Human Services
Community Building
Digest

A new report published by Mathematica describes promising strategies for building community collaborations and partnerships, as well as preliminary themes that may be helpful for programs, communities, and policymakers interested in developing, implementing, and supporting child care partnerships. Focusing on Early Head Start, the authors note that many partnerships have succeeded in expanding access and improving quality, although challenges remain, especially when state licensing requirements differ from partners' performance standards. Achieving and maintaining continuity of care has also been challenging.

http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/pdfs/redirect.asp?strSite=partnership.pdf

Presents an in-depth look at the challenges presented by the evaluation of Early Head Start, which required the cooperation of multiple levels of research and program partnerships.  Examines some of the benefits of this new paradigm in evaluative research and describes creative responses to its challenges in the context of a large-scale evaluation. 

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue18/pp2.html

It’s My Life: A Framework for Youth Transitioning from Foster Care to Successful Adulthood

For the thousands of young people who “age out” of foster care each year, the transition to self-sufficiency may require a strong safety net of support services.  A new publication released by Casey Family Programs outlines principles and practices designed to help youth discover their own power by drawing on their strengths to identify and pursue healthy futures.

http://www.casey.org/transition.htm

**Community Development

 Repeal of CAP Requirements for Credit Unions

John Taylor, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition responded to the repeal of the Community Action Plan Requirement for Credit Unions.  The repeal will have an adverse impact on the financing options for people of modest means.

http://www.webclipper.org/homepage3395/index_show.htm?doc_id=108573&frame_id=1131

Impact of CRA is Waning

According to a study from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University the impact of the Community Reinvestment Act is waning because of how the financial services industry has evolved.  Twenty-five years after Congress passed it, the Community Reinvestment Act is still opening the door to home ownership for minorities and low-income consumers by enabling them to obtain home loans, according to a newly released study. From 1993 through 2000, CRA-regulated entities made "significantly more" loans to low-income consumers and communities than they would have if CRA didn't exist, it says. Typically, mortgage bankers and mortgage brokers, however, aren't covered by the CRA.

http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/communityreinvestment/clips2002/hla.htm

**Education

Out of School Resources

Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) has just released four new publications on evaluation and out-of-school time.  You can find all of these publications in the Resources & Publications section of the Out-of-School Time area of the HFRP website

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/resources.html

Youth Involvement in Evaluation & Research

This first brief draws on information collected from interviews with 14 programs that are involving youth in their evaluation and research efforts.  It examines the elements of successful youth-involved research projects and offers short profiles of the 14 organizations included in the study.

Evaluation of 21st Century Community Learning Center Programs: A Guide for State Education Agencies

The second brief in the series offers an in-depth look at the new 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) evaluation requirements and provides practical suggestions about how to implement state and local 21^st CCLC evaluation.

Logic Model Basics for Out-of-School Time Programs

Logic models are a powerful tool for illustrating a program's theory of change to program staff, partners, funders, and evaluators and they provide a point of reference against which progress can be measured on an ongoing basis. This brief offers a basic review of logic models and how to construct them.

Selected Evaluation Terms

This resource defines commonly used evaluation terminology and provides answers to frequently asked evaluation questions.

**Health

"Constrained Innovation in Managing Care for High-Risk Seniors in Medicare+Choice Risk Plans"

A report from Mathematica Policy Research presents a case study of four well regarded managed care organizations found that they made numerous innovations to improve care delivery for elderly Medicare beneficiaries with chronic illnesses and disabilities.  Yet these innovations were constrained by Medicare+Choice contracts and lack of clear evidence on the cost-saving potential of many services.  The study raises important issues about the potential of Medicare+Choice to enhance care for frail elders, at a time when the program is in jeopardy.

http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/PDFs/redirect.asp?strSite=constrained.pdf

 Abolishing the Medicaid Ghetto: Putting ‘Patients First’

A report from the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council reports that state Medicaid spending will crowd out spending for every other state program in twenty years and is unsustainable in its current form.  The group says that Congress should give the states all responsibility for implementation and administration of Medicaid and mandate a change from Medicaid’s welfare-entitlement-style structure to a market-oriented defined contribution structure.

http://www.alec.org

"Changes in Insurance Coverage: 1994-2000 and Beyond,"

A study by the Urban Institute finds that while enrollment in employer-sponsored health insurance plans surged by nearly 16 million during the economic boom of the 1990s, the percentage of uninsured Americans remained the same, according to a new article published on the Health Affairs Web site.

Press Release: http://www.urban.org/ViewPub.cfm?PublicationID=7625

Abstract of Article: http://www.urban.org/ViewPub.cfm?PublicationID=7626

**Housing

This brief from the Urban Institute examines the incidence of housing assistance for a nationally representative sample of families in 1999, focusing on receipt by recent welfare status. The analysis compares housing assistance receipt among current and former welfare recipients, as well as families not on welfare in the previous two years, and examines the impact of housing assistance on employment, income, housing costs, and other outcomes of well being.

http://www.urban.org/ViewPub.cfm?PublicationID=7635

PDF: http://www.urban.org/Uploadedpdf/410458_importance_of_housing_benefits.pdf

Making Work Pay for Public Housing Residents: Lessons from the Jobs-Plus Demonstration

The Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation has just released a new brief that reviews the policies relevant to recommendations for changes in housing programs to support working families, including extending earned income disregards to Section 8 families and expanding escrow savings accounts through the Family Self-Sufficiency program.

http://www.mdrc.org/Reports2002/JobsPlusPolicyBrief/JobsPlus_PolicyBriefFull.htm

Housing Strategies to Strengthen Welfare Policy and Support Working Families

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and The Brookings Institution Center on Urban & Metropolitan Policy have issued a paper which summarizes recent research on the connection between affordable housing and success at work, and makes a series of policy recommendations for welfare reauthorization and related housing legislation.

http://www.cbpp.org/4-15-02hous.pdf

**Hunger and Nutrition

Using Dietary Reference Intake-Based Methods to Estimate the Prevalence of Inadequate Nutrition Intake Among School-Aged Children

The April 2002. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, examines the extent to which school age children fail to get enough vitamins and minerals. Finds that while most children consume enough of most vitamins and minerals, high percentages of children have inadequate intakes of vitamin E, folate, magnesium, and phosphorus.  Nutrient intakes for teenage girls are particularly low, with more than one in five having inadequate intakes of zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C in addition to the four nutrients listed previously. Reprints available while supply lasts; call 609-275-2350.

http://www.eatright.org/journal/currentissue.html

**Juvenile Justice

The Impact of Teen Court on Young Offenders

http://www.urban.org/ViewPub.cfm?PublicationID=7637

http://www.urban.org/ViewPub.cfm?PublicationID=7636

http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410457.pdf

**Technology and Nonprofits

Online Discussion on Database and Information Management Starts April 22

Starting Monday, April 22, the Dot Org Media project, will be moderating a week long national online event on TechSoup.org about 'Databases and Information Management.' 

http://www.techsoup.org/adopting_tech.cfm

**Welfare Reform

Opinions on Welfare Reform Less Polarized

As Congress revisits the subject of welfare reform by considering whether or not to reauthorize its historic 1996 legislation, the public opinion climate on the subject has become less polarized, according to research by Greg Shaw of Illinois Wesleyan University and Robert Shapiro of Columbia University.

http://www.iwu.edu/~iwunews/newsrlse/nrelease.html

Transitional Jobs Programs: Stepping Stones to Unsubsidized Employment.

A report from Mathematica Policy Research examines six transitional jobs programs to provide insights into the model and its potential for serving hard-to-employ TANF recipients. Notes that these programs, which expand on the "work first" approach by providing a wage, a more flexible environment, and individualized services, can help participants bridge the gap between the worlds of welfare and work. More than 80 percent of those who completed a transitional program were placed in a permanent, unsubsidized job. Some programs follow up with job retention efforts for as long as two years after participation ends.

http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/PDFs/redirect.asp?strSite=lessonsbrief.pdf

http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/PDFs/redirect.asp?strSite=transitionalreport.pdf

Iowa Families That Left TANF: How Are They Faring Two Years Later?

Another report from Mathematica Policy Research finds that families leaving welfare in spring 1999 were doing slightly better financially two years after leaving than they had been one year earlier, but more than half still had income around the poverty line. In addition, some families were experiencing hardships such as hunger and housing instability at the two-year mark.

http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/PDFs/redirect.asp?strSite=iowatwoyears.pdf

At What Price? A Cost Analysis of the Administration's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Work Participation Proposal

An analysis from the Center on Law and Social Policy (CLASP) concludes that the five-year costs of complying with the Administration's proposed work requirement provisions, assuming a flat TANF caseload, are in the range of $15.1 billion above what states would otherwise spend under current law.

Analysis: http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/At_What_Price_analysis.pdf

Appendices: http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/At_What_Price_appendices.pdf

Tables: http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/At_What_Price_tables.pdf

Also available from CLASP

Testimony of Jodie Levin-Epstein.  This testimony, presented to the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Resources, on April 11, 2002, highlights some of the key child well-being issues that should be addressed during reauthorization of the TANF block grant.

http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/Levin-Epstein_4-11-02_testimony.htm

Testimony of Steve Savner.  This testimony, presented to the Senate Finance Committee on April 10, 2002, focuses on reauthorization of the 1996 welfare law and on issues concerning the law's work requirements and access to supportive services for low-income families, particularly former welfare recipients. 

http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/Savner_4-10-02_testimony.htm

Testimony of Mark H. Greenberg.  This testimony, presented to a joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy, and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Subcommittee on Children and Families, on March 19, 2002, focuses on the role of child care in helping families enter and sustain employment, on the experience of states in operating child care subsidy programs, and on issues Congress faces reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant and the TANF block grant.

http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/mark%20greenberg%20testimony%203-19.htm

Testimony of Mark H. Greenberg.  This testimony, presented to the House

Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Resources, on March 7, 2002, focuses on the implementation of work requirements and time limits in state programs under the 1996 welfare law, as well as on potential issues for reauthorization.

http://www.clasp.org/pubs/TANF/Testimony%20of%20Mark%20Greenberg%203-7.pdf

On Fridays throughout the year, CLASP hosts a series of audio conferences on issues related to welfare reauthorization. Each call includes a panel of three to five national and state policy experts. All calls take place from 12:30 to 1:30 pm (ET). The next calls focus on the following topics:

May 3: Couples and Marriage

May 17: Families and Work

http://www.clasp.org/audioconference/2002_brochure.htm

To register on-line, visit: http://www.shop-clasp.org/