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**Children, Youth &
Families
New Child Care Resources
Are Needed To Prevent the Loss Of Child Care Assistance For Hundreds Of
Thousands Of Children In Working Families
A joint report by the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Center for Law and Social Policy shows
that without increased child care funding, hundreds of thousands of children in
low-income working families stand to lose access to child care assistance even
if TANF work participation requirements are left unchanged.
http://www.cbpp.org/7-15-03tanf.htm
California's Children Lag Nation's on Measures of Well-Being
According to a study released
by the Public Policy Institute of California, although many of California's children are faring well, a substantial minority -
mostly poorer children - lag behind in key areas of child development. Only 64 percent of children in the state's
poorest families - and 55 percent of children whose parents have less than a
high school education - are reported to be in very good or excellent health,
compared to nine in ten children in the wealthiest and most educated families.
http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=313
New Study Sheds Light on
Reasons behind Teenage Gun Toting
A new study from an Ohio
State University researcher of African-American youths at risk of dropping out
of school, finds that nearly one out of five students reported that they had
carried a gun at some point during their high school years - one in six did so
only occasionally, while one in 20 carried a gun regularly.
http://www.osu.edu/researchnews/archive/teengun.htm
Survey Shows Older Americans More Worried About Personal Well-Being
than Terrorists
A
new survey by The National Council on the Aging (NCOA) shows that more older
Americans are likely to be worried about threats to their own personal
well-being than global threats. The
survey, funded by MetLife Foundation and part of part of a new NCOA/MetLife
Foundation project to increase civic engagement by older Americans, showed that
some 40 percent of those over age 60 are worried (very or somewhat) about
physically caring for themselves (44 percent) or losing their memories (42
percent) than terrorist attacks (35 percent).
http://www.ncoa.org/content.cfm?sectionID=65&detail=378
Online Communication Making Positive Difference in Families
According to a new AARP
survey having an older relative online has made a positive difference in the
lives of 80 percent of those survey respondents who are contacted for help by
their parents. The survey was conducted
to learn to what extent adult children provide technical computer support to
their parents, and how computers are supporting intergenerational
relationships.
http://www.aarp.org/olderwiserwired/Articles/a2003-07-16-oww-generations.html
Parents’ Income, Education
Influence Teen Smoking
According
to a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health, parents
with lower incomes and educational levels are more likely than higher-paid,
better-educated parents to have teenage children who smoke. Some previous studies had tied low
socioeconomic status with increased teen smoking, but others found no
association. This study is the first in
the United States to connect parental
income and education to adolescent smoking, even after adjusting for age, sex,
race/ethnicity and other factors.
http://www.hbns.org/news/parents07-18-03.cfm
**Community
Development
U.S. Conference of Mayors Releases Metro Economies Report
The U.S. Conference of Mayors
issued the second annual metro economies report demonstrating that the engines
of the American economy, its metro areas, are showing early signs of recovery.
However, mayors voiced concern that the economy is still not generating jobs at
a sufficient level for U.S. workers. The
report contains data on each of the nation's 319 metro areas, including 2002
and 2003 employment growth figures.
http://www.usmayors.org/metroeconomies03/
Changes
in Real Estate Finance Fail to Boost Inner City Retail Projects
A report from the Brookings
Institution finds that despite an increase in real estate financing
instruments, and the general prosperity of the 1990s, robust inner city retail
development did not follow. This new
analysis of the real estate financial marketplace finds that, beyond subsidies,
the public sector should examine additional strategies to minimize private
sector risk and maximize return to foster urban retail investment.
http://www.brookings.org/es/urban/publications/20030722_Rosen.htm
Funding Level Approved By House
Subcommittee Would Reduce, But Not Eliminate, Shortfall In Housing Voucher
Funding
An analysis from the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that a bill approved on July 15 by the
House VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee would provide about $583 million less
than is needed to fund all housing vouchers likely in use at the beginning of
fiscal year 2004.
http://www.cbpp.org/7-21-03hous.htm
**Disabilities
National Council on Disability Releases Progress Report
The
National Council on Disability has released its annual report which finds that
despite reforms in disability policy
intended to improve the lives of people with disabilities, many challenges
remain for our citizens with disabilities.
Far too many Americans with disabilities are undereducated and
unemployed. Many of them are desperately
trying to improve the quality of their lives, but they are frustrated by a lack
of affordable and accessible housing, transportation, personal assistance
services, medical rehabilitation and job opportunities.
http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/news/r03-422.html
** Economic Security
Millions of Working
Families Will Receive no Tax Credit Relief
According to a report from
the Center for Community Change one in four American children under 17 (more
than 18 million) lives in a family denied an advance child tax credit check
from the massive tax law that disproportionately benefits the wealthy. A tax relief provision for low-income,
working families earning more than $10,500 was taken out of this year’s tax law
at the last minute and would have provided a larger child tax credit to 12
million children.
http://www.communitychange.org/pressmedia/03/whosechild.htm
The New Senate Republican Offer On
The Child Tax Credit
An analysis from the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities finds the offer that Senate Republican leaders
made July 22 on the child tax credit moves a long distance toward the House bill,
would increase spiraling budget deficits unless offsets are included, and would
benefit higher-income families substantially more than low-income families.
http://www.cbpp.org/7-23-03tax.htm
How Rising Transportation
Costs Hurt Working Families
A new report from the Surface
Transportation Policy Project shows that America's families are increasingly spending more of their
family income on transportation costs. This comes as the U.S. House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Transportation and Treasury is poised to slash funding for
affordable transportation options and to steer more money into car-only
projects.
http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=224
Expanding Employment Prospects for Adults with Limited English
Skills
A presentation from the
Center for Law and Social Policy discusses how limited English speakers differ
from immigrants in general, why TANF providers or workforce development
agencies should be concerned about them, and how this population can best be
served.
PDF: http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1058473058.18/LEP_presentation.pdf
**Education
Still Headed in the Wrong Direction: Why the July 24th Substitute
House Head Start Bill Is Unlikely to Make the Program Better
An analysis from the Center
for Law and Social Policy focuses on the reauthorization of Head Start. On June 19th, the House Education and
Workforce Committee passed H.R. 2210, the School Readiness Act of 2003, on a
27-20 party-line vote. The House Rules Committee just released a substitute
version for floor consideration on July 24. According to its sponsors, the main
goals of H.R. 2210 are to close the school readiness gap between young
low-income children and other children upon entering school and to promote
collaboration and alignment at the state level between Head Start and other
early childhood education programs. These goals are important. However, they
are unlikely to be achieved under H.R. 2210, as amended for floor consideration
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1059071277.64/view_html
**Health
Boys, Black Children Have
Higher Risk of Stroke
According to a study in a
recent issue of Neurology, boys are 28 percent more likely than girls to have a
stroke and black children are more than twice as likely to have a stroke as
other ethnic groups. Black children had
more than twice the risk of stroke overall. Asian children had similar risks as
white children for all stroke types. Hispanic children had the lowest risk for
ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-07/aaon-bbc071503.php
Nat'l Stroke Assn. Launches 'Ask Your Doctor' Stroke Campaign
The
National Stroke Association (NSA) is launching a national multi-year stroke
education campaign in the Southeastern United States, also known as the
"Stroke Belt" due to the number of stroke deaths in this region,
including Washington, D.C. This inaugural year's theme is Ask Your Doctor
- Am I at Risk for Stroke? NSA encourages doctors and patients to discuss
stroke more often. In the Washington, D.C. area, African
Americans are at twice the risk for stroke compared to Caucasians.
http://209.107.44.93/NationalStroke/HavingAStroke/default.htm
Federal-State Clash over
Low-Income Health Care
A comprehensive volume from
Urban Institute Press offers policymakers, practitioners, and scholars the
deepest, broadest review to date of the changing health safety net. As states contend with unprecedented deficits
and the Congressional Budget Office projects that Medicaid costs will increase
an average of 8.5 percent annually over the coming decade this becomes an
increasingly important issue. The first
chapter of this book is available online.
http://www.urban.org/pubs/federalism/index.html
**Homelessness
Grants to End Chronic
Homelessness through Employment and Housing
The Departments of Labor and
Housing and Urban Development announced they were jointly making up to $13.5
million available to help fulfill the Administration’s goal of ending chronic
homelessness among persons with disabilities.
The funding, which is designed to help people with disabilities who are
chronically homeless achieve employment, permanent housing, and
self-sufficiency, is being made available through a series of cooperative
agreements and grants by the agencies.
http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/odep/ODEP2003390.htm
**Nonprofit Management
Finding
Out What Happens to Former Clients
A guide from the Urban
Institute discussed the challenge of measuring the lasting effects of nonprofit
programs. Drawing from lessons learned
by community-based nonprofits, the guide offers practical advice on how to
collect these data efficiently, successfully, and at reasonable cost. Primarily
geared to meet the needs of nonprofit managers and professional social service
staff, it offers step-by-step procedures, model materials (including planning
tools and feedback forms), and suggestions for keeping costs low.
http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&NavMenuID=3&Template=/TaggedContent/NewReports.cfm&PublicationID=8488
**Philanthropy
Report Finds Growth in Alternative Funds as United Way Shifts Focus
toward Wealthier Donors
A
new publication from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy finds
that charitable donations pledged to alternative funds, the workplace giving
programs that complement United Way charity campaigns, have grown to comprise
11 percent of pledge dollars from traditional donors in American workplaces
from 1996 to 2001. Meanwhile, United Way has shifted its fundraising focus to
appeal to wealthier donors.
http://www.ncrp.org/Press%20Release%20-%20Giving%20at%20Work.htm
**Welfare& Welfare Reform
Cultural Issues in Welfare-to-Work Disparities
A
new report from the Amherst Wilder Foundation examines the growing evidence
that welfare-to-work is working better for White recipients than for other
racial and cultural groups. The
Minnesota study examines reasons for those disparities and offers suggestions for
improving results.
http://www.wilder.org/research/reports.html?summary=1021
Welfare 'Reform' Debate
Tainted By Racism, Sexism
According to a Penn State
political scientist, racism and sexism, politically taboo in most cases, still
taint the political process when it comes to welfare "reform,"
preventing poor citizens from influencing legislation that significantly
affects them. The poor are rarely
invited to participate in congressional hearings on welfare and usually receive
scant respect because of a number of prevailing stereotypes and misconceptions
about welfare recipients.
http://alum.cso.psu.edu/stories/PR/03pr11.htm
Welfare Caseloads in 27 States Decline in First Quarter of
2003: Most States Show Only Small Caseload Fluctuations
The Center for Law and Social
Policy has collected new data on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) caseloads through March 2003 for 49 states and the District of
Columbia. Between December 2002 and
March 2003, 23 states reported caseload increases and 27 reported decreases. The
changes in most states, whether up or down, were very small; in 32 states, the
March 2003 caseload was within 3 percent of the December caseload. Over the
past year, between March 2002 and March 2003, 22 states had caseload increases
and 28 had decreases. Since the start of the recession in March 2001, 29 states
have reported caseload increases, and 21 have reported decreases.
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1058538793.25/view_html
How States Used TANF and MOE Funds in FY 2002: The Picture from
Federal Reporting
The Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities reports that the Department of Health and Human Services has
released financial data for states’ use of federal TANF and state maintenance
of effort (MOE) funds for FY 2002.
Drawing from this federal financial reporting, this paper describes how
TANF and MOE funds were used in FY 2002 and discusses policy implications.
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1057932457.18/view_html
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