|
NATIONAL HOUSING TRUST UPDATE
The National Housing Trust Fund
Campaign had two major back-to-back victories in the House committee before
opponents were able to knock the National Housing Trust Fund amendment out of
the omnibus housing legislation being considered-but even that defeat resulted
in an amendment that would provide several hundred million dollars a year for
affordable housing. Action should continue in the House when Congress returns
in September.
http://64.95.130.47/webx?13@@.1dce37ec
SENATE COMMITTEE PASSES HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION
APPPROPRIATIONS BILLS
On July 25th, the Senate
Appropriations Committee passed the fiscal year (FY) 2003 appropriations bill
for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the larger
VA-HUD bill (S. 2797). The committee also approved the Department of
Transportation (DOT) appropriations bill (S. 2808).
http://64.95.130.47/webx?13@@.1dce3958
FED ANNOUNCES FINAL CHANGES TO HMDA
The Federal Reserve Board
announced last month its latest revisions to the regulations implementing the
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). This announcement, made June 21, 2002, answers three questions on which the Board requested additional public
comment back in January, when it made substantial changes to the HMDA
regulations.
http://64.95.130.47/webx?13@@.1dce3957
**Children, Youth & Families
New
Data: Nearly 5 Million Children in America are Needlessly Uninsured
Nearly 5 million children in the
United States who currently lack health insurance are eligible for low-cost
or free health care coverage through the State Children’s Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) or Medicaid, but they are not enrolled. Covering
Kids released new state-by-state
data, compiled by the Urban Institute, that quantify the number of children
who are needlessly uninsured. Using these data to illustrate the need to reach
families immediately, Covering Kids launched the Back-to-School 2002
enrollment drive.
http://www.coveringkids.org/entrypoints/press/display.php3?PressReleaseID=5
State Youth Policy: Helping All Youth to Grow Up Fully
Prepared and Fully Engaged,
The Forum for Youth Investment has released a publication on
State Youth Policy which finds that while all states have put in place scores
of youth polices, no state can claim to have a single, coherent youth policy
that serves as a lens for assessing and planning overall efforts. But
across the country, innovative states are moving in that direction, developing
more coordinated approaches to youth policy.
http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org/issues/policyresources.htm
Running Out of Time: Voices of Parents
Struggling to Move From Welfare to Work
An Economic Roundtable report
commissioned by the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council Foundation
analyzes survey and focus group responses from 8,536 poor parents, that
included current and past CalWORKS recipients as well as non-recipients in Los
Angeles County in 2002. The report explores employment status; barriers to
employment; the types of help poor parents need to obtain and retain
employment; and other concerns based upon CalWORKS recipient status, English
fluency, education, age, family status, ethnicity, gender and other factors.
Lack of childcare was the most frequently identified barrier to getting good
jobs.
http://www.economicrt.org/download/form.html
How Family Structure and Living Arrangements Affect Children
An article in Poverty Research News finds that research on
how to promote successful marriages is lacking, despite evidence that a family
structure based on a strong marriage between two biological parents provides
the best environment for children. Studies of trends in family structure and
their effects on children are reviewed in this article.
http://www.jcpr.org/newsletters/Vol6_no3/articles.html#story_2
New Findings Show Direct Link between Loss of TANF Benefits and Children
Suffering
Significant findings that document a relationship between
loss of TANF benefits and children suffering from ill health and inadequate
food in their homes have just been published by a group of medical researchers.
Pediatricians and other researchers conducted a six-city study of the impact of
TANF sanctions on the health of infants and toddlers (under age 3) and found
that children in families that lost benefits because of non-compliance with TANF
rules were more likely to have been hospitalized and to go without food
compared with families that did not lose benefits. The findings have been
published in the July 2002 edition of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent
Medicine http://dcc2.bumc.bu.edu/csnappublic/Welfaresanctions.htm
**Community Development
Chicago
Public-Housing Residents Gain from Move to Private Market
New research from the Urban Institute finds that former
residents of Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) apartments who moved to
private-market units report substantial improvements in their overall
well-being. But providing effective transition and counseling services to CHA's
remaining residents — many with complex needs — is the key to getting more
people into private-market housing.
http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=PressReleases&NavMenuID=4&PublicationID=7804&Template=/TaggedContent/PressReleases.cfm
Youth Engagement in Community Development
The Summer 2002 issue of Making
Waves: Canada s Community Economic Development Magazine focuses on the
engagement of young people in community-based economic development and the
direction in which this next generation of CED leaders will take the movement.
http://www.cedworks.com/cgibin/loadpage.cgi?id+fs_wvs.html
Racial Justice: The Role of Civil Legal Assistance
An article by Alan W. Houseman of the
Center for Law and Social Policy argues that the
civil legal aid and state justice communities need to give greater priority and
commitment to race-based advocacy. The article provides some specific
examples--from the federal anti-discrimination laws to use to office hiring
practices--of how these communities can better pursue racial justice.
PDF: http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1027446141.52/Racial_Justice.pdf
**Disabilities
New HHS Office on Disability
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the
creation of the HHS Office on Disability to oversee the coordination,
development and implementation of programs and special initiatives within HHS
that impact people with disabilities. The new office is part of the Bush
Administration’s, New Freedom Initiative, a comprehensive plan to tear down
barriers facing people with disabilities, which prevent them from fully
participating in community life.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20020731d.html
**Education
Making Sense of Test-Based Accountability
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 makes test-based
accountability a requirement for all 50 states. But systems that attach high
stakes to standardized test results have raised a number of issues about
educational assessment and accountability. A new book from RAND Education offers recommendations
for more effective test-based accountability systems. Available for free
online.
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1554
Resolving
Conflict Creatively Program Program Prevents Violence in Elementary Schools
The Promising Practices Network reports on a program that
creates a more caring and peaceful school environment. Based on the theory that
aggressive and violent behaviors are learned and therefore can be affected
through education, this program aims to prevent violence through promotion of
positive conflict resolution and understanding of different cultures.
http://www.promisingpractices.net/program.asp?programid=119
**Health
Seniors
and Prescription Drugs: An 8-State Survey
 A new study
conducted by researchers at Tufts-New England Medical Center, the Henry J.
Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Commonwealth Fund, reports results from a
2001 survey. The study finds nearly one quarter of seniors (22%) reported
skipping medications or not filling prescriptions due to costs and a similar
share (23%) reported spending at least $100 per month on their medications in
2001. The survey also finds that access and scope of drug coverage depend substantially
on where seniors live. Even in states with the highest rates of prescription
drug coverage, roughly one in five seniors lacked drug coverage.
http://www.kff.org/content/2002/6049/
Prescription
Drugs - Senate Fails to Approve Scaled-Back Medicare Drug Benefit But Approves
Generic Drug Bill
The Senate on July 31 defeated a
compromise Medicare prescription drug benefit proposal, the fourth rejection of
a benefit plan in a two week period, making it "highly unlikely"
Congress will enact a drug benefit this year. The proposal would have provided
comprehensive prescription drug coverage for Medicare beneficiaries with annual
incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level. The legislation would have
cost an estimated $395 billion over 10 years.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=12651
Preserving Medicaid in Tough Times: An Action Kit for State Advocates
As states become increasingly concerned about rising budget
deficits, they are turning to their Medicaid programs to find new ways to save
money. However, not only does Medicaid provide important services for state
residents, but it also helps bring in revenue in the form of federal matching
funds. The papers in this kit from Families USA provide arguments that
advocates can use when battling Medicaid budget cuts in their states.
http://www.familiesusa.org/Action%20Kit%20State%20Advocates/actionkit4stateadvocates.htm
Medicare
Drug Benefit Could Leave out Large Numbers of Beneficiaries under Limited
Federal Budget: Report Details How to Design a Benefit to Get Most for the
Money
A new report from The Commonwealth Fund finds that a Medicare drug plan
that is voluntary and will appeal to a wide range of beneficiaries while
helping those most in need, cannot be achieved for $350 billion, a figure that
is currently being debated in proposals before Congress. However, a carefully
designed benefit could protect low-income beneficiaries and place a cap on high
costs.
http://www.urban.org/ViewPub.cfm?PublicationID=7808
Initiative to Reduce Ethnic Disparities in Adult Immunization
The Department of Health and Human Services announced a new
adult immunization initiative to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in
vaccination coverage for adults 65 years of age and older. Through the Racial
and Ethnic Adult Disparities in Immunization Initiative (READII), HHS will
conduct two-year demonstration projects in five sites to improve vaccination
rates in African-American and Hispanic communities.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20020731a.html
**HIV/AIDS
Activism May Help Those With AIDS Cope Better With Illness
A recent article in the Journal of Social and Personal
Relationships, researchers report that social activism in groups such as ACT UP
may have a positive effect on the way people with AIDS and HIV cope with their
medical and psychological problems. The research team found that in comparison
with non-activists, activist group members used more problem-focused coping and
less emotion-focused coping; had greater knowledge of HIV-treatment information
sources; and had greater integration into networks of people living with HIV or
AIDS.
http://64.95.130.47/webx?13@@.1dce38cc
**Philanthropy and Grants
Newman's Own Accepting Applications from
Nonprofit Organizations
Actor Paul Newman donates all
profits from the sale of his Newman's Own products for educational and
charitable purposes. Since founding the company, Newman’s Own has donated more
than $125 million to thousands of charities. Grants are awarded annually to a
wide range of organizations. Eligible categories include children and youth,
health, education, elderly, the environment, the arts, literacy, substance
abuse education, and programs for the needy, including housing and food.
Deadline: September 1, 2002
http://www.newmansown.com/5b1_grants.html
The Home Depot Corporate Contributions Program
Funding is available to
nonprofit organizations that develop and sustain affordable housing in
low-income neighborhoods in communities where Home Depot has a presence.
Organizations directly involved with the creation or rehabilitation of
low-income housing, community development organizations, neighborhood housing
service organizations, and neighborhood revitalization groups may apply.
Funding is also available to programs that assist at-risk youth and to
organizations that direct efforts toward green-building design, recycling, lead
poisoning prevention, and protecting the environment. There are no application
deadlines. For further information call Cathi Uitermark, contributions
Coordinator: 770-433-8211.
http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=NAVIGATION&CNTKEY=compinfo%2fcommunity%2findex.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@1247471195.1028253335@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdhadcflemeeldcgelceffdfgidgkj.0
**Technology
Technology
and Grit at the Grassroots
-- New
Guidebook for Rural Development
Beginning in August, the National Center for Small
Communities (NCSC) is distributing 1,000 copies of Technology and Grit at the Grassroots: Information Technology,
Community Engagement, and Jobs in Distressed Rural Communities to
interested regional and statewide economic development and technology-related
organizations, associations and agencies. In trade, these organizations must
put the guidebook into the hands of small town leaders. The guidebook was
published with support from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic
Development Administration.
http://www.doleta.gov/usworkforce/leaving.asp?target=http://www.smallcommunities.org/ncsc/TechandGrit.htm
**Welfare Reform
A Working Solution -- Welfare Reform: The Next Generation
An article by Douglas W. Nelson, head of the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, posits that this year’s debate to reauthorize the federal welfare
law offers an opportunity both to further reduce welfare dependency and to
improve the quality of life for vulnerable children and families. Capturing
these opportunities, however, will require leaders to examine the evidence,
strengthen a bi-partisan consensus, and avoid unwarranted policy shifts that
might jeopardize the positive momentum generated since 1996.
http://www.aecf.org/publications/advocasey/summer2002/welfare_reform.htm
Side Effect of Welfare Law: The No-Parent
Family
An article in the New York Times
discusses that while studies last year showed that the share of the nation's
children living in single-parent households had declined in the late 1990's,
new research underscores a smaller, unwelcome trend: a rising share of
children, particularly black children in cities, are turning up in no-parent
households, left with relatives, friends or foster families without either
their mother or their father.
(Free registration required) http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/29/national/29WELF.html?ex=1028964202&ei=1&en=f34b56e0fd09c40d
Moving
People from Welfare to Work: Lessons from the National Evaluation of
Welfare-to-Work Strategies
The National Evaluation of Welfare to Work Strategies,
conducted by Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation studies work programs
which were initially run under the federal Family Support Act (FSA). Enacted in
1988, FSA required the government to provide education, employment, and support
services to adults receiving cash welfare assistance. The most recent federal
welfare reform legislation with its time limits on welfare receipt, its focus
on work, and its requirement that the entire welfare caseload work or receive
work-directed services fueled the already keen interest in the question of
which welfare-to-work approach is most effective at moving people from welfare
to work.
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/NEWWS/synthesis02/index.htm
|
