Human Services
Community Building
Digest

Members of the Hispanic Elected Local Officials (HELO) challenged Administration proposals to cut the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, indicating that if the funding for this critical program is reduced, cities and towns would be hard pressed to replace it.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=44317

Federal Budget Advocacy Toolkit Now Available for Local Catholic Charities

A tool kit is designed to help Catholic Charities staff advocate in support of federal poverty programs during the coming congressional deliberations over federal budget priorities.  Federal programs serving low-income communities will be under enormous budgetary pressure this year. As Congress debates ways to reduce the federal budget deficit, many proposals harmful to Medicaid, foster care, affordable housing, and other poverty programs will be placed on the table for consideration.

http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/advocacy/toolkit/index.cfm

**Children, Youth & Families

Children, Social Security, and Private Accounts: 10 Questions for Policymakers

The National Center for Children in Poverty highlights that Social Security has provided a retirement safety net for the elderly for more than six decades. But the program also provides working parents with valuable and irreplaceable insurance protection for their families against the tragedies of serious disability and death.  Given the importance of the survivor and disability components of Social Security, any responsible proposal for changing the program must address how the children and spouses of deceased workers, and disabled workers and their families would be affected.

http://www.nccp.org/pub_wsw05c.html

Why Social Security Matters to Children and Families: What Every Policymaker Should Know

The National Center for Children in Poverty highlights that over 5 million children benefit from Social Security’s dependents of workers who have died or become disabled, or as family members in households where an adult relies on Social Security. The program provides more benefits to children than any other social program.

http://www.nccp.org/pub_wsw05b.html

To Have and To Hold: Congressional Vows on Marriage and Sex

A paper from the Center for Law and Social Policy discusses what the government has already done to promote abstinence-unless-married programs and marriage, and what it proposes to do with the reauthorization of the welfare law. The article then discusses the relationship between marriage and pregnancy prevention, including research findings on the influence of childbearing on marriage. It concludes with some welfare reauthorization recommendations for Congress on this topic.

PDF: http://www.clasp.org/publications/have_and_hold.pdf

**Civil Society

Presidential Freedom Scholarships Available to Honor High School Students for Outstanding Service

The Corporation for National and Community Service announced that two students from every high school in the country are eligible to receive $1,000 Presidential Freedom Scholarships in recognition of their outstanding service to the community.  Nominations are open to high school juniors or seniors during the 2004-2005 academic year. The scholarship program provides $500 of the award, which must be matched with at least $500 from a community organization, civic group, or business.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=145-03142005&site=rss

Forthcoming Wealth Transfer among African-Americans Projected in New Report

A report from the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy provides new information on wealth and wealth transfer within the African-American community in the U.S. Researchers project between $1.1 trillion and $3.4 trillion will be transferred via these estates by 2055.  Their new report also includes statistical patterns and trends in income, wealth, and philanthropic giving among African-American households, as well as information on the capacity of African-American households to make charitable gifts and to leave charitable bequests during the same 55-year period.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/bc-fwt031105.php

Demography Is Not Destiny, Revisited

According to a new Commonwealth Fund report, though much has been made about the aging of America and the impending demographic challenges of a growing elderly population, planning for the future on the basis of demographic projections alone is a "fool's game."

http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=267164

**Community Development

Information and Market-Based Community Development

Two complementary papers from the Brookings Institution examine the role of information resources in spurring markets and creating investment strategies to boost urban neighborhoods. Together, both papers offer a framework for market-based community economic development, presenting business-planning tools for inner city communities.

http://www.brookings.org/metro/umi.htm

HUD Data Show Housing Voucher Costs Leveled Off Starting In 2003 As Rental Market Cooled

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Administration has pointed to "spiraling" costs for the Housing Choice Voucher program to justify radical changes in the program’s funding structure and the elimination of many key protections for low-income families. HUD and Treasury data indicate, however, that far from spiraling, growth both in the average cost of a voucher and overall expenditures under the Section 8 program have eased considerably since peaking in 2003.

http://www.cbpp.org/3-16-05hous.htm

**Economic Security

Testimony on TANF Reauthorization

Testimony from the Center for Law and Social Policy was presented to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness of the U.S. House of Representatives on March 15, 2005, focusing on the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. This testimony discusses the work and child care provisions of the 1996 welfare law, pending reauthorization proposals, and CLASP’s recommendations.

PDF: http://www.clasp.org/publications/greenberg_testimony_031505.pdf

Increasing State and Local Capacity for Cross-Systems Innovation: Assessing Flexibility and Opportunities under Current Law

A brief and paper from the Center for Law and Social Policy, written as part of a collaborative effort with the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Hudson Institute, and in consultation with a range of state and federal policymakers, provide recommendations for federal action on cross-program state and local service integration efforts.  The authors analyze the flexibility, opportunities, and barriers under current federal law with respect to cross-program integration and collaboration.

Brief – PDF: http://www.clasp.org/publications/clasp_hudson_brief.pdf

Full Paper - PDF: http://www.clasp.org/publications/clasp_hudson_paper.pdf

Disparities in Knowledge of the EITC

According to the Urban Institute the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), administered through the federal income tax system, is the largest cash assistance program for low-income families. Data from the 2001 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) show large disparities in who knows about the EITC amongst families with income below twice poverty.  Only a small portion (27.1 percent) of low-income Hispanic parents know about the EITC-significantly less than their peers of other races and ethnicities. http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/ViewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=9201

**Education

Staying Positive when Helping a Child with Homework Stimulates Motivation

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that although helping children with homework was often frustrating for mothers; their staying positive appeared to promote persistence in the children.  There was a carryover as well: Over time, the children in the study were more motivated in school. They valued the learning process and saw it as enjoyable.  The children also experienced emotional benefits when their mothers kept the interactions around homework positive.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/uoia-spw031405.php

Small Schools Make Rural Communities more Prosperous

A Cornell University sociologist finds that rural villages with their own schools are significantly more prosperous and stable than villages without schools on almost every measure of economic and social well-being.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/cuns-ssm031605.php

**Health

Explosion of Child Obesity Predicted to Shorten US Life Expectancy

It's been assumed that U.S. life expectancy would rise indefinitely, but a new data analysis, published as a special report in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that this trend is about to reverse itself - due to the rapid rise in obesity, especially among children.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/chb-eoc031605.php

Consensus on Childhood Obesity Recommends Classification as Disease

A consensus statement on childhood obesity reflects the conclusions from an international summit and includes a controversial recommendation to classify obesity as a disease.  Pediatric obesity is now recognized as a major medical and health problem all over the world. Researchers have found that children who are obese have a higher risk for adult obesity, which is strongly associated with many serious medical complications that impair quality of life and lead to additional increased health risks

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/es-coc031105.php

AHA Applauds Congressional Action to Get Children More Active

According to the American Heart Association the passage in the House of Representatives of a six-year funding measure for transportation marked a vote for improving our children's fitness,. The legislation - the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users - authorizes $284 billion over six years for federal highways and includes $1 billion for Safe Routes to School programs.  Safe Routes to School programs encourage children to walk and bike to school by promoting safety and improving access within communities and around schools.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=44252

Treating Depression Helps Slow Physical Decline in Older Adults

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have found that successful treatment of depression not only improves older adults' emotional health, but also helps them perform such daily activities as remembering to take medications.  Prior clinical trials of successful treatment of depression in this age group reported improvement in emotional functioning, but had not demonstrated that improved emotional health also translated into improved physical health. Older adults with depression report persistent greater functional impairment than those without depression.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/iu-tdh031405.php

Minorities, Poor, Uneducated Bear the Burden

An American Heart Association special journal report finds that disparities in health care are pervasive in America. These disparities adversely impact the cardiovascular health of Americans, especially African Americans, Hispanics, poor and uneducated people.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/aha-mpu030905.php

Awareness of Disparities in Care Remains Low for Cardiologists

According to the RAND Organization, just one-third of cardiologists participating in a national survey believe there are ethnic or racial disparities in the care given to heart patients in the U.S., despite overwhelming evidence that such disparities routinely occur.

http://www.rand.org/news/press.05/03.15.html

Community Care Tops Medical Care at Preventing Heart Disease in Black Americans, But Health Inequalities Persist

An analysis by researchers at Johns Hopkins finds that upgraded community health services, including checkups by phone or in person with a local nurse practitioner at a neighborhood clinic, and free charge cards for medications are almost nine times more likely to benefit black Americans at greater risk of heart disease than full-service physician care alone.

http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20050311.140123&time=21%2000%20PST&year=2005&public=1

Medicaid Enrollment at Late Stages may Partly Explain Poor Outcomes for Cancer

A new study published in the journal of the American Cancer Society concludes that the unavailability of health insurance prior to Medicaid enrollment may contribute to poor outcomes in the Medicaid-insured cancer population.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/jws-mea030905.php

Navigating Medicare and Medicaid: Resource Guides for People with Disabilities, Their Families, and Their Advocates

Guides from The Kaiser Family Foundation explain the critical role Medicare and Medicaid have come to play in the lives and the futures of roughly 20 million children, adults, and seniors with disabilities - and give people with disabilities new information to help them get the most from these programs.

http://www.kff.org/medicare/med020705pkg.cfm

**Homelessness

Four National Organizations Brief Congressional Staff on Growing Problem of Family Homelessness

On Friday, March 18, five national organizations—Catholic Charities USA, Volunteers of America, the Child Welfare League of America, the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, and the National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness—briefed congressional staff on the growing problem of family homelessness. Requests for emergency shelter by homeless families have increased every year since 1985, with an average increase of 7 percent in 2004.

http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/news/content_displays.cfm?fuseaction=display_document&id=551&location=3

**Substance Abuse

Empowering Community Coalitions to Prevent Substance Abuse

Substance abuse exacts a high toll in local communities, and implementing prevention programs can be difficult. A joint project of RAND and the University of South Carolina is trying to aid community coalitions to prevent substance abuse and improve health.

http://www.rand.org/health/projects/substance_abuse/

Teenage Highs and Lows

A Cardiff University scientist, in collaboration with a colleague in the USA has found that involvement with other substances (alcohol and cigarettes), delinquency and school problems have been established as the three most important risk factors in identifying teenagers at risk of continued involvement with marijuana.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-03/cu-tha031605.php

Colo.: Should Addicted Moms Be Treated or Punished?

Colorado lawmakers agreed that giving birth to a baby born addicted to illicit drugs is a form of child abuse, but what to do about the problem remains a bone of contention.  The child-abuse measure won approval from both the state House and Senate, but Senate members balked at a provision that would have allowed judges to terminate parental rights of mothers who failed in treatment before giving birth.

http://www.jointogether.org/saredirect/?Object_ID=576398&Type=sa