clarence H. Carter told a D.C. Council committee that "whatever the demand for emergency shelter is this coming winter, the District is committed and prepared to meet" it.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Almost $300K will assist low-income families
Last Wednesday, Gov. Bob Riley announced the award of more than $18 million in stimulus money to Alabama counties to assist communities in helping low-income individuals and families who struggle in poverty.
The funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is aimed at job training and education opportunities, providing better nutrition and housing, establishing community volunteering programs, and offering income management and credit counseling.
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The funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is aimed at job training and education opportunities, providing better nutrition and housing, establishing community volunteering programs, and offering income management and credit counseling.
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Number of homeless students soaring
Public schools are used to dealing with children in poverty, but this school year, San Antonio school districts are seeing more children than ever from families that have gone from struggling to put food on the table to keeping a roof over their heads.
School social workers say the increases are extreme.
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School social workers say the increases are extreme.
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Homeless Population in Shelters Hits Record High
There number of homeless people using city shelters each night has reached an all time high -- a 45 percent increase since Mayor Bloomberg took office eight years ago, according to a new report.
The statistics, released today by the advocacy group Coalition for the Homeless, find that over 39,000 homeless people -- including 10,000 homeless families -- check in to city shelters every evening.
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Many low-income families forced to wait for child care aid
Child care advocates fear that low-income parents will keep their kids out of child care programs because of a shortage of tuition aid.
The state this month reached a breaking point – more applicants than money available – and had to create a waiting list for parents seeking child care services, according to a state agency head.
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The state this month reached a breaking point – more applicants than money available – and had to create a waiting list for parents seeking child care services, according to a state agency head.
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Immigration Rally Tied to a Bill Draws Thousands
WASHINGTON — Thousands of immigrants came to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a day of lobbying and an afternoon rally calling for comprehensive immigration reform.
The event was timed to the unveiling of an immigration bill by Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois and chairman of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
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The event was timed to the unveiling of an immigration bill by Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois and chairman of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
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Low-Income Families Have Trouble Finding Dental Care for Kids
When a 12-year-old Maryland boy died from an untreated tooth infection two years ago, it started a bigger discussion about the need to provide dental care to low-income children.
They're still talking -- and children's teeth are still going untreated.
The Associated Press reported that many low-income families can't find dentists who accept Medicaid. Dentists claim they don't get reimbursed enough money from Medicaid to cover their costs. Plus, some dentists told the AP, low-income families have an expensive habit of skipping appointments.
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Monday, October 12, 2009
Hunt for Housing: More low-income renters looking for assistance
McALLEN -- With no job, five young mouths to feed and an income earned by his wife that barely breaks $19,000 a year, Chris Valle still considers himself lucky.
He has a place his family can afford to call home.
But for more and more of the Rio Grande Valley’s low-income renters, the basic need is falling out of reach. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates, more than half of Hidalgo County’s renters spend more than one-third of their income on housing — the benchmark by which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determines affordability.
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He has a place his family can afford to call home.
But for more and more of the Rio Grande Valley’s low-income renters, the basic need is falling out of reach. According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates, more than half of Hidalgo County’s renters spend more than one-third of their income on housing — the benchmark by which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determines affordability.
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Finding shelter in tough times
In a region that suffers from one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, addressing problems of homelessness has become an increasingly grim task.
This year's Annual Homeless Summit, scheduled Wednesday at the Yuba County Government Center, will look again at the resources available to families living without long-term shelter, and individuals living with no shelter at all.
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This year's Annual Homeless Summit, scheduled Wednesday at the Yuba County Government Center, will look again at the resources available to families living without long-term shelter, and individuals living with no shelter at all.
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Funding, bureaucracy threaten Mercedes low-income community
MERCEDES — The small television, the pink bedroom décor, the family photos that fill every inch of wall space and counter surface — these are the things that make Elida Garcia’s apartment a home.
The 73-year-old has lived in the same one-bedroom unit at Mercedes Palms Apartments — a government-subsidized, low-income housing complex — for more than a quarter of her life. And over time, the space has collected enough knickknacks, assorted curios and other bits of life detritus to make the apartment more than just a place to live.
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A Good Return on Investment
The recession has dealt a heavy blow to low-income families. Many have had to move in with relatives; those still lucky enough to live on their own typically are spending too much of their meager incomes on rent and utilities, which places them at clear risk of homelessness. The problem will only get worse as more people who have lost their homes to foreclosure flood into the rental market, driving up rents and putting even more pressure on lower-income families who are barely making ends meet.
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Sunday, October 4, 2009
Number of homeless families skyrocketing
SAN FRANCISCO — In 2007, Alice Mabry was raising her son, confident that with her ambition and education, things would only get brighter.
But in a matter of months she lost her job, and it all crumbled. The pair landed in a San Francisco homeless shelter.
“Never in a million years did I think I would end up in a shelter. I have a college education. Not me,” said 41-year-old Mabry. “But people can be one paycheck away from homelessness.”
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But in a matter of months she lost her job, and it all crumbled. The pair landed in a San Francisco homeless shelter.
“Never in a million years did I think I would end up in a shelter. I have a college education. Not me,” said 41-year-old Mabry. “But people can be one paycheck away from homelessness.”
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26,000 Families Slip into Poverty
Nearly 26,000 metro Atlanta families — with two parents and at least one kid — dropped below the poverty line in 2008, up a chilling 19 percent from the year before.
And the number of families receiving food stamps and other bare-bones public assistance rose 21 percent in the 20-county metro area, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today.
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And the number of families receiving food stamps and other bare-bones public assistance rose 21 percent in the 20-county metro area, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today.
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Childhood poverty rates on the rise
St. Paul, Minn. — A new report on child welfare in Minnesota predicts the number of children in poverty will jump by a one-third over the course of the current recession.
The Children's Defense Fund of Minnesota says while the economic downturn may last only a few months, it will leave a long and troubling legacy.
The organization's annual Kids Count report says more than 26,000 additional children fell into poverty in the first part of this decade. But twice that number could join their ranks during this recession alone.
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Friday, October 2, 2009
US income gap widens as poor take hit in recession
WASHINGTON -- The recession has hit middle-income and poor families hardest, widening the economic gap between the richest and poorest Americans as rippling job layoffs ravaged household budgets.
The wealthiest 10 percent of Americans -- those making more than $138,000 each year -- earned 11.4 times the roughly $12,000 made by those living near or below the poverty line in 2008, according to newly released census figures. That ratio was an increase from 11.2 in 2007 and the previous high of 11.22 in 2003.
The wealthiest 10 percent of Americans -- those making more than $138,000 each year -- earned 11.4 times the roughly $12,000 made by those living near or below the poverty line in 2008, according to newly released census figures. That ratio was an increase from 11.2 in 2007 and the previous high of 11.22 in 2003.
Achievement gaps narrowing in US schools since No Child Left Behind
The news from a major new education study is encouraging: Student achievement is going up, and the gaps in test scores between subgroups – such as between African-Americans and whites – are closing across all grade levels and subjects.
The study, released Thursday by the Center on Education Policy (CEP), examines student performance in all 50 states since 2002, when the No Child Left Behind Act took effect. It paid particular attention to the achievement gaps for minority and low-income students.
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$1.7 million grant focuses on homeless
SPRINGFIELD - The city on Monday announced that two local agencies will receive funds from a $1.7 million federal stimulus grant that will concentrate on homeless prevention efforts and the rapid re-housing of families.
HAP, Inc. is slated to receive $1,055,783 from the grant, and Catholic Charities is receiving $568,499, officials announced during a press conference at City Hall. The remaining funds will be used by the city for a computerized homeless reporting information system.
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HAP, Inc. is slated to receive $1,055,783 from the grant, and Catholic Charities is receiving $568,499, officials announced during a press conference at City Hall. The remaining funds will be used by the city for a computerized homeless reporting information system.
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Thursday, October 1, 2009
Census data show falling income
Reporting from Los Angeles and Denver - In 2008, the median household income in the United States plummeted 3.6% from the year before, and the percentage of people living in poverty soared to an 11-year high, recently released U.S. Census data reveal.
Economists say the bleak news -- which they blame on the slew of layoffs that have accompanied the economic downturn -- is significant, if not entirely surprising.
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Economists say the bleak news -- which they blame on the slew of layoffs that have accompanied the economic downturn -- is significant, if not entirely surprising.
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MAP Grants For Students On Chopping Block
One hundred and thirty-eight thousand Illinois college students find themselves caught right in the middle of the state budget crunch. Their MAP grant scholarships are on the chopping block.
On Tuesday, Gov. Pat Quinn held a rally at the University of Illinois at Chicago campus, vowing to restore low-income student funding. But, as CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports, Republicans are not on board, leaving students in limbo.
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Healthcare for poor strained by recession: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. recession has ramped up demand for Medicaid and states that manage the healthcare program for the poor are worried they may not be able to cover future costs, a study showed on Wednesday.
U.S. states have had to rely on federal stimulus funding to cover growing Medicaid costs as their revenues tumbled during the worst U.S. recession in 70 years, the study by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation found.
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U.S. states have had to rely on federal stimulus funding to cover growing Medicaid costs as their revenues tumbled during the worst U.S. recession in 70 years, the study by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation found.
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Struggling Families Look for Help at Resources Fair
More than 50 social service agencies in Brown County teamed up to spread the word about what they offer the community.
The groups set up booths at a resource fair at the Salvation Army in Green Bay on Tuesday. Churches, pantries, and staff with social service groups handed out information and talked with people about their programs.
Organizers say at least 250 people attended the two-and-a-half hour event.
"Trying to find help when they need it, trying to find what's available, and this is a very helpful place for them to come. It's a one-stop shop for them to come on in," Bonnie Kuhr, director of NEW Community Clinic, said.
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The groups set up booths at a resource fair at the Salvation Army in Green Bay on Tuesday. Churches, pantries, and staff with social service groups handed out information and talked with people about their programs.
Organizers say at least 250 people attended the two-and-a-half hour event.
"Trying to find help when they need it, trying to find what's available, and this is a very helpful place for them to come. It's a one-stop shop for them to come on in," Bonnie Kuhr, director of NEW Community Clinic, said.
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Homelessness adds to students' hurdles and schools' burdens
DURHAM -- In a cramped room with cinder-block walls, a linoleum floor, two bunk beds, a single dresser and a crib in the center of it all, 14-year-old Daniel King sat on the bottom of one bunk, leaning over a pre-algebra workbook.
It's the same room he has done homework in every night since school started -- in a homeless shelter where he lives with four other family members.
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Nonprofits scramble as Census reports rising poverty rates
The nation’s poverty rate has increased as the recession’s impact is felt by families across the country and local food banks and other nonprofits scramble to help meet growing needs.
The national poverty rate stood at 13.2 percent in 2008, an increase of just under 1 percent from 2007’s 12.5 percent, according to U.S. Census data released Tuesday.
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The national poverty rate stood at 13.2 percent in 2008, an increase of just under 1 percent from 2007’s 12.5 percent, according to U.S. Census data released Tuesday.
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Monday, September 28, 2009
3,500 children keep coverage in county
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 1422 and prevented more than 3,500 Yolo County children from losing health insurance.
"It's a significant number of children that would have been affected," Jackie Hausman, children's health coordinator with First 5 Yolo, said.
AB 1422 imposes a tax on managed care health insurance plans providing Medi-Cal, some funding from the federal government, a one-time donation from the state-level First 5, and increased premium fees.
"It's a significant number of children that would have been affected," Jackie Hausman, children's health coordinator with First 5 Yolo, said.
AB 1422 imposes a tax on managed care health insurance plans providing Medi-Cal, some funding from the federal government, a one-time donation from the state-level First 5, and increased premium fees.
Thousands get free medical care at event
More than 2,000 people came to Reliant Center to see doctors for free. Many of the people we talked to can't afford health insurance, especially in the rough economy. Some say it shows the need for health care reform.
Doctors, nurses and volunteers arrived at around 7am to see patients in what is believed to be the largest free clinic ever held in the United States. The National Association of Free Clinics said it decided to hold this event in Houston because this is where it felt the need is the greatest.
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Doctors, nurses and volunteers arrived at around 7am to see patients in what is believed to be the largest free clinic ever held in the United States. The National Association of Free Clinics said it decided to hold this event in Houston because this is where it felt the need is the greatest.
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One Man’s Trash ...
AMONG the traditional brick and clapboard structures that line the streets of this sleepy East Texas town, 70 miles north of Houston, a few houses stand out: their roofs are made of license plates, and their windows of crystal platters.
They are the creations of Dan Phillips, 64, who has had an astonishingly varied life, working as an intelligence officer in the Army, a college dance instructor, an antiques dealer and a syndicated cryptogram puzzle maker. About 12 years ago, Mr. Phillips began his latest career: building low-income housing out of trash.
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Homeless student numbers grow
The number of homeless students in Dubuque schools started increasing dramatically last school year.
While many sectors of Dubuque's economy appeared impervious to the national economic downturn, school officials were witnessing direct recessional effects on vulnerable local families.
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While many sectors of Dubuque's economy appeared impervious to the national economic downturn, school officials were witnessing direct recessional effects on vulnerable local families.
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Weatherization: Illinois gets $97 million in stimulus funds for homes
The federal government is sending $5 billion to states to weatherize the homes for low-income families, nearly as much as it has spent on weatherization since the government stepped in to cut heating bills for low-income people in the 1970s.
Illinois is flush with $97 million awarded over the summer -- nearly half the $242 million in stimulus weatherization money promised to the state -- and is taking applications from low-income families for free weatherization upgrades to their homes.
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Illinois is flush with $97 million awarded over the summer -- nearly half the $242 million in stimulus weatherization money promised to the state -- and is taking applications from low-income families for free weatherization upgrades to their homes.
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Friday, September 25, 2009
Matsui Introduces Legislation to Help Low-Income Americans Subscribe to the Internet
WASHINGTON, D.C. (OBSNews.com) - Today, Representative Doris O. Matsui (CA-05), a Member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, introduced legislation to expand the Universal Service Fund’s (USF) Lifeline Assistance program for universal broadband adoption. The bill, the Broadband Affordability Act of 2009, directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a broadband program that provides low-income Americans living in rural and urban areas with assistance in subscribing to affordable broadband internet service.
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MONTEREY COUNTY'S HOMELESS GET STIMULUS: $1.6 MILLION FOR ASSISTANCE
Help is on the way for fighting homelessness in Monterey County.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office announced plans Tuesday to distribute its federal allotment of nearly $43 million to fight homelessness in California, with $1.6 million coming to Monterey County.
The stimulus funds, which come from the federal Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program, are to be used for short-term rental assistance for homeless families, and for families and individuals with homes who are on the verge of becoming homeless.
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Rent a big burden for half of Chicago renters
More than half of Chicago's renters are paying more than a third of their income for housing, according to a new report from the Chicago-based Metropolitan Tenants Organization.
Fifty-three percent of renters fell into this so-called "rent-burdened" category in 2007, up from 40 percent in 2000, the report showed. The percentage of renters who pay 50 percent or more of their income for rent grew from 21 percent to nearly 30 percent.
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Fifty-three percent of renters fell into this so-called "rent-burdened" category in 2007, up from 40 percent in 2000, the report showed. The percentage of renters who pay 50 percent or more of their income for rent grew from 21 percent to nearly 30 percent.
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Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Surge in Homeless Pupils Strains Schools
SHEVILLE, N.C. — In the small trailer her family rented over the summer, 9-year-old Charity Crowell picked out the green and purple outfit she would wear on the first day of school. She vowed to try harder and bring her grades back up from the C’s she got last spring — a dismal semester when her parents lost their jobs and car and the family was evicted and migrated through friends’ houses and a motel.
Charity is one child in a national surge of homeless schoolchildren that is driven by relentless unemployment and foreclosures. The rise, to more than one million students without stable housing by last spring, has tested budget-battered school districts as they try to carry out their responsibilities — and the federal mandate — to salvage education for children whose lives are filled with insecurity and turmoil.
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Monday, September 21, 2009
A Medical School in Florida is Pairing Students With Low-Income Families
Miami - At the start of the new school year, a dream is finally coming true for Hanadys Ale.
She has wanted a career in medicine since girlhood, when she saw how compassionately a doctor treated her grandmother at their home in Cuba. But she interrupted her medical studies to move to Miami with her family. Now, having mastered English, she's back on track as one of 43 students in the inaugural class of the new medical school at Florida International University (FIU).
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The price is right
When San Diego got the go-ahead two years ago to withdraw from the federal government's long-standing public housing program, it came with the proviso that the city create a relatively modest 350 new housing units for low-income households.
The feds would be happy to learn that the city's housing agency intends to nearly triple that, thanks to a battered economy that has greatly depressed housing values.
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Prison dads try to break cycle
CHESHIRE, Conn.—When prison inmate Jordan Rambert, 19, contemplates his 2-year-old son's future, he imagines they are close and his son doesn't get into trouble.
Rambert, who is from New Haven, is serving 3 1/2 years at Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire for drug possession. At the prison, he has been taking a course on how to be a good parent.
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Rambert, who is from New Haven, is serving 3 1/2 years at Manson Youth Institution in Cheshire for drug possession. At the prison, he has been taking a course on how to be a good parent.
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Momentum grows for national jobs march in Pittsburgh
With the Sept. 4 announcement that unemployment in the U.S. has hit an official high of 9.7 percent, organizing for the National March for Jobs on Sept. 20 in Pittsburgh and the Tent City in Solidarity with the Unemployed has reached a critical stage. Unemployed workers and their allies will be in Pittsburgh at the same time the G-20 Group of major capitalist countries will be holding their summit in that city.
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Pax Christi NJ Helps Organize Statewide Vigils to Keep Families Together
EWARK, NJ (September 15, 2009) - Ten communities throughout New Jersey are holding "Children’s Vigils" today as a part of a coordinated campaign by Pax Christi NJ and NJ Advocates for Immigrant Detainees called "We Are One Human Family" in support of children at risk of family separation because of immigration detentions or deportations. Immigrant rights advocates and religious leaders will gather with families at churches, parks and town halls in Bridgeton, Dumont, Freehold, Hightstown, Jersey City, Highland Park, Keyport, Montclair, Morristown, and Newark in support of the rights of millions of children living in families in which at least one parent is an immigrant.
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Help for homeless on the way to S.A.
Sitting in a room at Motel 6 with his wife and two daughters who have little more than the clothes they are wearing, Jeffrey Ryan is in tears.
His wife, Deborah, and daughters, Brittany, 13, and Kaylan, 10, try to console him. This is no vacation.
As much as the girls like to swim in the motel pool, they know why they are there. Just days earlier, the family was at Miller’s Pond Park wondering where they would sleep. They know that if SAMMinistries hadn’t helped by paying for the motel room, they could be living in that park.
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His wife, Deborah, and daughters, Brittany, 13, and Kaylan, 10, try to console him. This is no vacation.
As much as the girls like to swim in the motel pool, they know why they are there. Just days earlier, the family was at Miller’s Pond Park wondering where they would sleep. They know that if SAMMinistries hadn’t helped by paying for the motel room, they could be living in that park.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A ‘Little Judge’ Who Rejects Foreclosures, Brooklyn Style
The judge waves you into his chambers in the State Supreme Court building in Brooklyn, past the caveat taped to his wall — “Be sure brain in gear before engaging mouth” — and into his inner office, where foreclosure motions are piled high enough to form a minor Alpine chain.
"I don't want to put a family on the street unless it's legitimate," Justice Arthur M. Schack said.
Every week, the nation’s mightiest banks come to his court seeking to take the homes of New Yorkers who cannot pay their mortgages. And nearly as often, the judge says, they file foreclosure papers speckled with errors.
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Monday, August 31, 2009
Homeless Beatings Widespread on YouTube
There are 86,000 videos available on YouTube depicting brutal beatings of homeless people.
Videos of homeless people, subject to brutal beatings and forced into humiliating acts, are apparently becoming more popular online according to a report released by the AFP. The videos are so horrible that US lawmakers are now taking action against the filmmakers, seeking harsher penalties for hate crimes against those poor and hungry souls living off the streets.
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Videos of homeless people, subject to brutal beatings and forced into humiliating acts, are apparently becoming more popular online according to a report released by the AFP. The videos are so horrible that US lawmakers are now taking action against the filmmakers, seeking harsher penalties for hate crimes against those poor and hungry souls living off the streets.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Unshackling Prison Reform
Rioting inmates in Chino recently torched a dormitory, ravaged five other dorms and destroyed 1,200 beds. Roughly 1,300 convicts participated and 175 were injured. The state caught a break.
No guard was hurt. And no prisoner was killed.
"It turned out better than we thought," says Matthew Cate, the state's prison boss as secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
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'Better to Be Deported Alive Than to Be Dead'
Ulises Martinez received the first call on a cold January morning, a stern voice shocking him through his cellphone. His in-laws had been taken hostage after a grueling border crossing from the Mexican desert into Arizona. Martinez would have to pay $3,000 to secure their release.
"I am not responsible for what will happen to them if you do not pay the money," the voice said. He would dismember the in-laws and dump them in the desert if Martinez didn't pay up. It was $3,000 Martinez, a 40-year-old Alexandria mechanic with a wife and toddler, didn't have and couldn't get.
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Quantcast 'Which Way Home' tracks child migrants' dangerous journeys
It was the anguish of a 9-year-old child that made Rebecca Cammisa vow to press on.
When the filmmaker first met the Honduran boy named José at a detention center in southern Mexico, he was alone, scared and crying. He was one of an estimated tens of thousands of Latin American children who annually try to cross illegally into the United States, many by riding the tops of railroad freight cars, most in search of work or missing parents.
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Friday, August 21, 2009
Stimulus Money to Help Parents Find Work to Pay Child Support
Federal stimulus money has created 21 jobs in the state, that in turn helps parents find jobs so they can pay child support. The Fatherhood Program is a state-provided service that helps unemployed moms and dads find work by paying for job training and connecting them with job placement resources in their communities. Its staff is doubling. With a couple hundred thousand dollars in federal stimulus money, the Department of Human Services is hiring 21 more agents to act as advocates for unemployed parents.
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Stimulus funds start flowing locally to help weatherize low-income homes
The Lovato family's 1954 brick home in central Phoenix is one of the first in Arizona to receive federal stimulus money aimed at making lower- income residences more energy efficient.
With the mercury in 100-plus-degree territory, construction workers Wednesday replaced a leaky duct system, upgraded air-conditioning units and spread insulation in the attic of a home in the St. Gregory neighborhood, the first sign weatherization stimulus dollars finally are flowing into the local economy.
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More low-income kids could be college boun
Washington is having great success so far with a new program designed to get low-income kids planning early for a college education. The state-wide program is called College Bound, and even though it has only been around for two years, this year it has already seen its enrollment double from last year. By catching kids early in their school career, while they still have time to get prepared for college, College Bound promises middle school kids who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch a scholarship covering tuition and books at Washington’s two- and four-year public colleges and universities, and many of its private schools too.
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Workforce Solutions receives stimulus funds to pay for child care
San Antonio-area parents in need of child care as they look for a job, go to school or seek job training will have help from the federal government.
Workforce Solutions Alamo received $17 million from the federal government as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund up to 22 months of child care for qualified parents. The goal of the investment is to provide available child care to single or low-income parents as they either look for jobs or upgrade their skills to get better jobs. Parents will pay a portion of the cost of child care based on their income level and number of children at home.
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Workforce Solutions Alamo received $17 million from the federal government as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund up to 22 months of child care for qualified parents. The goal of the investment is to provide available child care to single or low-income parents as they either look for jobs or upgrade their skills to get better jobs. Parents will pay a portion of the cost of child care based on their income level and number of children at home.
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Baby steps and big gains
CHELSEA - Two years after opening a small day-care center in her apartment, Jacqueline Bedoya is expanding. Where she was previously allowed to care for as many as six children, her license to operate the business was upgraded to allow as many as 10. She hired her 18-year-old daughter as an assistant, and thanks to the income she’ll get from the additional clients, she and her husband were able to buy a three-family home to accommodate the business.
Bedoya, 37, is one of about 90 Latino entrepreneurs who recently completed a program at the Urban College of Boston aimed at opening or expanding home-based day-care centers, and generating economic activity in low-income neighborhoods. The program has helped Bedoya, who emigrated from Colombia about 10 years ago, transform herself from a low-wage worker cleaning hotels, offices, and hospitals into a business owner with her own home.
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Final Day at Free Clinic
As the Remote Area Medical Foundation’s huge, free health clinic winds up its eight-day run at the Forum in Inglewood this evening, organizers said they expected to be able to treat all patients who were given wristbands – or refer them to doctors who will provide free care.
More photos During the organization’s first venture into a large, urban city -- and its longest-running health clinic in its 25-year history -- volunteer dentists and doctors helped deliver free medical care to thousands of patients. Many seeking care camped out overnight or slept in their cars; hundreds of others were turned away. Some had traveled from as far as San Francisco and Phoenix for the chance to be treated.
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Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Back to School Summer Splash gets kids ready to hit the books
Nearly 700 families poured into Opa-locka Airport on Aug. 8, but they weren't going anywhere. Instead, nearly 500 children from Miami Gardens, Liberty City and Opa-locka received free book bags with school supplies to help them get a jump on the beginning of the upcoming year.
The Carrie Meek Foundation, in conjunction with Portrait of Empowerment and The Children's Trust, held its first Back to School Summer Splash to reach out to children ``and give back to the community.''
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Joe Arpaio vs. ACLU: New Lawsuit Tomorrow Over Worksite Raid
The Arizona ACLU isn't giving out any details, but they've just issued a press advisory that at noon tomorrow they will announce a lawsuit, "on behalf of two Avondale residents who were illegally arrested and detained during a worksite raid conducted by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office."
Though the ACLU's mum for the moment, my hunch is that the lawsuit will involve the February raid on Handyman Maintenance Inc., a county vendor located in Phoenix. During that bust, some 60 suspected illegal aliens ended up being arrested.
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Homeless housing programs move forward
Three Snohomish County agencies will share more than $2 million to increase housing units for low-income and homeless families and individuals.
Under the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), Snohomish County Human Services will distribute nearly $2.2 million to the Housing Authority of Snohomish County, Washington Home of Your Own and Home For Good. Each will construct new properties at foreclosed locations or purchase foreclosed homes for rent to low-income and homeless families.
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Under the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), Snohomish County Human Services will distribute nearly $2.2 million to the Housing Authority of Snohomish County, Washington Home of Your Own and Home For Good. Each will construct new properties at foreclosed locations or purchase foreclosed homes for rent to low-income and homeless families.
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Low-income families in Brown County face travel hurdles, data show
Low-income families in Brown County continue to need cheaper, more reliable transportation to help them get food, shelter, jobs and medical care, according to recent data collected by Brown County United Way and other agencies.
Calls to the 2-1-1 information service and online use of that data, which is provided through a program funded by the Brown County United Way that links people with social services in the community, indicate that families continue to need assistance for gas money and bus fare.
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Calls to the 2-1-1 information service and online use of that data, which is provided through a program funded by the Brown County United Way that links people with social services in the community, indicate that families continue to need assistance for gas money and bus fare.
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Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Immigration official says agents will no longer have quotas
The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced today that he has ended quotas on a controversial program designed to go after illegal immigrants who have ignored deportation orders and that he planned to make more changes to the program soon.
John Morton, who took over as head of the federal agency in May, said during a meeting with reporters in Los Angeles that the program needs to do what it was created to do -- target absconders who have already had their day in court.
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John Morton, who took over as head of the federal agency in May, said during a meeting with reporters in Los Angeles that the program needs to do what it was created to do -- target absconders who have already had their day in court.
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Monday, August 17, 2009
Atlanta homeless shelter another victim of poor economy
The Salvation Army will not open its nearly completed homeless shelter for families because the tanking economy has left the nonprofit without money to operate it.
Maj. James Seiler, the Salvation Army’s Atlanta area commander, said donations dropped at the same time more people asked for help.
It has given out $665,000 more in emergency aid this year than last. That wiped out more than the $600,000 estimated cost to run the new shelter for its first year.
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Helping foreclosed homes, families at the same time
Habitat for Humanity does good work. To place families in homes is to build communities and to make the world a better place.
Now, in cities around the country, Habitat has turned its attention to foreclosed homes. Rather than build from scratch, Habitat refurbishes houses that have been left vacant by foreclosure. It’s a brilliant idea, again placing needy families into homes, but in the process filling empty houses and lifting the spirits (and property values) of neighborhoods.
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Now, in cities around the country, Habitat has turned its attention to foreclosed homes. Rather than build from scratch, Habitat refurbishes houses that have been left vacant by foreclosure. It’s a brilliant idea, again placing needy families into homes, but in the process filling empty houses and lifting the spirits (and property values) of neighborhoods.
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Small immigration victories
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Last week I discussed the first of two relatively small victories in the ongoing battle against the inhumane treatment of undocumented immigrants. The first occurred in nearby Roswell, New Mexico and the second is national in scope.
On August 6 the Obama administration announced plans to revamp the scattered network of immigration detention centers into one centralized system designed for civil detainees. The primary motivation seems to reduce ongoing rash of needless deaths of immigrants in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or their private contractors such as the Corrections Corporation of America.
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State schools get $1.6M for homeless kids
Programs funding the education of homeless children attending public schools in Wisconsin are expanding, thanks to federal stimulus money.
Gov. Jim Doyle and State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers announced on Monday that $1.6 million in grants have been awarded to 30 school districts across the state to provide a variety of assistance to homeless children and their families.
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Gov. Jim Doyle and State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers announced on Monday that $1.6 million in grants have been awarded to 30 school districts across the state to provide a variety of assistance to homeless children and their families.
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More U.S. students to need free meals
WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. students who receive free and reduced-cost meals at school could soar to a 41-year high this school year, as record job losses and high unemployment push thousands more children into poverty, many for the first time.
According to projections by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at least 18.5 million low-income students are expected to participate in the National School Lunch Program each day during the 2009-10 school year. More than 8.5 million are expected to take advantage of the federal School Breakfast Program.
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According to projections by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at least 18.5 million low-income students are expected to participate in the National School Lunch Program each day during the 2009-10 school year. More than 8.5 million are expected to take advantage of the federal School Breakfast Program.
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Downturn Brings A New Face to Homelessness
PONTIAC, Mich. -- The lowest point in Lawanda Madden's life came in February, when she woke up on the floor of her friend's run-down house in this city battered by recession. She was shivering with cold. She remembers turning to her 8-year-old son, Jovon, and thinking: "How did this happen to us? How did we become homeless?"
Only 15 months before, Madden, 39, had a $35,000-a-year job, a two-bedroom apartment and a car. She was far from rich, but she could treat Jovon to the movies. She occasionally visited her sister in Chicago and bowled in a local league. She dreamed of going to law school. Then she was laid off and lost everything.
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Friday, August 14, 2009
Low-income children on brink of losing health insurance coverage as state budget cuts hit home
SACRAMENTO - Several hundred thousand low-income children face losing their health insurance beginning Oct. 1 under a decision Thursday by the state panel that oversees California's Healthy Families program.
The vote is a result of $175 million in cuts to Healthy Families as part of last month's budget-balancing package. It came despite an $81.4 million contribution to the insurance program from a statewide commission that gets money from a voter-approved tax on tobacco products to pay for early childhood efforts.
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The vote is a result of $175 million in cuts to Healthy Families as part of last month's budget-balancing package. It came despite an $81.4 million contribution to the insurance program from a statewide commission that gets money from a voter-approved tax on tobacco products to pay for early childhood efforts.
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Thursday, August 13, 2009
Children's Walk
This video is from August 7. 2009 Children's Walk for Family Unity. The kids do the talking here. Adults everywhere can learn from this.
A Government Hand in Helping the Poor Save
Should local government help the poor save for a rainy day?
Middle-income Americans are already encouraged to save through a variety of government policies such as 401(k)’s and Individual Retirement Accounts. In addition, tax breaks on mortgages encourage home ownership as another means of saving money.
These kinds of inducements happen almost exclusively through the tax code and largely bypass the poor. The poor are less likely to own homes or have retirement accounts. And since they pay little or nothing in the way of taxes, tax breaks are not effective incentives.
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Middle-income Americans are already encouraged to save through a variety of government policies such as 401(k)’s and Individual Retirement Accounts. In addition, tax breaks on mortgages encourage home ownership as another means of saving money.
These kinds of inducements happen almost exclusively through the tax code and largely bypass the poor. The poor are less likely to own homes or have retirement accounts. And since they pay little or nothing in the way of taxes, tax breaks are not effective incentives.
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IMPROVING SAVINGS INCENTIVES FOR THE POOR
Low-income workers have a low rate of saving their after-tax income. The Federal Reserve reports that only one-third of families in the bottom fifth (incomes of less than $20,291) saved any of their income in 2007, compared to almost three-fifths of households in the middle fifth (incomes between $39,000 and $62,000). Without savings, low-income families have no resources to invest in efforts to increase their human capital, such as education and job training to improve their skills, or in physical assets such as housing and transportation to help them move out of poverty, says D. Sean Shurtleff, a policy analyst with the National Center for Policy Analysis.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Obama Sets Immigration Changes for 2010
Mr. Obama predicted that he would be successful but acknowledged the challenges, saying, “I’ve got a lot on my plate.” He added that there would almost certainly be “demagogues out there who try to suggest that any form or pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable.”
But in the most detailed outline yet of his timetable, the president said that he expected Congress, after completing work on health care, energy and financial regulation, to draft immigration bills this year. He said he would begin work on getting the measures passed in 2010.
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But in the most detailed outline yet of his timetable, the president said that he expected Congress, after completing work on health care, energy and financial regulation, to draft immigration bills this year. He said he would begin work on getting the measures passed in 2010.
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Back to school spree: Billionaire, feds give out $175M to aid neediest students around the state
A $200 back-to-school giveaway for needy kids sparked a mad rush for money on the streets of New York on Tuesday.
"It's free money!" said Alecia Rumph, 26, who waited in a Morris Park, Bronx, line 300 people deep for the cash to buy uniforms and book bags for her two kids.
"Thank God for Obama. He's looking out for us."
Thousands of people lined up at banks and check-cashing shops to withdraw the cash that magically appeared on their electronic benefit cards.
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Low-income families often rely too heavily on costly financial services
Millions of low-income families rely on check-cashing companies, money orders and payday loans to handle basic financial needs -- costly services that can undermine tight household budgets -- even as evidence shows many are receptive to buying on layaway and even contributing to retirement savings plans.
"In a sense, we are living in the richest nation in human history, yet it's stunning that nearly 50 million people are living below a living wage," said Eldar Shafir, a professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University who contributed to the book, "Insufficient Funds: Savings, Assets, Credit and Banking Among Low-Income Households."
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