HandsNet would like to thank all of you that have subscribed to the Weekly
Digest and WebClipper.
For those of you that have not paid for your subscription to the Digest using
Paypal, if you would like to continue receiving the HandsNet Weekly Digest,
please visit http://www.handsnet.org/PayHandsNet.htm.
************************************
The Digest will be on hiatus next week. The next issue of the Digest will
be on Friday December 6.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
************************************
ADD HANDSNET'S HEADLINE NEWS TO YOUR WEB SITE - Need fresh daily content
on a broad range of human services and low-income issues? HandsNet now makes
its popular daily news service available at no cost to nonprofit web sites.
A simple line of JavaScript on your site makes it easy to add Headlines.
Visit http://www.handsnet.org/addheadl.htm
to learn how.
**Children, Youth & Families
Census Data on Children, Families Now Available for New Congressional Districts
Data on children and families from the 2000 decennial Census reflecting the
newly drawn districts for the recently elected 108th Congress are now available
on the KIDS COUNT website. The new Congressional districts are the result
of the reapportionment and redistricting that occurred after the 2000 Census
results were released. The Congressional district data is part of a continuing
effort by the KIDS COUNT project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation to make
key information related to children and families easily accessible.
http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/census/
The
Cost of Protecting Vulnerable Children
A report highlights some of the findings from the Urban Institute's 2001
Child Welfare Survey finds that $20 billion was spent on child welfare services
in state fiscal year 2000, of which $2.3 billion came from Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF) funds.
HTML: http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=73&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=7989
PDF: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/310586_FactPerspectives.pdf
Child Living Arrangements by
Race and Income: A Supplementary Analysis
This supplementary analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
to the study "Declining Share of Children Lived with Single Mothers in
the Late 1990s,"which the Center issued on June 15, 2001, employs an
alternative methodology to provide a clearer picture of changes in living
arrangements within different income groups. It also briefly discusses possible
explanations for those changes.
http://www.cbpp.org/11-19-02wel.htm
Summary of Juvenile Justice Provisions in 21st Century
Department of Justice Appropriations Act
The Child Welfare League of America analyzes the legislation authorizing
U.S. Department of Justice programs that includes juvenile justice programs.
This new law makes changes to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Act (JJDPA), the major federal law governing the juvenile justice system.
With some minor exceptions, this law maintains the core protections for youth
in the juvenile justice system. The bill actually expands the protection
relating to disproportionate minority confinement to require states to look
at the disproportionate minority representation of all youth who come in contact
with the juvenile justice system-not just those confined.
http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/jjpnjja.htm
Engaging Youth Report Demonstrates the Lifelong Impact
of Youth Service
A new report from Independent Sector and Youth Service America illustrates
the strong impact of youth service on the giving and volunteering habits of
adults. Engaging
Youth in Lifelong Service reports that adults who engaged in volunteering
in their youth give more money and volunteer more time than adults who began
their philanthropy later in life. The report reveals that the community service
ethic instilled in youth influences the giving and volunteering patterns of
adults across every age group and income. This involvement creates a strong
pattern of civic engagement that persists into adulthood.
http://www.independentsector.org/media/engagingPR.html
Study: Parents 'Going It Alone' Despite Available Support
A survey and study released by Search Institute and the YMCA of the USA finds
that American parents are often hard-pressed and report a sense of "going
it alone." A majority of parents surveyed said they don't often seek
support in the vital and challenging task of raising children and teenagers.
According to "Building Strong Families" only 4 percent reported
seeking help from friends, family and community organizations.
http://www.ymca.net/sfz/bsf_study.htm
Online Library Will Open New Worlds for Children Everywhere
A partnership of government, non-profit, industry and academic organizations
have launched the world's largest international digital library for children.
"This is the beginning of a long-term project to provide children around
the world with access to literature from different cultures in a way that
is intuitive and accessible," said the director of the new library.
Since 1998, this team has included children as equal technology design partners
with faculty and student researchers in the University of Maryland’s Human-Computer
Interaction Lab.
http://www.icdlbooks.org/frameadults.html
PEPNet Application Process
Opens for 2003
The Promising and Effective Practices Network (PEPNet) is a system and an
information base for identifying and promoting what works in youth employment
and development. The
"Application for Recognition" process for 2003 is now open.
The application may be submitted by any initiative that provides employment/development
services for young people between the ages 14 and 25. An initiative desiring
recognition and feedback from reviewers must respond to a set of application
questions organized around the PEPNet Criteria. The PEPNet 2003 Application
is due April 8, 2003.
http://www.nyec.org/pepnet/apply.html
**Civic Engagement
Finding and Keeping Legislative Champions:
An article from the Families USA newsletter Health Action discusses
strategies advocates from several states have used to develop legislative
champions for their legislative priorities.
PDF: http://www.familiesusa.org/FromTheStates.pdf
**Community Development
Study: Minorities and Poor Harmed by Anti-Sprawl Policies
A report from the Center for Environmental Justice of The National Center
for Public Policy Research finds that policies to combat sprawl penalize minorities,
the poor, urban families and the young. The study, "Smart Growth and
Its Effects on Housing Markets: The New Segregation," used as a baseline
the "smart growth" policies of Portland, Oregon, considered by many
the nation's best, and asked: if cities nationwide had adopted these policies
ten years ago, how would America's most disadvantaged populations been affected?
http://www.nationalcenter.org/Sprawl.html
White Flight: Property Values, Neighborhood Quality Cited
According to a study published in the November
issue of the journal Demography more than one in three whites interviewed
in Detroit, Boston, and Atlanta said they would move if their neighborhoods reached varying
levels of racial integration. Declining property values and concerns about
quality-of-life issues such as crime topped the list of reasons they gave,
however "Overt expressions of racial prejudice were not uncommon."
http://www.prb.org/cpipr/cpiprnewsrelease2.html
30 Percent Rise in Working Families that Spend over Half of Income on Housing
A new study entitled America's Working Families and the Housing Landscape
conducted by the Center for Housing Policy provides the latest affordable
housing trends among America's working families. The study finds that in
just two years there has been a 30 percent rise in the number of working families
that spend more than half their income on housing. The analysis of Federal
data from 1997 to 2001 also found that there has been more than a 60 percent
rise in only four years in the number of working families with critical housing
needs, and, or, live in physically substandard housing.
Press Release: PDF - http://www.nhc.org/111902press.pdf
Full Report: PDF - http://www.nhc.org/nhcimages/HAWF4.pdf
NeighborWorks Campaign for Homeownership Marks 10th Year
The national NeighborWorks Campaign for Home Ownership marks its 10th anniversary
with an expanded effort to reach tens of thousands more families over the
next five years. Since its inception in 1992 the program has helped more
than 60,000 lower-income families—more than 50 percent of which are ethnic
and racial minorities—own their own homes. Additionally, the Campaign has
generated more than $4.5 billion in local economic activity over the past
decade in inner city, suburban, and rural communities nationwide.
http://www.nw.org/network/HomeFramex.asp?searchfor=/network/newsRoom/pressReleases/current/112002.html
HUD Launches Website Aimed at Producing More Affordable Housing Nationwide
The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the creation of
the Regulatory
Barriers Clearinghouse a step that is designed to create more affordable
housing opportunities. The web-based forum will offer builders and developers
from around the country the ability to share ideas and solutions for overcoming
state and local regulatory barriers to affordable housing. The HUD Secretary
offered that, "Our hope is that by sharing development ideas from throughout
the country, we will expose other communities to solutions that can assist
them in increasing their affordable housing stock." Users can search
the database by state, by the published date of an entry, by entering a keyword,
or by searching 10 barrier categories.
http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr02-143.cfm
HUD Awards $20.3 Million in New Fair Housing Grants
The Department of Housing and Urban announced $20.3 million in grants to
fair housing groups in 78 cities around the country. The groups will use
the funds to investigate allegations of housing discrimination, educate the
public and housing industry about housing discrimination laws, and work to
promote fair housing. The grants are funded under HUD's Fair Housing Initiatives
Program.
http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr02-139.cfm
Working Interdependently for Just and Inclusive
Communities
A new book published by the Joint Center for Political
and Economic Studies highlights how t
ug-of-wars over style and strategy have often strained the
relationship between groups in the race relations and racial justice movement.
Some have been labeled as too confrontational, while others have been accused
of working too much within the power structure. The book, Holding Up the Mirror:
Working Interdependently for Just and Inclusive Communities, shows that mutual
acceptance of seemingly competing tactics can make the movement stronger and
more effective.
http://www.jointcenter.org/publications/mirror.html
**Economic Security
Best and Worst States for Women - Economic & Political Disparities Among
States
The 2002 Status of Women from the Institute for Women’s Policy in the States
report finds that not only have women still not achieved equality with men,
the disparities in women's status among the states have not improved either.
This is the conclusion reached after chronicling the wide differences in opportunities
for, and treatment of, women within the United States. Many important problems
and obstacles to women's well-being still remain, including the lack of many
of the legal guarantees that would enable women to achieve economic and political
equality.
Research in Brief: PDF - http://www.iwpr.org/states2002/pdfs/USRIB.pdf
All Unemployed Workers Will Lose Temporary
Federal Help on December 29
On Friday, November 22, the House of Representatives failed to extend the
federal temporary unemployment benefits program, which expires on December
28. At the end of the year an estimated 830,000 jobless workers who
will be receiving these benefits will have them cut off immediately. Starting
on December 29, an additional 95,000 jobless workers per week will
run out of state unemployment benefits without finding a job and get no
temporary federal unemployment assistance
http://www.cbpp.org/11-20-02ui.htm
Legal
and Institutional Impediments to Partial Retirement and Part-Time Work by
Older Workers
A paper from the Urban Institute describes the huge loss of skills and experience
that will accompany the retirement of the baby boom generation. Making longer
work more attractive through offers of part-time employment and longer vacations
can mitigate the problem. Unfortunately, a number of private practices and
public policies have evolved over the years that encourage early retirement
and make it challenging for employers and employees to negotiate flexible,
partial retirement arrangements. The authors make a number of suggestions
for changing regulations and for new legislation.
HTML: http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=73&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=7991
PDF: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410587_SloanFinal.pdf
**Health
Congress Fails to Approve Bipartisan Legislation to Extend
Expiring Funds for Children’s Health Insurance
On Wednesday, November 20, in its last day of legislative activity this year,
the Senate failed to pass bipartisan compromise legislation to extend the
availability of several billion dollars in expiring federal funds for the
State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). When Congress reconvenes
in early January to complete work on fiscal year 2003 appropriations, the
Senate then could quickly pass this extension of SCHIP funds and ensure that
states continue to have these funds to provide health insurance coverage to
low-income uninsured children.
http://www.cbpp.org/11-21-02schip.htm
Diabetes Has Severest Effect in Minority Communities
Minorities suffer higher rates of diabetes than most Americans and, in many
cases, are not getting the care they need to treat the disease, a trend that
Community Health Centers are working hard to reverse. Approximately 17 million
Americas have diabetes, a disease that kills more people every year than breast
cancer or AIDS. Roughly one million people age 20 and older become diabetic
every year, and the number of people with diabetes in the U.S. rose by nearly
50 percent during the past decade. But a larger proportion of minorities have
diabetes because they are not getting the preventive care they need.
http://64.95.130.47/webx?13@@.1dce9cfd
HHS Launches First National Diabetes Prevention
Campaign
The Department of Health and Human Services has launched
the first national diabetes prevention campaign in an effort to stem the explosion
of diabetes and to help millions of Americans live longer and healthier lives.
The campaign, "Small Steps, Big Rewards," will be run by the National
Diabetes Education Program and emphasizes that modest lifestyle changes --
including healthier diets and physical activity -- can help people prevent
the onset of type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. African
Americans, Hispanic Americans/Latinos, American Indians and Asian Americans/Pacific
Islanders are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20021120b.html
New Initiative to Reduce Health Disparities Announced
by the National Institute of Nursing Research
The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) is establishing
a five-year program that creates eight new Centers to address health disparities
research. Each Center involves a partnership between the schools of nursing
of two or three universities -- those with established research programs that
focus on health disparities, and those that are developing research programs
in this area and have a significant number of minority nursing students.
The initiative is jointly supported by NINR and the National
Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD),
both part of NIH and the Department of Health and Human
Services. A total of approximately $15 million will be committed for the program.
PDF: http://www.nih.gov/ninr/news-info/healthdisp.pdf
Bold Initiatives Aim to Solve Key Health Care Problems
A new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies finds
that computerized health information and records, greater access to health
coverage, and medical liability reform are among the areas that offer the
greatest potential for improvement to policy-makers looking for ways to mend
America's ailing health care system. The report outlines five strategic areas
in which demonstration projects could test strategies to solve some of the
most pressing health care concerns.
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309087074?OpenDocument
State Strategies Work To Expand Health Insurance Coverage
A report from The Commonwealth Fund finds that faced with inaction on the
federal level to stem the rising tide of uninsured, states are carrying out
their own innovative programs to increase the number of residents with health
insurance coverage. The report profiles such programs in Oregon, Rhode Island,
New Jersey, and Georgia, and analyzes elements common to each state's success,
including strong leadership and commitment, seamless coverage for disparate
groups, and involving providers and patients in program design.
Press Release: http://www.cmwf.org/media/releases/silow-carroll587_release11192002.asp
Summary Report: PDF - http://www.cmwf.org/programs/insurance/silow-carroll_statestrategiesshort_587.pdf
Full Report: PDF - http://www.cmwf.org/programs/insurance/silow-carroll_statestrategieslong_565.pdf
Consumer-Driven Health Plans: Are They More
Than Talk?
With an estimated enrollment of 1.5 million, health
plans that allow consumers to customize their benefits and provider networks
have become central to major insurers' business plans. In fact, they could
comprise 15 to 50 percent of the market in five years, according to a new
a new analysis supported by The Commonwealth Fund and published as a Health
Affairs Web Exclusive. The article warns that such health plans need
to be watched closely to see if the added choices and greater emphasis on
consumer spending disincentives appeal broadly to employees and enrollment
grows, or if, as some predict, consumer-driven health plans split up risk
pools and shift costs to sicker enrollees.
Article: http://207.189.207.33:8000/ss?click&cmwf&3ddbd229
Press Release: http://www.cmwf.org/media/releases/gabel_consumerdriven_release11202002.html
Worrisome Changes Loom in the Private Health Insurance Market
An article from the Families USA newsletter Health Action discusses
skyrocketing health care costs, why such costs are increasing, and how employers
are passing many of those costs on to their employees.
PDF: http://www.familiesusa.org/FeatureStory.pdf
**Legal Services
The Hotline Outcomes Assessment Study Phase III Final Report
The Project for the Future of Equal Justice, a joint
project of CLASP and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and
the Center for Policy Research recently completed the Hotline Outcomes Assessment
Study, an independent assessment of the effectiveness of using telephone Hotlines
to provide brief legal advice and referrals to low-income people. This report
researched whether clients understand the advice they are given by Hotlines,
whether they follow up on it, and whether they realize a satisfactory resolution
of their problems. The report offers a set of recommendations to improve favorable
hotline outcomes.
PDF: http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1037814145.6/Hotline_Phase3.pdf
**Substance Abuse
SAMHSA Announces Availability
of Grant Funds for Young Offender Reentry Program
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SAMHSA
has just announced the availability of grant funds for the
Young Offender Reentry Program . The objective is to expand and/or enhance
substance abuse treatment and related reentry services in agencies currently
providing supervision of and services to sentenced juvenile and young adult
offenders returning to the community from incarceration for criminal/juvenile
offenses. The deadline for applications is January 17, 2003
http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/content/2003/ti03001yorp.htm
**Welfare and Welfare Reform
Homeless Young Parents Face Barriers to Welfare
A survey of homeless youth and service providers
by the National Network for Youth and the Center on Law and Social Policy
finds that despite being almost universally eligible for welfare, many homeless
young parents are not receiving needed services, and many aren’t even aware
that the welfare program exists. Even when homeless youth know about Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families, they have trouble accessing or keeping benefits.
Full
report PDF: http://www.clasp.org/Pubs/DMS/Documents/1037307545.54/edge_report.pdf
Policy
brief PDF: http://www.clasp.org/Pubs/DMS/Documents/1037307884.75/edge_brief.pdf
A Decade of Welfare Reform: What We've Learned About Child Well-Being
To understand how welfare policies affect welfare-related outcomes The RAND
Labor and Population Program synthesized the current state of knowledge in
this area. This synthesis showed that welfare reform can have both positive
and negative effects on children and that the effects may vary with the age
of the child. The most favorable effects are associated with financial work
incentives, most likely because income increases from combining work and welfare.
Work requirements do not appear to have strong favorable or unfavorable impacts
on children. However, both policies are associated with unfavorable outcomes
for adolescents.
HTML: http://www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB5068
PDF: http://www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB5068/RB5068.pdf
