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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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!"

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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."

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.


Read More

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

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

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.


Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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."

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read more

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.


Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read more

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.”

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

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.

Read More

$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.


Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.


Read More