Issues

Family Well Being News

Newsday, May 16, 2012:(Op-Ed) Still fighting the teen-mother battle (Subscription Required)

"The data also demonstrate that almost every state experienced a significant drop, and that birthrates declined for teens of all races and ethnicities. But for those of us who have long known that teens who give birth are consigning themselves in most instances to low educational attainment and a life of poverty, it's much too early to break out the Champagne. "

Knoxville News-Sentinel, May 16, 2012: (Editorial) Growing number of homeless families disturbing

"The total in the KnoxHMIS database indicates a 3 percent increase in homelessness over 2010. Twenty-one to 25 percent cite job loss as the reason they were without a home."

Centre Daily Times, May 15, 2012: (Editorial) Budget does no favors for mothers

"The Senate’s version keeps Corbett’s most damaging cuts to social services, including the elimination of the General Assistance cash-grant program, some of which goes to very low-income children and domestic-violence victims. It restores some money to social services but retains a new block-grant structure, and keeps an $8 million cut to child care."

Baltimore Business Journal, May 15, 2012: Low-income Baltimore families charged for free summer camps

"An audit by the Baltimore Inspector General has found that the St. Paul Community Head Start program in Gardenville has been charging low-income city families $75 or more per week to send their children to state-funded summer camps intended to be free, the Baltimore Sun reported."

Fort Collins Coloradoan, May 14, 2012: Fort Collins faith communities unite to serve area homeless families

"Through a caseworker at the Sister Mary Alice Murphy Center for Hope, Holwuttle was introduced to the Faith Family Hospitality program, an initiative that launched on January 15, 2012 to provide temporary housing, food and fellowship to up to four homeless families each week through 17 Fort Collins faith communities."

The Dallas Morning News, May 13, 2012: At Dallas' Buckner Family Pathways, single moms get fresh start

"Lumpkin is among 16 single mothers who will celebrate Mother's Day in the new apartments, which opened earlier this year thanks to a $4.75 million fundraising initiative. Buckner officials are raising more money and plan to build more apartments in 2013. Thanks to the new homes, Family Pathways can help more abused women."

Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2012: State settles in welfare lawsuit; California will no longer go after children whose caregivers owe money to CalWorks.

"A program administered at the county level, CalWorks provides cash assistance to some of the state's neediest families. The program has been pummeled by budget cuts in recent years, whittling down how much families can qualify for and how long they can receive the aid. If county officials overpay a family by $35 or more, state law requires them to try to recover the money, according to court filings. "

The Ithaca Journal, May 12, 2012: More than a third of mother-led households in N.Y. are low-income

"While 10 percent of families in New York are living in poverty, among single mothers, the rate is much higher, with 36.5 percent of single mothers statewide living on low incomes. For these moms, returning to work is often not a choice."

Pacific Daily News, May 9, 2012: 6,035 on housing wait list: Needy families endure years of waiting

"The number of households waiting on the list for public housing has reached 1,760 and 4,275 were on the waiting list for Section 8 as of yesterday, according to the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority."

Marketwatch, May 8, 2012: Some states get ‘F’ on supporting working families 18 states receive failing grades; California and Connecticut get A-

"While U.S. lawmakers pay lip service to the value of families, other major economies, such as Canada and Japan, have some form of paid parental leave. By contrast, U.S. law only calls for unpaid leave to support working parents — an unrealistic option for families that depend on weekly wages, particularly when welcoming a new family member."

Newsday, May 7, 2012: More first-time homeless in LI shelters

“While the chronically homeless -- those who have been in the county system for more than a year -- remain, ‘they are now outnumbered by those who are new to the system and new to the experience,’ said Gregory Blass, Suffolk County's social services commissioner.”

Naples Daily News, May 5, 2012: Region's homeless advocates see need for a shelter for women, families

" Vann Ellison, president and CEO of St. Matthew's House, wants to open a homeless shelter with 62 beds for single women and families off Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs. Once the Bonita Springs shelter opens, Ellison said, the East Naples shelter could serve men only and allow the shelter to free up space for homeless men."

The Daily Herald, May 1, 2012: Grant doubles reach of effort to help young moms

"They include a $246,000 annual grant for two years from the Verdant Health Commission, based in Lynnwood, and $386,000 from the county's 1/10th of 1 percent tax to benefit drug, alcohol and mental-health programs. The program is limited to women who are pregnant with their first child. It targets but is not limited to low-income women."

San Gabriel Valley Tribune, April 30, 2012: Fate of McGill transitional home uncertain as Covina officials struggle to find funds

"A facility that for six years has brought stability to homeless women and children here is in jeopardy because of the end of redevelopment agencies across the state."

The New York Times, April 29, 2012: Mommy Had To Go Away for A While

"Textiles were the economic engine of the area until the 1990s, when the industry went into decline and mills shut down. Now one of the region's leading employers is Pilgrim's, a chicken supplier. The median household income is $31,213, and more than a third of children live below the poverty line."

The Hill, April 27, 2012: Family groups aim to save child tax credit

"The child tax credit was implemented during the Clinton administration, then doubled to its current level of as much as $1,000 per child when Congress enacted the first round of the Bush tax cuts in 2001."

The Washington Post, April 26, 2012: Infant mortality at a low in D.C.

"Infant mortality is considered one of the key indicators of a community's well-being. Its leading causes include birth defects, maternal complications of pregnancy, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome. Poverty and lack of access to health care play a large role."

Herald News, April 24, 2012: More N.J. children living in low-income households, survey finds

"Nearly one in three children in New Jersey lived in low-income households in 2010 that increasingly depended upon food stamps and school meal programs to get by, according to the latest report card on child health, wealth and well-being. "

Contra Costa Times, April 23, 2012: (Blog) Political Blotter: Stark jabs at Romney with bill for welfare moms

"Stark, D-Fremont, announced he's introducing the Women's Option to Raise Kids (WORK) Act, which would amend the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare program to recognize the job of raising children age 3 or younger as work; low-income parents would be able to work, receive job training, search for work or raise their children until they are school-aged without fear of losing TANF support."

The New York Times, April 19, 2012: Birth Control and Teenage Pregnancy

"That is a record low for the 65 years that data have been available, and a remarkable 44 percent drop from the 1991 rate. This good shift is largely the result of an increase in teenagers' use of birth control -- a fact that Congressional Republicans ignore as they seek to dismantle reproductive health programs."

Asbury Park Press, April 18, 2012: (Op-Ed) Married with kids further from norm

"Study after study has shown that children raised by single mothers face increased risks of emotional, behavioral, academic and social problems. And while there is less data, a study last year showed the children of cohabiting parents are at risk for a broad range of problems, from trouble in school to psychological stress, physical abuse and poverty."

Huffington Post, April 11, 2012: (Op-Ed) Is Marriage a Poverty-Buster?

"The question really ought to be what do we do when individual responsibility is no match for the economic forces that can envelop people as they move toward the desired goals?"

Washington Times, April 5, 2012: Bill to relieve Maryland inmates of child support passes

"Supporters said child-welfare agencies and family advocates favor the bill, and they argued it would cut red tape and legal costs by automatically suspending payments rather than getting courts involved."

Corpus Christi Caller-Times, April 5, 2012: Texas Births: State adds 1M kids in decade

"Texas has the second-highest birthrate in the nation, and more than 25 percent of those children live in poverty, according to the annual Kids Count survey released Thursday. The number of children in Texas rose by nearly 1 million between 2000 and 2010 and accounted for more than half of the U.S. child population growth."

The Columbus Dispatch, March 25, 2012: Haven of hope; Former factory on South Side soon to house homeless teen moms and kids

"Her 3-year-old nonprofit organization, Mothers Helping Mothers, is turning an upstairs section of the repurposed plant into a 21-bed dormitory for homeless teen moms and their children. Sanders and other advocates say the city desperately needs services that focus on that population. Adult shelters, for example, don't take kids and generally are a poor fit for the youngest women."