Human Services
Community Building
Digest

From the National Employment Law Project (NELP):

Thanks to a great response to our sign-on letter from unemployed workers to President Bush we’ve reached our goal - over 1,000 workers from 40 states have signed the letter! We'll be sending it to the President and releasing it to the media in another week or so. There's still time to add your name - or to get your friends and colleagues to sign.

http://www.communitychange.org/alerts/alert.asp?art=310#2

CONTACT MEDICARE CONFEREES AND ASK THEM TO KEEP CURRENT ACCESS TO MEDICAID

From: National Health Law Center

Call the members of the conference committee for the Medicare bill and urge them not to balance the Medicare prescription drug budget on the back of low-income and disabled Medicare beneficiaries by cutting off their current access to the Medicaid program.

http://www.communitychange.org/alerts/alert.asp?art=310#3

**Children, Youth & Families

Protecting Children is Everyone's Business

The Children’s Defense Fund has produced a list of the 25 Things Individuals, Organizations and Businesses Can Do to Help Protect Children

http://www.childrensdefense.org/ss_25things.php

Children's Defense Fund Urges Congress to Extend Child Tax Credit before Passing More Corporate Tax Breaks

Children's Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman today called on the House of Representatives to extend the child tax credit to 12 million children in working poor families left behind by the Bush Administration's $350 billion tax cut before pushing for more corporate tax breaks. With Congress scheduled to adjourn in the next couple of weeks, Edelman said time is running out to help children in families with incomes of $10,500 to $26,625.

http://www.childrensdefense.org/release031031.php

Children are Less Likely to be Delinquent if Supervised after School

According to a Brown University study, children who are supervised after school are less likely to get into trouble than those who are home alone.  Among the study's conclusions: Childcare programs that accommodate school-age children are important for society.

http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2003-04/03-049.html

Childhood Obesity and Behavior Problems Linked

A study from the University of Michigan points to the importance of considering both mind and body in children's health.  Researchers report they have found a clear link between childhood obesity and behavior problems.  The study shows that children who have significant behavior problems, as described by their parents, are nearly three times as likely to be overweight as other children. And children with behavior problems are as much as five times more likely to become overweight later.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/uomh-sco103103.php

Children Whose Mothers are Depressed after Childbirth may be at Elevated Risk for Violence

In findings published in the journal of the American Psychological Association, children whose mothers are depressed after childbirth are at elevated risk for violence by age 11, especially if the mothers suffered repeated depression, according to new research involving British families.  The study also finds that in contrast to their peers, children whose mothers had been depressed at three months postpartum showed more diverse and severe aggressive behaviors than other children.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/apa-cwm_1102703.php

TV Can Teach Teens about Sex

According to research from RAND, TV entertainment programs can be a responsible sex educator for teenagers, and the likelihood that teens will learn an accurate lesson increases with parental reinforcement.

http://www.rand.org/hot/press.03/11.03.html

Families Left Behind: The Hidden Costs of Incarceration and Reentry

A policy brief from the Urban Institute is intended to help focus attention on the hidden costs of U.S. criminal justice policies.  With incarceration rates in America at record high levels, the criminal justice system now touches the lives of millions of children each year. The imprisonment of nearly three quarters of a million parents disrupts parent-child relationships, alters the networks of familial support, and places new burdens on governmental services such as schools, foster care, adoption agencies, and youth-serving organizations.

http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=8633

**Community Development

Tax Policy as Housing Policy

According to a new research brief from Brookings the Earned Income Tax Credit could provide a better tool for improving housing affordability than underfunded federal housing programs.

http://www.brookings.org/es/urban/publications/200310_Stegman.htm

**Disabilities

Committee on Disabilities Research Announces Progress and Recommendations

The Interagency Committee on Disability Research announces progress in several areas including rehabilitation, technology transfer, dissemination of disability statistics, and efforts to break down barriers to the disabled in education, the workforce, and public facilities.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/nsf-cod110503.php

Safety Net or Tangled Web?

A report from the Urban Institute describes 15 major public programs serving low-income, non-elderly adults with disabilities. The authors conclude that the safety net for low-income adults with disabilities is more like a tangled web of conflicting goals and gaps in needed services.  The authors discuss promising policy options that take a more coordinated approach in serving the complex needs of adults with disabilities.

http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=8637

Addressing the Needs of Youth with Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System

A report from the Urban Institute summarizes and assesses the state of knowledge about children and youth with disabilities who are at risk of delinquency and involvement in the juvenile justice system or have already entered it.  By highlighting what is known about addressing delinquency and the diverse needs among this population, it aims to inform policy discussions among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.

http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=8636

**Economic Security

Where Do Children in Low-Income Families Live?

A study from the National Center for Children in Poverty finds that two-thirds of children in low-income families live in the West or the South—a substantial increase in those regions from a decade ago. Immigration, jobs, and housing are among the biggest reasons for the geographical changes.

http://www.nccp.org/pub_liv03.html

Geography of Low-Income Families and Children (2003)

A new fact sheet: from the National Center for Children in Poverty points out that two out of three children in low-income families live in the West or the South and most of them live in rural areas. Children in low-income families were twice as likely to have moved in the past year compared to their more affluent peers.

http://www.nccp.org/pub_gfs03.html

Incumbent Worker Training for Low-Wage Workers

A publication from the Welfare Information Network finds that since the passage of welfare reform and the Workforce Investment Act, state and local agencies have helped many low-income individuals join the workforce. Yet helping these and other low-wage workers achieve good outcomes in the labor market¾promotions, wage increases, and job retention¾has been a struggle. There is growing interest in ways to combine work and learning to promote employment success among low-wage workers.  This Issue Note provides guidance to states and localities on funding incumbent worker training, improving access to training, working with employers, and designing investments in this type of training. For more information on workforce development for low-wage workers,

http://www.financeprojectinfo.org/Publications/incumbentworkertrainingIN.htm

State Policy Choices: Assets and Access to Public Assistance

A new fact sheet: from the National Center for Children in Poverty finds that even small levels of savings or a single car can make families ineligible for TANF cash assistance, food stamps, and public health insurance. State assets tests vary widely.

http://www.nccp.org/pub_afs03.html

A Shelter in the Storm: How a Subsidy Could Help Unemployed Workers Get Health Insurance

An issue brief from Families USA outlines how the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002 (TAARA) health insurance subsidy is one possible model for providing financial assistance to unemployed workers for the purchase of health coverage. It provides a subsidy, via the tax system, of 65 percent of the cost of purchasing health insurance coverage. Although the TAARA subsidy is currently available only to a very limited population and is still being implemented, early experience with the program provides some guidance for what a broader subsidy program should entail.

PDF:

http://www.familiesusa.org/site/DocServer/TAARA_expansion.pdf?docID=2161

Census Bureau's Uninsured Number Is Largest Increase in Past Decade

Families USA issued a statement regarding the latest census finding that the total number of uninsured in the United States now exceeds the cumulative population of 24 states and the District of Columbia.

http://www.familiesusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Media_Statement_Census_Bureau

**Education

Study Shows That Smaller Classes Can Improve Student Performance

The latest issue of Research Points, published by the American Educational Research Association describes that as leaders in local school districts and state legislatures across the country grapple with class sizes for students, research has shown that small classes can deliver lasting benefits, especially for minority and low-income students.  While there is strong evidence of academic improvement during the first two years spent in a small class, there is more ambiguity about the value of additional years.

http://www.aera.net/communications/news/103103.htm

Mentoring Programs for High School Aged Youth

A report issued by the Greater Dallas Chamber estimates that lost tax revenue nationwide for high school dropouts is approximately $71 billion over their lifetime because of their lower earning potential.  High school students who drop out of school before graduation not only earn less income and have significantly higher unemployment rates that graduates, they are more likely to have health problems, become welfare dependent, and engage in criminal activity.  Students most at risk of dropping out are more likely to be minority youth from poor and low-income households.  Mentoring programs can provide these students with emotional support, encourage them to be more involved in schooling, and help as they transition from school to work.

http://www.financeprojectinfo.org/Publications/mentoringprogramsRN.htm

**Health

Duke Leaders Propose Overhaul of Health Care and the Practice of Medicine

Leaders of Duke University Medical Center say that the U.S. health-care system is inefficient, wasteful, expensive, frequently inaccessible and in need of repair.  In a new article, researchers propose a plan for fixing the ailing health-care delivery system by applying the latest scientific tools, know-how and common sense. Their proposal calls for a major redirection of health care from treating disease to effectively preventing or minimizing it.

http://dukemednews.org/news/article.php?id=7173

Medicare Legislation: Updated Chartpack

The Commonwealth Fund has updated its Medicare chartpack.  As congressional leaders continue to work through some of the knottier issues in the proposed Medicare prescription drug legislation the updates include the latest Commonwealth Fund-supported research on this and related topics.  Medicare's Future: Current Picture, Trends, and Prescription Drug Policy Debate now has new information on how the proposed legislation would affect Medicare beneficiaries, particularly those with chronic illnesses or low incomes.

PDF: http://www.cmwf.org/programs/medfutur/medicarechtpk_debate_659.pdf

Medicare "Cost Containment" Proposal Includes Ideologically Loaded Provisions

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that the "cost containment" proposal being considered in the Medicare conference would erect measures that are inconsistent with Medicare's financing structure and result in misleading presentations of Medicare's finances. It would subject Medicare to a "double standard" as compared to tax cuts or other entitlement increases and could lead to increasingly radical changes in Medicare over time.

http://www.cbpp.org/11-5-03health.htm

Administration Proposal To Combine The Accounting Of Medicare Part A, Medicare Part B, And Prescription Drugs Is Unsound

An analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that a new Administration proposal to merge financing for all components of Medicare or otherwise to place a limit on general-revenue financing for Medicare as a whole would provoke an artificial insolvency crisis and could lead to deleterious changes in the program.

http://www.cbpp.org/11-3-03health.htm

Shortfalls in Health Care for Seniors

According to research from RAND, people 65 and older with health problems that make them vulnerable to losing their independence and ability to carry out daily activities fail to receive recommended medical care for age-related conditions about two-thirds of the time.

http://www.rand.org/hot/press.03/11.03b.html

Students of Mixed Races Report Suffering more Health Problems

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that involved surveying 90,000 adolescent U.S. students showed that those who considered themselves to be of mixed race were more likely than others to suffer from depression, substance abuse, sleep problems and various aches and pains.

http://www.unc.edu/news/newsserv/archives/oct03/udry10302003.html

Among Elderly, Depression more Prevalent in Hispanics and Blacks

A Northwestern University study has found that elderly Hispanics and African Americans have higher rates of depression than their white counterparts, due largely to greater health burdens and lack of health insurance.  The study, published in the November online issue of the American Journal of Public Health, showed that major depression was most prevalent among Hispanics – 10.8 percent - followed by almost 9 percent in African Americans and approximately 8 percent in whites in this age group.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-11/nu-aed110503.php

**Human Services Management

Outsourcing the Delivery of Human Services

An Issue Note from the Welfare Information Network focuses on outsourcing the delivery of human services.  The note provides an overview of the issue and suggests resources for more information. It also discusses how states and localities can ensure fair and competitive contracting processes; ensure equal access, due process, and customer satisfaction; and ensure outsourcing opportunities for faith- and community-based organizations.

http://www.financeprojectinfo.org/Publications/outsourcinghumanservicesIN.htm

**Hunger and Nutrition

FRAC School Breakfast Scorecard

The Food Research and Action Center finds that low income student participation in breakfast programs has doubled since 1990, but stalls in 2002-2003 on a key measure.  For at least 12 years, since FRAC began analyzing these data, the number of low-income children eating school breakfast as a proportion of those eating lunch had risen. From the 2001-2002 school year to the 2002-2003 school year, however, the ratio of 42.3 children at breakfast to every 100 at lunch remained unchanged.

http://www.frac.org/html/news/110403Breakfast.htm

USDA Report: Food Insecurity and Hunger Increase in U.S. for the Third Year in a Row

The Food Research and Action Center reports that data in a new US Department of Agriculture eport based on Census Bureau surveys show that food insecurity and hunger increased in the United States in 2002 for the third consecutive year.  Since 1999, food insecurity has increased by 3.9 million individuals–2.8 million adults and more than one million children.

http://www.frac.org/html/news/103103foodInsecurity.htm

**Legal Services

Securing Equal Justice for All: A Brief History of Civil Legal Assistance in the United States

A report from the Center for Law and Social Policy chronicles civil legal assistance for the low-income community in the United States from its privately funded beginnings, through its achievement of federal funding, to its expansion and growth into a national program operating throughout the United States. It also describes some of the political battles that have been fought around the legal services program and the restrictions that have come with government funding. It concludes with some brief thoughts about the future.

PDF: http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1068130577.17/Legal_Aid_History.pdf

**Philanthropy and Civic Engagement

Independent Sector Report Illustrates Philanthropic Potential of the American Baby Boom Generation

According to a new study by Independent Sector and AARP, the American Baby Boom generation represents the largest untapped pool of potential volunteers for the nonprofit community in recent history.  The new study entitled Experience at Work: Volunteering and Giving Among Americans 50 and Over finds that as Baby Boomers begin to approach retirement age, nonprofit organizations will be faced with unprecedented opportunities and challenges to engage this population.

http://www.independentsector.org/media/experiencePR.html

**Substance Abuse

Pregnant Women Who Smoke Heavily Increase Risk That Their Children Will Also Smoke Heavily Later in Life

In the first long-term study to assess the effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy and risk for nicotine dependence among offspring, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Brown Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island, have found that offspring of mothers who smoked a pack or more of cigarettes per day during pregnancy had a higher risk for developing nicotine dependence compared to children whose mothers didn't smoke during pregnancy.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/press11012003.html

**Welfare and Welfare Reform

Welfare Issue Guide

The Economic Policy Institute has produced a Welfare Issue Guide, a downloadable online resource that includes data, fact sheets, and links to other sources of information on this issue.  The guide is intended to provide better understanding of welfare issues and the pending Temporary Assistance for Needy Families reauthorization.

http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguide_welfare

House and Senate TANF Reauthorization Bills Would Not Free Up Large Sums for Child Care

An analysis from Center for Law and Social Policy questions the assertion that enacting pending Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) legislation would free up $2 billion for states to use for child care.  Making it easier for states to exhaust their reserves is no substitute for increasing federal child care funding.  Without additional federal child care funds, children will lose their child care subsidies and families will be less able to obtain and maintain employment.

http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1067983403.2/view_html