Making
the Juvenile Justice - Workforce System Connection for Re-entering Young
Offenders: A Guide for Local Practice
This
guidebook from the Center for Law and Social
Policy is designed to provide advice from the field to communities who are
interested in pursuing more formal connections-or strengthening existing
connections-between the workforce and justice systems. It draws on experiences
in eight communities and focuses on on-the-ground challenges and solutions
related to blending the cultures, adapting programming, engaging employers, and
meeting performance.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/11/making_the_juve.php
**Civic
Engagement
Rich
to the Rescue
These are
exciting times in the traditionally quiet world of philanthropy, as a growing
cadre of the newly wealthy promises to change the world - as well as the face
of charitable giving. Americans'
generous donations rose by 6 percent last year to $260 billion, keeping pace at
a relatively stable 2 percent of GDP over time.
The young corporate leaders sharing their wealth at midlife (rather than
in their wills) also herald a new style of giving.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/12/rich_to_the_res.php
**Community
Development
HUD
Announces $45.5 Million to Give At-Risk Young People Careers Building
Affordable Housing
Thousands
of these "at-risk" young people are looking forward to graduation and
careers in homebuilding because of $45.5 million in grants announced by the
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Youthbuild grants announced today will offer
job training and leadership skills to an estimated 3,075 young people.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/12/hud_announces_4.php
FEMA
Ordered to Restore Evacuees’ Housing Aid
FEMA has to
restore housing assistance and pay back rent to thousands of Hurricane Katrina
evacuees who had been deemed ineligible for long-term housing assistance, a
federal judge ruled yesterday. The judge
from the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, wrote that the agency also had to
improve an appeals process that evacuees had long said was confusing, contradictory
and amounted to an arbitrary denial of help.
The suit
was brought by Acorn, a housing advocacy group that runs the Katrina Survivors
Association.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/11/fema_ordered_to.php
**Economic
Security
As
Holidays Approach, Data Show High Rates of Hardship for African Americans and
Latinos
A new Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of data on hardships faced by
American families --- based on an annual survey the Administration plans to
eliminate this fiscal year --- shows that between one-fourth and one-third of
all African American and Latino citizen families experience difficulty
affording food, lack needed medical care, and/or live in overcrowded
conditions. This disparity largely
reflects the fact that poverty rates are several times higher for African
American and Latino families than for white families.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/12/as_holidays_app.php
Catholic
Charities Agencies Face Increasing Requests for Help this Holiday Season
A new
survey of Catholic Charities agencies across the country shows requests for
help are growing much faster than the money to provide assistance, putting
continued strain on social services during the holiday season. Agencies reported by a 3-to-1 margin (76
percent), that local agencies believe that it will be harder to meet the needs
of those they serve this holiday season because the need is greater. The survey also highlights the fact that the increasing
numbers of working poor are going to Catholic Charities agencies in search of
assistance.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/11/that_catholic_c.php
State
Mininum Wages and State Earned Income Tax Credits
Make Work Pay
According
to the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities, in recent years, federal policies aimed at
ensuring adequate income for working families have not kept up with inflation,
leaving many working families struggling to make ends meet. Other policies such as the federal Earned
Income Tax Credit (EITC) have not been adjusted sufficiently to take up the
slack. State minimum wages and state
Earned Income Tax Credits provide substantial benefits to working families when
enacted separately, but they are especially valuable when both policies are in
place.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/12/state_mininum_w.php
State
Minimum Wages: A Policy that Works
According
to the Economic Policy Institute, although
the federal minimum wage last rose in September 1997, minimum wages in the United States have not been static since then.
Through the end of 2005, 17 states and the District of Columbia raised their minimum wages a total
of 47 times. What is the effect of these state policies? The new Briefing
Paper, State Minimum Wages: A Policy That Works, is an
in-depth analysis that shows that wages are higher and employment is no lower
in these states than they would have been without the changes.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/11/state_minimum_w.php
**Education
SAT
Gauges More Than Collegiate Success
New
research shows that the SAT may go far beyond predicting college success; when
taken in the early teens, it may actually foretell a person's success and life
satisfaction after university. According
to Vanderbilt University psychology researchers, high SAT
scores at young ages can reveal individuals who have cognitive and creative
potential for future success as doctors, engineers and professors.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/11/sat_gauges_more.php
**Health
SCHIP
101: What Is the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and How Does It
Work?
The SCHIP
program will expire in 2007 unless it is reauthorized by Congress. Reauthorization provides an opportunity to
review how SCHIP works, examine what has been learned about children's health
coverage in the last 10 years, and discuss what Congress must do to continue
the progress made in reducing the number of uninsured children. More information on children's health
coverage through SCHIP and Medicaid is available on the Families USA Web.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/12/schip_101_what.php
**Hunger
and Nutrition
More
People Participated in Food Stamps in August 2006 Than
in August 2005, But Many Eligible People Missed
In August
2006 food stamp participation at 26,127,843 persons was up over the month by
136,800 people. At a time when more than
35 million people in the US face a constant struggle against
hunger, continuing to strengthen the reach of the Food Stamp Program is
vital. Food Stamp Program growth in
recent years reflects continuing wage stagnation, state actions to improve
access, the effects of the 2002 food stamp reauthorization implementation, and
disaster relief.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/12/more_people_par.php
**Substance
Abuse
Study
Says Industry Antismoking Ads Encourage Smoking
Antismoking
ads produced by the tobacco industry not only don't prevent youth smoking but
sometimes actually encourage teens to smoke, according to researchers who
studied more than 100,000 teens. The
lead researcher from the University of Illinois suggested that ads telling teens
not to smoke because their parents don't want them to is a case of the tobacco
industry using reverse psychology.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/11/study_says_indu.php
House
Passes Underage-Drinking Prevention Bill
A bill
that's being called the first national legislation to focus exclusively on
underage-drinking prevention has been overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House
of Representatives, and now heads to the Senate for consideration. "The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimated the number of underage deaths due to excessive alcohol use
at 4,554 a year. The bill was supported
by groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the
Center for Science in the Public Interest, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of
America, the Center for Alcohol Marketing to Youth, and the American Medical
Association.
http://webclipper.handsnet.org/mt-static/archives/2006/11/house_passes_un.php
