Children
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Women and Children Hit Hardest by Hunger
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Long-term Unemployment Worst Since the Great Depression
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90% of Black Children Receiving Food Stamps
Housing Instability Hurts Kids
Published November 06, 2009 @ 05:07AM PT
I'm tired of being subtle. In this world of attention-grabbing headlines and screaming issues, little kids are being trampled as crowds of media rush to cover "issues" which often have the importance of a mosquito bite, or um, a silver balloon. Left to fend for themselves are millions of little kids and their families in this country, mired in deep poverty, teetering on or swallowed up by homelessness.
So I made this 4-minute video, "Life is But a Dream," to remind viewers of the cost as we continue to abandon the wee ones in this country. Would be great if you view it and share it.
A new report issued by the Institute of Children in Poverty provides strong data to support my premise that little kids suffer by our national neglect. Among the findings...
Existing research provides a link between housing instability and a range of child and adolescent challenges, from lower school achievement to poorer social and emotional adjustment.
Growing Poverty, Homelessness Like No Tomorrow
Published October 23, 2009 @ 05:06AM PT
Last week in Boston, HEAR US joined with the MA Campaign to End Child Homelessness to plead on behalf of homeless families about looming budget decisions that...
...can have a devastating and life-long impact on a child; further erosion of the safety net as a result of more budget cuts would cause even more harm to homeless children and their families in Massachusetts.
Devastating, life-long impact, more harm...those claims are beyond true. The MA recommendations are way more urgent than this document can convey.
Help Protect Housing Vouchers
Published October 16, 2009 @ 05:05AM PT
This country needs therapy. We've gotten to the point, collectively, when common sense fails us. The breaking point? I'd point to the current mindset that it's OK to cut funding for what little housing we have for limited-income families.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) reports that funding shortfalls for the 2009 Housing Choice Voucher Program could cause state and local housing agencies to terminate vouchers or raise rents to levels beyond the financial reach of many families.
This is why I'm in Massachusetts today, to join with activists calling for continued funding of the Housing Choice vouchers, one of the few resources to keep families housed instead of homeless. And we need your support!
Students Purchase 400 Calories With $1
Published October 15, 2009 @ 06:00AM PT
It's one thing when parents and teachers can monitor what children eat on a daily basis, but it's quite another when kids get to choose what to fill their own stomachs with.
Researchers in Philadelphia have found that when children choose their own before- and after-school snacks, the most popular choices are high-fat products like sugary fruit drinks, Sour Patch Kids and potato chips. The majority of the children studied were from low-income communities.
However, the most surprising part of the study was not how many calories the children purchased, but how cheap they were. With only a little over one dollar in their pockets, children were able to purchase a whopping 356 calories on average per day.
Parents Will Pay for Kids, Not Feds
Published October 13, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT
A pilot project in Wisconsin revealed that when parents owing child support know it is going to their children - and not government agencies, as has been the case recently - they are more likely to pay, and pay on time. Now, more states are putting child support payments directly in the hands of parents on public assistance, rather than diverting it to cover their own administrative costs.
Despite the fact that there's an obvious cyclical benefit here - if you give parents the money directly, they have less need to rely on the state for assistance - many governments are still reluctant to make the change, citing their own budget woes. Sigh. I've always thought it particularly punitive and hypocritical that we chastise mothers and fathers for seeking public assistance, then siphoned off a critical chunk of money owed to them that could help with their economic hardship. Good for the few states who are catching on.
And a hollow laugh at the reality that when you convince people that government is wasteful, they might take issue with sending their money right along.
Here's hoping more states come around to passing on these millions and millions of overdue dollars to parents and children in need.
(Photo "A Day at the Races" by bufferchuck)
Maine a Medicaid Model?
Published October 12, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT
The Commonwealth Fund has released new data demonstrating "shockingly wide" health disparities across the 50 states. This is the third annual survey, and one reflecting data from 2007, so expect the overall state-by-state performance to get much worse in the coming years.
What's interesting about the results is the exceptions to the general correlation between states with higher incomes and lower poverty rates also having better resident health. In particular, Maine is singled out for its position in the Top 5 states with good health despite being a relatively poor place. Some reasons? It offers Medicaid to childless adults, a rarity, and requires stringent information sharing among providers in order to track and respond to issues like repeat hospitalizations.
The Medicaid extension seems key here, as efforts like SCHIP have improved the "medical safety" net for kids, yet ever more adults are losing health insurance and going without necessary care. According to researchers, places like Minnesota or Massachusetts that perform well also show "a greater willingness to use government to improve social conditions." Massachusetts has the fewest uninsured adults, with only 7% lacking coverage.
The moral of the story for thinking about universal health care? Besides that we should maybe be looking to Maine and other states for critical best practices?
"The nation doesn't have one system and one reality, it has at least 50 each with its own economic, social and demographic characteristics."
"States cannot go it alone. Health reform is needed on a national level."
(Photo of Greenville, ME by Lee Coursey)
Food Stamp Funding Up 19%
Published October 11, 2009 @ 05:43PM PT
President Obama is expected to sign into law shortly the FY2010 agriculture spending bill that includes an unprecedented $58.2B for food stamps. Combined with the funding for food stamps in the stimulus, this reflects an increase of 19% over existing funding levels. More than 1 in 10 Americans are benefiting from food stamps, even as millions more wait for their applications to move through overcrowded public systems. The average monthly support for a family of 4 is $226.
What I just learned is that the supplemental nutrition program WIC for women, infants and children supports almost half of all children born in the US. That is a lot of hungry, little bellies!
President Obama is waiting for 10 of 12 more spending bills to come across his desk. Let's hope they all bring more generous benefits like this.
(Photo "stuffing face" by juhansonin)
