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**Children, Youth &
Families
Program
to Fight Underage Drinking Among High School Seniors
The Century Council joined
forces with the American School Counselor Association to launch Alcohol 101 for
High School Seniors, a new CD-ROM and companion Educator's Guide designed to
assist in educating high school seniors about the importance of making
responsible decisions about alcohol.
http://www.alcohol101plus.org/
HHS Awards New Grants to Support
Abstinence Education Among Nation's Teens
The Department of Health and
Human Services announced 28 new grants totaling more than $15 million to help
communities develop and implement abstinence education programs for young
people ages 12 to 18. HHS' Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released the 28 Community-Based
Abstinence Education implementation grants to public and private entities,
including community-based and faith-based organizations, hospitals, health
centers, school systems, and other youth services agencies. HRSA expects to
announce the availability of another round of abstinence grants this fall.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/redir.asp?ReleaseID=18382&Link=http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030702.html
Teen Summer Jobs Market is
Worst since World War II
According to Northeastern
University's Center for Labor Market Studies and the National League of Cities,
new data on employment rates show the proportion of teenagers who have summer
jobs has fallen so dramatically it is now lower than any year since the end of
World War II, making the summer of 2003 the worst in nearly 60 years
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/newsroom/nations_cities_weekly/display.cfm?id=A6810719-E107-4134-8E6700C9F9A388EA
Eight Cites to Participate
in National League of Cities Afterschool Initiative
The National League of Cities
has selected eight cities as sites for a new technical assistance effort that
will help them design afterschool programs to support the academic achievement
of students in their communities. The 18-month project, Integrating Afterschool and Education Reform, is sponsored by the NLC
Institute for Youth, Education, and Families and made possible by the financial
support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/newsroom/nations_cities_weekly/display.cfm?id=17BBABAC-7D17-4A52-986CEC54CB6DB54F
Headaches Devastating to
Children’s Quality of Life
According to a new study by
researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the quality of life of children with headaches is
comparable to that of children with such serious conditions as cancer and rheumatic
diseases. The study shows that children
with headaches appear to be more affected in emotional functioning and school
performance than children with other serious, chronic medical conditions.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-07/chmc-hdt070103.php
The Changing Workplace:
New Help for Working Families
Millions in today's economy
struggle to keep their heads above water: Some are stuck in dead-end jobs. Others
lack health insurance and other benefits. Many struggle to be productive on the
job and still meet family needs.
Articles in the Summer 2003 issue of FFR, a magazine of the Ford
Foundation, examine ways that business and nonprofit groups are easing the
stresses of jobs and family life -- from corporate programs that support the
needs of lower-wage employees to a program in Durham, N.C. that is attracting
new business to the area by taking the lead in training people for high-skilled
jobs.
http://www.fordfound.org/publications/ff_report/
Labor Department Awards
Nearly $3.7 Million to Faith-Based and Community Organizations
The US Department of Labor
announced grants totaling nearly $3.7 million to eight intermediary faith-based
and community organizations. The grants
will allow these intermediaries to connect "grassroots" faith-based
and community-based organizations and the people they serve with local One-Stop
Career Centers, the heart of the public workforce investment system.
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/opa/OPA2003367.htm
Fidelity is Key Mate
Preference Factor for Both Sexes
According to a Cornell University behavioral study finds that it’s not looks or money
but rather life-long fidelity that people look for in an ideal mate. The study finds that we tend to look for the
same characteristics in others that we see in ourselves.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/July03/mate_preference.hrs.html
**Civil Society
Blacks More Likely to be Shot than Whites Even When Holding Harmless Objects
A University of Washington
psychologist finds that given only a fraction of a second to respond to images
of men popping out from behind a garbage dumpster, people were more likely to
shoot blacks than whites, even when the men were holding a harlmess
objects such as a flashlight rather than a gun.
The research used a virtual reality simulation and was prompted by a
number of mistaken shootings of unarmed blacks by police officers in recent
years.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-07/uow-bml070803.php
Will our Descendants be Better off 100 Years from Now?
To address this question, RAND
is conducting a unique project to create a "framework" that will
provide an organized means to gather information about the future and
understand its implications.
http://www.rand.org/pardee/projects/reason.html
**Community
Development
The Earned Income Tax
Credit as an Instrument of Housing Policy
A paper from the Brookings
Institution examines the effect of the EITC on housing-cost burdens currently
and analyzes and contrasts three proposals to increase its impact as a housing
tool. High housing costs present by far
the most formidable barrier to safe, decent and affordable housing, vastly
outweighing substandard or overcrowded conditions. Frequently these high costs
frustrate efforts to bolster working families and ease the transition from
welfare-to-work. And yet, housing
costs—the biggest chunk of a working family's budget—have received short shrift
in efforts to smooth the transition from welfare to work and to provide
additional support to families who are working but earning low wages.
http://www.brookings.org/es/urban/publications/stegmanhousing.htm
Awards to Weatherize Homes
of Low-Income Families
The US Department of Energy
announced today that it will award $89.4 million to 19 states to improve the
energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families under the department's
Weatherization Assistance Program.
Low-income families spend an average of 14 percent of their income on
energy, compared with 3.5 percent for the average American. Weatherization
reduces an average home's energy costs by $215 a year. The program gives a
priority to low-income households with elderly members, people with
disabilities and children.
http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=13621&BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE
** Economic Security
Long-Term Caregiving Can Be Detrimental to Women's Finances,
Employment, Health
A new Fact Sheet developed by
the National Center on Caregiving at Family
Caregiver Alliance illustrates that women who provide long-term care for a
chronically ill loved one often suffer serious long-term financial consequences
- including reduced Social Security, pension and retirement income - as a
result of reduced time in the workforce. Further, earlier leave taken from the
workforce to care for young children, as well as the significant expense of caregiving itself, may compound this difficult financial
picture.
http://www.caregiver.org/factsheets/women_caregiving_facts.htm
Out of Pocket Medical Cost
Mean Higher Poverty Rates among the Elderly
An economic snapshot from the
Economic Policy Institute examines the link between health care costs, age, and
poverty. The cost of health care and
out-of-pocket medical expenditures rises with age. Factoring in medical
out-of-pocket spending nearly doubles the poverty rate for people over the age
of 75.
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_snapshots
**Education
Head Start Block Grant
Destroys Program, Sets Head Start Up For Failure
According to a report
released by the Children's Defense Fund, shifting federal control of Head
Start's comprehensive preschool services to state governments with neither
performance standards nor additional funding will hurt the program that for
decades has helped poor children arrive at school ready to learn.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/release030707.php
Boston High School Reform Efforts Gain Momentum with Gates Grant
Jobs for the Future announced
a $13.6 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to
support a citywide effort to develop small, dynamic high schools in the Boston
Public Schools. The grant will expand
the city's pioneering efforts to prepare all students for college-level work by
creating high schools where students receive a rigorous, personalized education
in a supportive atmosphere.
http://www.jff.org/jff/approaches/youthtrans/showcase/BostonHSRenewal.html
2002 National Opinion Poll
on Education
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies released it's 2002 National Opinion Poll on education that found that
the majority of whites rate their local public schools highly, while most
African Americans and Hispanics give their schools only a fair grade. The
questions in this survey of 2,463 adults (including 850 African Americans and
850 Hispanics) also examined opinions on school vouchers, government spending
on education, and school violence.
PDF: http://www.jointcenter.org/whatsnew/2002-education-poll.pdf
California Charter Schools
Produce Gains Similar to Public Schools
A report from RAND Education
finds that charter schools in California are doing as well as public schools in reading and
math achievement, even though they struggle with facilities, teachers, and
public revenue. The report analyzes an
array of issues pertaining to accessibility, student achievement, governance,
and operation of charter schools in California.
http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1700/index.html
**Health
Catholic Organizations
Help More Than 108,000 Children Access Free or Low-Cost Health Insurance
As a result of Children's
Health Matters -- an innovative partnership between Catholic Charities agencies
and Catholic health facilities-more than 108,000 children were enrolled in
healthcare coverage in 2002. Children's Health Matters works at both the
national and state levels to ensure as many eligible children as possible are
enrolled in Medicaid and SCHIP through enrollment and legislative advocacy
efforts.
http://www.childrenshealthmatters.org/about/press/070803.htm
Reducing Nationwide
Obesity Starts in the Neighborhoods
A report from the National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute finds that children, adolescents, and adults
reported adopting healthier behaviors -- such as choosing heart-healthy foods
more often – after participating in a Hearts N' Parks program a community-based
lifestyle initiative. In addition, adults said they boosted their level of
regular physical activity after the program.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-07/nhla-rno070303.php
Medical
Expenses Similar for White, Black, Hispanic Medicare Seniors
Researchers from the RAND
Organization have found that Black, White and Hispanic seniors who receive
Medicare spend similar amounts on medical care each year. The study concludes that black and Hispanic
seniors spend greater amounts of public funds, such as Medicare or Medicaid
coverage, on items like prescription medications and home health care. But when
socioeconomic status is taken into account as well, the racial and ethnic gap
in public expenditures narrows.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-07/cfta-mes070303.php
Adapting Health Care to
Serious Chronic Illness in Old Age
A study from RAND Health finds
that chronically ill elderly people and families living through the end of life
of a family member deserve a better system than the one currently
available. Most older
Americans now face chronic illness and disability in the final years of life.
These final years can prove painful and difficult for sick and disabled elderly
people, who may have difficulty finding care to meet their needs. This period
is often stressful and expensive for families. As currently configured, health
care and community services simply are not organized to meet the needs of the
large and growing number of people facing a long period of progressive illness
and disability before death.
http://www.rand.org/publications/WP/WP137/index.html
Health Savings Security Accounts: A Costly
Tax Cut That Could Weaken Employer-Based Health Insurance
A report from the Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities reports on the bill passed in the House on June
26th creating a new tax break in the form of "Health Savings Security
Accounts." With a $163 billion
cost, the proposal constitutes another costly tax cut, and would likely lead to
major changes in employer-based health insurance that would adversely affect
low-income, older and sicker workers.
http://www.cbpp.org/6-25-03tax.htm
Prices of Most Popular
Drugs for Seniors Rose Nearly 3.5 times the Rate of
Inflation
According to a report
released by Families USA, the price of the 50 most-prescribed drugs to senior
citizens rose, on average, nearly three-and-one-half times the rate of
inflation last year. Among the top 50
drugs sold to seniors, more than half (27) rose in price at least three times
the rate of inflation from January 2002 to January 2003, according to the
report. Nearly three-quarters (37 out of
50) of the drugs rose in price at least one-and-one-half times the rate of inflation.
http://www.familiesusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Media_Out_of_Bounds
NCPA to Families USA: Families USA Report Neglects Savings from Common Shopping
Techniques
According to a recent report
from the National Center for Policy Analysis, contrary to a report on
prescription drug prices released by Families USA, seniors and other patients
can lower the cost of prescription drugs by as much as 90 percent just by using
shopping techniques that are commonplace in any market other than health care.
http://www.ncpa.org/prs/rel/2003/nr03july10.html
HHS Awards More than $60
Million to Strengthen America's Health Care Safety Net
The Department of Health and
Human Services announced more than $60 million in new funding to help the
nation's health centers make services available to more rural and inner-city
Americans, including many without health insurance. The awards include 66 grants totaling more
than $25.1 million to help existing health centers expand their capacity to
make medical services available to an estimated 300,000 more Americans.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030701a.html
HHS Awards $23 Million to
Help Communities Provide Early HIV/AIDS Care
The Department of Health and
Human Services announced 45 grants totaling $23 million to help communities
provide outpatient and primary care services for low-income, medically
underserved Americans who are living with HIV/AIDS or are at risk for
contracting the virus.
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030701b.html
**Homelessness
Grants to Aid Homeless
Veterans; Will Help Find Employment
U.S. Department of and U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs announced $17.5 million in grants to train and
employ homeless veterans for good jobs. The grants were awarded under the
Department of Labor's Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). Ten million dollars were awarded to new
grantees in 18 states, and $7.5 million is second year funding for current
program grantees.
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/opa/OPA2003358.htm
**Hunger
Food Stamp Participation
Jumps in April 2003 to More Than 21.2 Million Persons
The Food Research and Action
Center reports that participation in the
Food Stamp Program in April 2003 (the latest data available) increased by
220,683 persons from the previous month, to 21,239,873 persons. The April 2003 level of Food Stamp Program
participation represented a rise of almost 2.1 million persons compared to the
April 2002 level, almost 4.1 million persons compared to April 2001, and more
than 4.35 million since July, 2000.
http://www.frac.org/html/news/fsp/03apr.html
**Welfare Reform &
Reauthorization Activities
WIA Reauthorization Recommendations
The Center for Law and Social
Policy examines the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 which substantially
altered the federally funded system for job training and other
employment-related services. Federal policy for these services is set out in
Title I of WIA, which requires that each of nearly 600 local workforce areas
develop and administer a one-stop delivery system with a broad array of employment
and training services available to job seekers and employers. In addition,
Congress folded into WIA the existing Adult Education and Family Literacy Act,
as Title II of the law. AEFLA, or WIA Title II, is a federal program to assist
undereducated or limited English proficient adults or out-of-school youth in
improving their skills. Congress is scheduled to reauthorize both titles by September 30,
2003. This paper provides a
short summary of reauthorization recommendations for both Title
I and II and includes a separate document that discusses the rationale for each
recommendation.
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1057258510.44/view_html
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