Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, July 27, 2016
A recent Urban Institute report finds that 5.2 million fewer American children would be living in poverty today if the child poverty rate stood at the same level as in 1969.
"What Would Substantially Increased Mobility from Poverty Look Like" also finds that reducing the poverty rate for adults ages 18-64 to its historic low of 8.3 percent would lift 10.2 million adults out of poverty.
The authors find that decades of low intergenerational mobility, especially for non-white children, have resulted in stagnation or increases in the poverty rate for many groups of Americans.
Relaxing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) asset limits through broad-based categorical eligibility increases low-income households' savings (8 percent more likely to have at least $500) and participation in mainstream financial markets (5 percent more likely to have a bank account); it also reduces SNAP churn (26 percent). Taken together, relaxed asset limits increase households' financial security and stability by increasing savings and reducing benefit fluctuations, and they can decrease administrative program costs when fewer people cycle on and off the program. This report suggest that states with SNAP asset limits can improve family financial well-being by relaxing them and that reinstating federal SNAP asset limits will harm family financial stability.
An online fundraising campaign for a homeless teenager hoping to attend college in Georgia shows how the internet can quickly transform a heart-tugging story into a magnet for donations, and how quickly the tale can turn, The New York Times writes.
Fred Barley, 19, came to local attention in Barnesville, Ga., a few weeks ago while living in a tent near Gordon State College. He told authorities he had ridden a bicycle some 50 miles to attend classes and was looking for a job. Barnesville resident Casey Blaney launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $184,000 in 12 days as word of Mr. Barley's situation spread through news reports and social media.
Ms. Blaney abruptly halted fundraising last week as the pendulum of online attention swung to suspicion about where the money was going, according to the Times. Mr. Barley, who left Barnesville two weeks after he arrived, has been accused of running off with the money, although none has yet been disbursed.
Ms. Blaney has stopped talking to the media but said on the campaign's Facebook page that the money has gone into an educational trust. GoFundMe said Tuesday that it is "working with both Fred and Casey on the transfer of funds" and that all donations "will go directly to Fred's education." The Times calls the matter "a cautionary tale about the nature of online fundraising and the perils of being a good Samaritan in the digital age."
This webinar series is designed to improve the effectiveness of Community Action agencies working on the front line of addressing family homelessness. Building on the research and information shared in ourprevious twowebinars, this next presentation will provide a deeper dive into the various processes and challenges of implementing innovative homelessness strategieswithin the Community Action network.
During this webinar, you will hear from experts in program design and implementation, policy advocacy and coalition building in and with communities and organizations of color. Come to learn and to share your own ideas and experiences. You will leave with resources, ideas and a renewed commitment to addressing racial wealth inequality through your own programs, advocacy and partnerships.
Community Indicators Consortium (CIC) Impact Summit
September 26-27, 2016, Washington DC, FHI 360 Conference Center
The 2016 CIC Impact Summit will take a close look at new approaches and policy applications of well-being indicators and engage in dialogue both about what we can learn from international and local efforts and how we are or can be leading the field in measuring progress to move "beyond GDP" toward equitable, sustainable, healthy communities. There is a discount for becoming a CIC member before registering and also a 10% discount for groups of three or more.
SUMMER RECESS ACTIVITIES - HOW ARE YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SPENDING THEIR SUMMER VACATION?
