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Tell Congress to Make
Election Reform a Reality
From: CivilRights.org
Voters across the country
learned on Election Day 2004 that many aspects of the election system still
need improvement. Although the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) has spurred
states to begin the important task of implementing election reforms, there is
still considerable work to be done. HAVA seeks to address many of problems that
came to light in the 2000 election (and were still visible in 2004), including
improving disability access to polling places, creating new provisional
balloting procedures, developing statewide voter registration systems, training
poll workers, and educating voters on new procedures and equipment. These
reforms are critical, but expensive.
http://oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.civilrights.org%2Fissues%2Fenforcement%2Fdetails.cfm%3Fid%3D25332
**Children, Youth &
Families
“Beat the
Odds®” Alumni Meet in Washington to Discuss How America Can Help Children
Overcome Poverty and Family Setbacks
More than 60 other
extraordinary Beat the Odds ® alumni who in the past 14 years have been honored
by the Children's Defense Fund for achieving academic success despite major
childhood problems met at a symposium at Georgetown University Law Center on
how children and young people faced with poverty, violence, homelessness,
substance abuse and other problems can overcome such odds. The symposium
brought these winners together with government, policy, faith, youth and social
service leaders.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/pressreleases/041105.asp
Beat the Odds
Alumni and Their Stories
PDF: http://www.childrensdefense.org/beattheodds/bios.pdf
Supporting
Low-Income Families and Children: The Challenges Ahead for State And Local
Governments
A publication from the
Finance Project finds that state and local leaders are being squeezed by
demands for supports and services for children and families and budget
constraints resulting from the economy, tax policy, and federal funding. This
forum will examine the outlook for human services in the current fiscal
environment.
PDF: http://www.financeprojectinfo.org/publications/forum091404.pdf
October/November CLASP
Update
The latest update from the Center for Law and Social Policy
includes articles on immigrant children; various child support issues; 2004 HHS
bonuses; and the conditions of the working poor.
PDF: http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1100008620.65/OctNov04_Update.pdf
**Civic Engagement
What Nonprofit Leaders
Want
As President Bush was re-elected
to his second term last week, The Chronicle of Philanthropy asked nonprofit
leaders to recommend what steps he could take as he begins the new term to help
charities and foundations better serve society.
http://philanthropy.com/free/articles/v17/i03/03000701.htm
**Community Development
Sharing a Wealth of
Community Development Experience
United in their hunt for
capital, scores of Hispanic nonprofits are joining forces under the National
Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, formed recently to improve
information-sharing among community development corporations in an effort to
boost access to funding.
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=18913
Pulling
Apart: Economic Segregation in Suburbs and Cities
A new analysis of census data
by the Brookings Institution finds that economic segregation among
municipalities is rising, but trends vary significantly across time and in
different regions of the country.
http://www.brookings.org/metro/pubs/20041018_econsegregation.htm
 Community
Organizing in Chicago
According to the Community
News Project, Chicago is the birthplace of community organizing. No one is
certain whether it emerged here because of the power of its legendary
neighborhoods or their lack of power. Whichever, community organizing remains a
vital process in the life of the city.
http://www.newstips.org/interior.php?section=Chicago+Sources&main_id=184&topic
Community Investing, Under
Attack
According to the Brookings
Institution, new rules may be coming for smaller banks that many fear will
disproportionately hurt low- and moderate-income communities. This December,
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is expected to vote on easing
Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) examinations for the vast majority of banks
that they regulate. CRA encourages federally insured banks and thrifts to meet
the credit needs of low- and moderate-income communities. Banking regulators
examine banks and thrifts periodically on their CRA performance, and rate the
institutions. Regulators also consider an institution's CRA record in merger
applications.
http://www.brookings.org/metro/20041028_metroview.htm
CRF
USA Issues First Community Development Note Offering Rated by Standard &
Poor's
Community Reinvestment Fund
(CRF), USA, a nonprofit organization that fulfills funding needs of community-based
lenders by connecting them with the capital resources of Wall Street, announced
it closed the first note offering rated by Standard & Poor's to be backed
by community development loans. This achievement strengthens CRF's connection
to the capital markets while providing funding to small businesses in
underserved communities.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20041109006013&newsLang=en
**Economic Security
Red and Blue States
Can Unite Against Poverty
As the Dust Settles from
Election Day, Americans Should Unite Against Poverty - The Community Action
Partnership Calls on President Bush to Convene a White House Conference on
American Poverty. It is time for Americans, regardless of party affiliation,
to do the same. Because as viewers stayed glued to their televisions listening
to anchors banter about red and blue states, 110 Million Americans continued to
live in or near poverty.
http://www.communityactionpartnership.com/news.asp?id=263
Financial Access
for Immigrants
A conference report from the
Brookings Institution, finds that immigrants are much less likely than their
native-born counterparts to use a range of financial services—including savings
and checking accounts, business loans, and home mortgages.
http://www.brookings.org/comm/conferencereport/cr19.htm
**Education
Rule Changes Could Help
More Schools Meet Test Score Targets for the No Child Left Behind Act
The Center on Education
Policy analyzed the approved amendments to 35 NCLB state accountability plans.
In short, these changes are likely to have the effect of enabling more schools
to make adequate yearly progress.
PDF: http://www.ctredpol.org/nclb/StateAccountabilityPlanAmendmentsReportOct2004.pdf
Makeovers, Facelifts, or
Reconstructive Surgery: An Early Look At NCLB School
Restructuring In Michigan
According to the Center on
Education Policy, for the first time, several states are moving to
"restructure" underperforming schools, as required under the No Child
Left Behind Act. This report analyzes the NCLB restructuring policies and
practices in Michigan, and highlights the restructuring efforts in three
schools.
PDF: http://www.ctredpol.org/fededprograms/Michigan_Nov2004.pdf
**Health
For Nation, a Mixed Review
on Health
For the 15th time, the United
Health Foundation released its assessment of the health of the nation, and of
each state, as measured by a composite of 18 variables. http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/shr2004/index.html
Medicaid and Women: What's
at Stake?
The Kaiser Family Foundation
held a briefing to address how the Medicaid program works for women and discuss
what women have at stake in federal and state efforts to restructure the
program.
http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/whp111004pkg.cfm
Impoverished Youth have
Health Risks-Part VII
According to the 2004 Report
on Illinois Poverty, Breaking the Cycle of Poverty for Illinois Teens, youth
living in poverty are at increased risk for health-related problems. Poor
youth are more likely to experience obesity, diabetes and heart disease, as
well as mental health problems, such as depression. The Illinois Poverty Summit
is facilitated by Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, a
service-based human rights organization, and is intended to stimulate dialogue
about antipoverty initiatives in the state.
http://www.parisbeacon.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=256&Itemid=
Meet the Uninsured - Maine
An article from Maine Today
points out that silently, imperceptibly, the high cost of health insurance in Maine has
thrown up walls around low-income workers who earn too much to qualify for
government assistance but too little to afford plans with proper coverage, or
any at all. Nearly 11 percent of Mainers go without insurance - lower than the
national average but the highest rate in New
England, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau. That's one in eight non-elderly adults who run the daily risk of
financial hardship for themselves or their families should an accident or
serious illness strike.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/041107insurance.shtml
Survey Points to Gap in
Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics Training
The Commonwealth Foundation
finds that managing issues of development and behavior is essential for
providing comprehensive preventive care to young children and for treating many
acute and chronic health conditions. However, a new Web-based survey finds that
some pediatric faculty lack the expertise necessary to provide comprehensive
resident training in this subject.
http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=245576
**Homelessness
How to Count Homeless
People
A Guide to Counting
Unsheltered Homeless People has been published by the US Department of Housing
and Urban Development. The guide provides an overview of homeless
enumerations, describes several count methodologies, provides
"how-to" information on conducting a count, and offers sample forms
and referrals to communities who have conducted counts.
http://db.savicom.net/d0004/cgi-bin/archive.pl?action=display&list=weingart&msgid=1099952388.3812
**Hunger & Nutrition
People on Food
Stamps Can't Afford Heart-Healthy Meals
Most food stamp beneficiaries
can't afford heart-healthy food options, according to a study of low-income,
African-American-residents in a Boston neighborhood that was presented at the American Heart
Association's Scientific Sessions 2004. In Roxbury, Mass., a family of four
would need to spend $227 a month in excess of food stamp benefits to make
heart-healthy foods part of their daily diet, researchers said. A senior living
alone would need at least $100 extra.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-11/aha-pof110104.php
Food Stamp
Participation Increases in August 2004 to More Than 24.6 Million Persons
According to the Food
Research and Action Center, participation in the Food Stamp Program in August
2004 (the latest data available) increased by 217,639 persons from the previous
month, to 24,612,845 persons. Some of this increase was due to continuing high
rates of joblessness, states improving access, and the effects of the food
stamp reauthorization implementation.
http://www.frac.org/html/news/fsp/08.04_FSP.html
**Substance Abuse
HHS Announces New
Initiatives to Help Americans Quit Smoking
The Department of Health and
Human Services announced a series of initiatives designed to help Americans
quit smoking. The initiatives include the opening of a national quitline number
(1-800-QUITNOW) that puts users in touch with programs that can help them give
up tobacco. In addition, a new HHS Web site (www.smokefree.gov)
offers online advice and downloadable information to make cessation easier.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20041110.html
Study Identifies Most Effective Needle Exchange
Programs For Drug Addicts
According to a new RAND
Corporation study, drug addicts who participate in programs that allow them to
exchange an unlimited number of clean syringes are less likely to reuse
needles, reducing chances they will spread infectious diseases. As a result,
syringe exchange programs that limit the number of clean needles that
intravenous drug addicts can receive may not be as effective at preventing the
spread of HIV and other infectious diseases as programs that do not impose
limits.
http://www.rand.org/news/press.04/11.09b.html
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