Human Services
Community Building
Digest

From: Food Research and Action Center

Advocates Continue To Press For Child Nutrition Investments With No Harm To The Programs.  Call your Senators and Representative with the message to enact positive improvements and do no harm to the Child Nutrition Programs. Ask to speak to their Child Nutrition staffers (You can find their child nutrition staffers listed in the alert).

http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/cnreauthor/cnalert091503.htm

**Children, Youth & Families

New Survey Reveals How Parents Really Handle the Toughest Challenges of Raising Kids

A survey, conducted for the NYU Child Study Center, focuses on how parents handle issues relating to parenting style, cognitive and social development, peer relations, discipline, self-esteem, emotions, nutrition, health and fitness, family balance and other daily parenting issues. In addition to parent responses experts weigh in on what they believe are the best answers to the survey questions.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-09/nyuc-ans092203.php

HHS Awards Grants to Improve Capacity of Faith and Community-Based Organizations to Serve People in Need

The Department of Health and Human Services announced 60 new grants totaling $8.1 million to help faith-based and community organizations expand and strengthen their ability to provide social services to those in need.  HHS will also provide about $24 million to support 21 continuing grants under HHS' Compassion Capital Fund, which is designed to help build the capacity of faith-based and community organizations to enable them to provide increased services to low-income and other vulnerable populations; and help faith-based and community organizations compete more effectively for private and public resources, including federal sources of funding such as HHS.

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030922b.html

HHS Awards $9.3 Million to Help States Develop New Aging and Disability Resource Centers

The Department of Health and Human Services announced 12 grants totaling $9.3 million to support state efforts to create "one stop shop" centers to help consumers learn about and access long-term supports ranging from in-home services to nursing facility care.  The Aging and Disability Resource Center Grant Program aims at overcoming barriers to community living for people with disabilities of all ages. The program is a joint effort involving HHS' Administration on Aging and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and provides states with an opportunity to effectively integrate their long-term support resources for consumers into a single coordinated system.

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030922a.html

**Civil Society

Civic Education Increases Young People's Interest in American Government

A new report, "Citizenship: A Challenge for All Generations," released by the Representative Democracy in America Project, found that more young Americans know the name of the reigning American Idol and the city where the cartoon Simpsons live than know the political party of their state's governor.  The report is based on the results of a national survey, which found that 15- to 26-year-olds don't understand the ideals of citizenship; they are disengaged from the political process; they lack the knowledge necessary for effective self-government; and they have limited appreciation of American democracy.

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2003/pr030917.htm

About Half of the U.S. Population Moved Between 1995 and 2000

According to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau, about 120 million (46 percent) of the nation's population that was 5 years old and over in 2000 lived in a different home than they did in 1995.  Twenty-five percent moved within the same county, 10 percent between counties in the same state and 8 percent between states; 3 percent had moved from abroad.

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2003/cb03-149.html

**Community Development

Voters Concerned Over Affordable Housing Opportunities

According to the National Housing Opportunity Pulse, a new national survey two out of three Americans are concerned about the cost of housing in their communities, and 67 percent would be more likely to vote for a candidate who works to make housing more affordable.

http://www.realtor.org/PublicAffairsWeb.nsf/Pages/HsgSummitRelease?OpenDocument

Senate Committee Bill May Avert Cuts to Housing Vouchers Despite Inadequate Appropriation

An analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities evaluates a bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee which has the potential to avoid the loss of any vouchers, but it leaves some risk that funding will turn out to be inadequate.

http://www.cbpp.org/9-23-03hous.htm

**Economic Security

Poverty Increases and Median Income Declines

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that Census data released on September 26, show that poverty increased and median household income fell in 2002 for the second consecutive year.  The number of poor people increased by 1.7 million to 34.6 million; the poverty rate rose from 11.7 percent to 12.1 percent; and median household income fell by $500, or 1.1 percent, to $42,409.  There were 3 million more poor people in 2002 than in 2000, the last year before unemployment began to rise.

http://www.cbpp.org/9-26-03pov.htm

Young Adults Are Falling Behind in U.S. Workforce

A new report released by the National League of Cities finds that the nation's teenagers and young adults are being left behind in the U.S. labor market, suffering greater job losses than their older counterparts during the recent economic downturn and earning substantially less than their peers a generation ago.

http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/newsroom/nations_cities_weekly/display.cfm?id=FB6AEC1C-70DE-4539-BD7C243E32F40722

The New, Definitive CBO Data On Income And Tax Trends

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities studies new data from CBO that shows that the income of the top one percent of households increased dramatically in both the 1980s and 1990s, and the gaps between these households and other Americans widened substantially.  In conjunction with other new data, the CBO data indicate that in 2000, income was more concentrated among the top one percent than since 1929.

http://www.cbpp.org/9-23-03tax.htm

**Education

Importance of Teacher Quality

Teacher quality is the single most important school-related factor influencing student success. In Teacher Quality: Understanding the Effects of Teacher Attributes, a researcher from the Economic Policy Institute examines the body of research on the subject of teacher quality to draw conclusions about which attributes makes teachers most effective, with a focus on aspects of teacher quality that can be translated into policy recommendations and incorporated into teaching practice.

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

Bachelor's Degrees Are the Best" for Raising Pre-Kindergarten Quality

The Trust for Early Education released a new study from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, showing that pre-kindergarten teachers with bachelor's degrees and specialized training in child development raise pre-kindergarten program quality and result in better outcomes for children. The report reinforces the importance of bachelor's degree requirements as a central part of the debate in federal and state pre-kindergarten reform efforts.

http://www.trustforearlyed.org/new.aspx?id=19

**Health

Urban Cancer Project: A Solution to a Deadly Disparity

A Cleveland-based effort to improve cancer detection and survival among African Americans is being praised as a national model at this year's Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. The Urban Cancer Project(r) was launched in Cleveland nearly four years ago, with National Cancer Institute funding, and is demonstrating inspiring results, including a measurable increase in awareness among low-income minorities about cancer and the importance of being part of breakthrough cancer research.

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=115-09232003

New Study Shows Why Hypertension Affects Black Males Disproportionately

A report from the American Physiological Society finds that hypertension (HT) remains a public health challenge because it is so prevalent and leads to increases in cardiovascular disease. It is a disease that disproportionately affects African-American males. Not only does HT occur more frequently among this group, it also presents itself earlier in their life, and causes increased complications of cardiovascular diseases compared with white Americans.

http://www.the-aps.org/press/journal/19.htm

CDC Data Show Medicaid and SCHIP Played a Critical Counter-Cyclical Role in Strengthening Health Insurance Coverage during the Economic Downturn

An analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities of CDC data shows that in 2002, expansions in Medicaid coverage, which normally occur during economic downturns as a result of Medicaid's entitlement nature, helped to offset losses of employer-based coverage, with the number of people insured through Medicaid and SCHIP rising by nearly 4 million.

http://www.cbpp.org/9-23-03health.htm

Medicaid Spending Growth Slows for First Time in 7 Years

The third annual survey of the 50 states and the District of Columbia released today by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) reveals that the continuing fiscal crisis in the states is having a far-reaching impact on health coverage for low-income individuals and families at a time when enrollment is increasing due to sluggish economic conditions. After three years of efforts to curb Medicaid spending growth, states report the average spending growth for Medicaid in 2003 was 9.3 percent, down from 12.8 percent in 2002. This marks the first time since 1996 that the growth rate has declined.

http://www.kff.org/content/2003/20030922/

Access to Physician Services in Public Insurance Programs for Low-Income Populations

A report from Mathematica finds that eligibility expansion for low-income children and families under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program has improved access to physician care for many, but problems continue to persist. This report provides a framework for states to use in assessing factors that promote or impede physician access, and to identify actions to improve access. It also includes a literature review and examples of applications.

PDF: http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/pdfs/redirect.asp?strSite=accessphys.pdf

California Wellness Foundation Partners With Health Rhythms Radio

The California Wellness Foundation has formed a strategic media partnership with Health Rhythms Radio to tell their grantees stories through an audio magazine and daily broadcast formats. Health Rhythms will initially produce an audio magazine featuring the first-person stories of health care leaders who are helping Californians from communities of color to overcome obstacles as they pursue their dream of a career in health professions.

http://www.pnnonline.org/article.php?sid=4704

Exercise Can Reduce Prevent Diabetes for People of any Weight

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have found that taking a brisk half-hour walk every day can decrease a person's risk of developing diabetes, regardless of their weight.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-09/uopm-ecr092403.php

**Homelessness

Supported Housing for the Homeless is more Effective, But Also More Costly

According to a Yale study the combination of subsidized housing and intensive case management for homeless people with mental illness keeps many more people off the street, but at an additional cost of $45 per day housed, or approximately $2,000 a year.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-09/yu-shf092403.php

**Substance Abuse

New Study Shows State Tobacco Control Programs Cut Cigarette Sales

A new study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that cigarette sales dropped more than twice as much in states that spend more on comprehensive tobacco control programs than in the United States as a whole. Between 1990 and 2000, sales fell an average of 43 percent in four key states with large program expenditures compared with 20 percent for all states. Program funding levels accounted for a substantial portion of this difference, with increasing expenditures producing bigger and faster declines in sales.

http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030918.htm

Planning for Tomorrow's Drug Problems

A new issue paper from RAND describes the changing nature of drug use in America. The 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s were periods of dramatic change in drug use: the spread of marijuana, the heroin epidemic, the explosion in cocaine initiation in the 1970s, and the spread of crack and street markets in the 1980s. By comparison, the last 10 to 15 years have seen few dramatic developments.  America's drug problem has settled, superficially at least, into a time of stability or, at most, predictable change:  This stability in drug problems is mirrored by an even longer-standing stability in drug policy, in which America's primary response to illicit-drug use has been an emphasis on enforcement and punishment.

http://www.rand.org/publications/IP/IP246/IP246.html

**Welfare and Welfare Reform

Work and Marriage: The Way to End Poverty and Welfare

Many advocates for the poor believe that the solution to poverty involves giving people more money. A brief from Brookings suggests that strategies that encourage work and marriage are more effective ways of reducing poverty and demonstrate the wisdom of the increasing attention that has been given to encouraging work and marriage in recent policy discussions.

http://www.brookings.org/es/research/projects/wrb/publications/pb/pb28.htm

Senate Finance Committee “Marks Up” Welfare Bill: What It Means for Youth and Teen Parents

A paper from the Center for Law and Social Policy compares current law with provisions in the Senate Finance Committee bill related to teen parents and youth.  On Wednesday, September 10, 2003, the Senate Finance Committee approved a welfare reauthorization bill. Called PRIDE (Personal Responsibility and Individual Development for Everyone), the bill reauthorizes the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as well as a number of other programs (e.g., the abstinence-unless-married education program).

http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1064258410.35/view_html

HHS Awards $100 Million in Bonuses to States for Reductions in Out-of-Wedlock Births

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the award of $100 million in bonuses to four states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands for achieving the nation's largest decreases in out-of-wedlock births between 1998 and 2001.  This is the fifth award of bonuses for reductions in out-of-wedlock births, as provided in the welfare reform law of 1996. Under the law, the annual bonuses are awarded to as many as five states and three territories that have the largest reduction in the ratio of out-of-wedlock births to total births.

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030926.html

HHS Awards $200 Million in Bonus Payments to States for Leadership in "Welfare to Work"

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the awarding of $200 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) bonuses to 41 states and the District of Columbia for success in employment and other program achievements during fiscal year 2001.  The welfare reform legislation of 1996 authorized funding for annual performance achievement bonuses within the TANF program, called the High Performance Bonus. States can choose to compete in any or all of the performance bonus categories, but must supply data to HHS in order to be considered for the award.

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2003pres/20030923.html