Human Services
Community Building
Digest

From: Institute for the Study of Civic Values

The Institute for the Study of Civic Values has put together a new online resource guide on the Bush Budget that provides access to the budget itself and the best analysis of what it will mean for jobs, community security, education, housing and community development, the environment and for federal resources available to strengthen our communities and America itself.  The Institute for the Study of Civic Values believes that whatever we are doing locally to strengthen our communities will be hard hit by this budget over the next few years. This online resource guide makes that clear.

http://www.bushbudget.com

**Children, Youth & Families

Children's Defense Fund Reports Youth Employment Rate Fell to Lowest Level for January in 39 Years

The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) said that only 34 percent of teenagers age 16-19 were employed (part- or full-time) in January 2004, marking the lowest youth employment rate for the month of January since 1965. This finding, based on Labor Department figures, comes on the heels of the Bush Administration slashing nearly a third of a billion dollars from youth employment programs during the last two years, CDF noted.

http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/040218.asp

Ratings of Teen-Rated Video Games do not Always fully Describe Content

Researchers at the Center for Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston and the Kids Risk Project at the Harvard School of Public Health find that the only rigorous, independent, and quantitative analysis based on actual play of Teen-rated video games shows that industry ratings do not always fully describe the content of video games.  Researchers surmised that the results of this study and the recent glimpse of popular teen culture that parents saw in the Super Bowl half-time show should serve as a wake-up call to parents to pay attention to what's in their children's media diets.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/chb-rot021204.php

Economic Status in Later Life among Women Who Raised Children Outside of Marriage

A report from the Urban Institute finds that many single mothers are likely to face special economic challenges in old age because they often have limited employment histories and cannot rely on husbands for financial support. This paper compares income, assets, and poverty rates by history of single motherhood for women ages 65 to 75. Controlling for education, current marital status, and race and ethnicity, the results show that women who spent 10 or more years raising dependent children outside of marriage are 55 percent more likely to live in poverty at ages 65 to 75 than women who were always married when their children were young.

http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/ViewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=8724

**Civic Engagement

Study Details Volunteer Management Capacity at U.S. Charities and Congregations, and Potential Enhancements

A study conducted by the Urban Institute gives the first clear picture of volunteer management capacity among a large sample of community organizations in the United States. It shows that: most charities do indeed utilize volunteers; charities and congregations greatly value the contributions those volunteers make to improving services and cutting costs; volunteer management practices have taken root in these organizations; and many organizations want to take on more volunteers.

http://www.nationalservice.org/news/pr/021904.html

Why don't Women Run for Office? Less Confidence and Encouragement

A study to be published in the American Journal of Political Science found that women have as much success being elected as men but they are not as likely to consider running for office.  The study found two major factors at work: Women are not as likely as men to view themselves as qualified to hold office, and they are not as likely to receive encouragement from party leaders to become candidates.

http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2003-04/03-074.html

Service Learning and Rigorous Academics at Independent Schools Help Students Develop into Community-Minded Adults

According to a federally funded longitudinal study of the experiences of students from public, Catholic, private, and Independent (NAIS) schools who were eighth graders in 1988, while slightly more than one out of five survey participants reported volunteering in civic events (22.1 percent), nearly one- third of NAIS school graduates (31.8 percent) said that they regularly participate in voluntary activities in their communities. NAIS students are also nearly twice as likely to volunteer to work for political campaigns and political causes. And NAIS school graduates are committed to exercising g their civic duty as voters.

PDF: http://www.nais.org/docs/pdf/NELSReport_2-3-04_FINAL.pdf

**Community Development

Rural Americans' Internet Use Has Grown, But They Continue to Lag Behind Others

A new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that there has been steady penetration of the Internet into rural areas in recent years and more than half of rural adults -- 52 percent -- now go online. However, a corresponding rise in the percentage of urban and suburban residents going online has left a persistent gap between rural areas and the rest of the country. Some 67 percent of urban residents and 66 percent of suburbanites are online.

http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=112

**Economic Security

California's Poorest Families Fare Better Than Expected in Recent Economic Slump - But Remain Worse Off Than in Earlier Decades

According to a study released by the Public Policy Institute of California, California's recent downturn has not hit poor residents nearly as hard as have recessions of the past - nor has it significantly increased poverty.  Despite gains in income in the past decade, the financial circumstances of low-income families have not improved enough to fully make up for the tremendous increase in income inequality and poverty that occurred during the 1970s and 1980s.

http://www.ppic.org/main/pressrelease.asp?i=475

Making HEA an Engine of Economic Productivity and Worker Prosperity.

A report from the Center for Law and Social Policy finds that the skill requirements of today’s and tomorrow’s jobs continue to rise—by 2020 it’s estimated that 15 million new jobs will require college preparation. This paper—from CLASP, the National Consumer Law Center, and the Workforce Alliance—argues that the U.S. can meet this increasing demand by modernizing the Higher Education Act (HEA) through reauthorization. It suggests ways Congress can better align HEA with the needs of employers and the realities of working adults’ lives.

PDF: http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1076341212.66/HEA_priorities.pdf

**Health

Diabetes Patients Skip Medications to Save Money

In a recent nationwide survey, University of Michigan Health System researchers found diabetes patients' prescription drugs costs – which frequently mounted above $100 a month – created a financial burden that led to increasing credit card debt, borrowing money from family or friends and even cutting back on basic needs such as food or heat.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/uomh-sdp021204.php

Seniors' Insurance, Not Need, Determines Drug Use

according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study published in Health Affairs, seniors with the most generous drug coverage were more likely than those with no or limited coverage to use the most costly prescription pain medication for osteoarthritis, even when less expensive over-the-counter drugs could be substituted,. http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w4.94v1/DC1

HUD Awards $31 Million to Assist People and Families Living with HIV/AIDS

The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the award of more than $31 million to help local housing programs across the country to better serve persons with HIV/AIDS and their families.  The funding announced today is part of HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program. Housing assistance and services funded by HOPWA are a vital part of the comprehensive system of care for those living with HIV/AIDS. A stable home environment is a critical component for low-income persons managing complex drug therapies and potential side effects from their treatments.

http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr04-015.cfm

**Hunger and Nutrition

The Hunger-Obesity Dilemma: Food Insecurity and Overweight High Among Low-Income Latino Mothers and Children

University of California researchers found that more than three-quarters of low-income Latino women in California were overweight or obese, while 22 percent of their young children were overweight. Yet about 60 percent of those living in low-income households were food-insecure, meaning that the families lacked access, at varying degrees, to nutritious foods at some time during each month.

http://californiaagriculture.ucop.edu/0401JFM/newsrel.html#TopArticles

**Welfare and Welfare Reform

Welfare Caseloads Increase in 27 States Between June and September 2003

According to the Center for Law and Social Policy between June and September 2003, 26 states and the District of Columbia reported welfare caseload increases, while 24 states reported decreases. Overall, the national caseload remained essentially flat, declining by 0.1 percent between June and September 2003. Over the past year (September 2002-September 2003), the national caseload increased by 0.4 percent, and 30 states had caseload increases. CLASP collected this new data on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseloads through September 2003 from 50 states and the District of Columbia.

PDF: http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1077051715.36/Q3_2003_TANF_caseload.pdf

Integrating TANF and WIA Into a Single Workforce System: An Analysis of Legal Issues

According to the Center for Law and Social Policy a number of states and localities want to promote improved coordination or integration of workforce development efforts under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). This analysis identifies and analyzes legal issues presented by integrating TANF and WIA. This paper was written as part of a collaborative effort between the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, CLASP, and the Hudson Institute

http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1076610053.59/view_html

PDF – Summary: http://www.clasp.org/Pubs/DMS/Documents/1076609690.58/TANF-WIA_Integration_ES.pdf