Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - Public Services & Assistance

Parents Preserve Affordable Housing for Low-Income Families

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:24:38 -0600

In California, the journey from parent to activist starts at home: the Los Angeles Community Action Network won a citywide law to preserve affordable housing in residential hotels targeted for luxury development.

Obesity Action Coalition

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:32:15 -0500

This site offers educational and advocacy information and support to those impacted by obesity.

Operation Frontline

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:30:13 -0500

This program, from Operation Share Our Strength offers interactive and educational tools to support healthy eating on a tight budget—and 2007 evaluations prove it is effective.

Bread for the World: Why Obesity & Hunger Can Co-exist

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:25:21 -0500

Emerging research suggests that hunger, poverty and obesity may be intricately linked, even though they seem paradoxical. Bread for the World has good background and data.

Fact Sheet on The Impact of Rising Food Costs on Low-Income Americans

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:23:28 -0500

It may seem strange to some, but the "hunger and obesity paradox" continues to find scientific backing. Periodically going without food has been linked to obesity, as has relying on cheaper, high-calo

Food Stamp Program Studies

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:21:46 -0500

The USDA offers the latest data on food stamps and what they cover.

Food Stamp Participation in April 2008 Hits Record Highs; Many Eligible Missed

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:18:53 -0500

This Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) factsheet looks at the record-high numbers of people to accessed food stamps, and why one in three eligible people are still going without the benefit.

2008 Changes to the Summer Food Service Program

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:02:13 -0500

A simplified version of the USDA Summer Food Service Program has just gone national. It lessens the paperwork involved for groups or out-of-school time programs that want to incorporate summer meals.

Paul Krugman and the "P Word"

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:09:17 -0500

To be poor "is to be an outcast in your own country. And that, the neuroscientists tell us, is what poisons a child's brain," Paul Krugman wrote in a 2008 New York Times op-ed. Here, Hershel Sarbin wrestles with the often-daunting task of communicating about child poverty—and why a renewed, solutions-based focus on child poverty may be around the corner.

Choosing Care for a Child with Special Needs

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:00:00 -0500

Finding quality, affordable child care can be difficult for any parent. For those with a special needs child, it can also be a very confusing and emotional experience. Rebecca Freshour looks at what the law says, and what parents need to know to find care for their children.

Summer Food Service Map Machine

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:40:02 -0500

The USDA "Summer Food Service Program Map Machine" finds summer food program sites by zip code or other locators, detailing the characteristics of the local neighborhood and schools.

Work-Plus: Boosting the Bottom Line for Low-Wage Working Parents

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:38:52 -0500

The 1996 welfare reform bill was designed to move public assistance participants from welfare to work, often quickly and without adequate supports to help families truly rise out of poverty. This policy brief from the National Assembly's Family Strengthening Policy Center looks at "work-plus" strategies (as opposed to work-first approaches) that offer work supports like child care assistance, transportation help, tax assistance, etc. in addition to employment services. The brief includes recommendations for policymakers, businesses, and community organizations.

Getting On, Staying On, and Getting Off Welfare: The Complexity of State-by-State Policy Choices

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 15:11:02 -0500

How does welfare work? The answer often depends on the state � states vary, for example, in the amount of hours participating parents must work, what counts as �work,� rules about emergency cash assistance, and other areas.

Where Did They Go? The Decline of Middle-Income Neighborhoods in Metropolitan America

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 13:21:36 -0500

What�s happening to our �hoods? Middle-class neighborhoods and housing is shrinking faster than the middle class itself, according to a new Brookings Institution report. City neighborhoods are increasingly segregated with low-income and very low-income families living in concentrated neighborhoods, and high- and very high-income families living together.

When Work Doesn't Pay: What Every Policymaker Should Know

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 13:06:23 -0500

One reason for the problem above is that while government work supports�like public health care, the earned income tax credit, child care assistance, and food stamps, to name a few�help millions, many families are caught in a Catch-22 of sorts: as their earnings rise, their eligibility for these programs drops.