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| Greetings NACHSA Members! |
Federal Update: Washington, D.C. remains relatively quiet, as Congress continues its summer recess until September 7. When the House and Senate return, they face a long list of legislation in a truncated period of time. Both houses expect to recess before October 1 and will return after the elections. Before recess, they will adopt a short-term extension of all federal funding to allow federal programs to continue through the new federal fiscal year.
NACHSA Scholarships Available: NACHSA is pleased offer scholarships to attend this fall's human services conference to be held by the County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA). Slated for October 8-10 in Anaheim, CA, the conference -- Protecting Families, Building Prosperity, Restoring Hope -- will continue the work done in recent years during CWDA's poverty symposiums and conferences, and will explore policies and strategies that best serve families across communities.
The scholarships include registration, meals provided during the conference, up to three nights lodging and roundtrip airfare to an Anaheim vicinity airport. To learn more about the conference, click here. If you are interested in being considered for a scholarship, please click here to complete a brief application form. Applications are due August 25, 2014.
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| Human Services Resources |
Education Requirements for Unaccompanied Minors from Central America: While the flow of minors into the U.S from Central America has slowed somewhat, there are thousands of children already here with the school year approaching. The Administration has released this fact sheet and FAQ highlighting their right to attend public school once they leave HHS temporary custody. Read more about status of these youth in this Hill newspaper story.
States' Use of SNAP Categorical Eligibility: The USDA has recently published a state-by-state list of how broad-based categorical eligibility is used for eligibility in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It may be viewed here.
Sexual Activity of Foster Teen Girls: This one-page brief from HHS summarizes the high rates of risky sexual activity and pregnancy of teenage girls in the foster care system.
New Resources Available on Home Visiting: HHS has launched a new website reviewing home visiting research and assessments of program model effectiveness.
Child Welfare and Poverty: The State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center has released a new brief, Prevent, Protect & Provide: How Child Welfare can Better Support Low-income Families. As child welfare administrators know, families living in poverty have a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing crises. While the majority of poor families never come to the attention of the child welfare system, poverty is still the greatest threat to child well-being and the best predictor of abuse and neglect. Nearly half of families (47 percent) who have their children removed from their homes have trouble paying for basic necessities. The 13-page brief highlights the efforts of two counties - -Montgomery County, MD and Fresno County, CA in meeting these challenges.
Housing for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: This HUD report discusses the empirical evidence documenting the link between aging out of foster care and the experience of homelessness, findings about how communities can, and do, use the Family Unification Program to address the housing needs of youth aging out of foster care who do not have adequate housing, and strategies for rigorously evaluating housing programs for youth aging out of foster care to better understand the effectiveness of various housing models.
TANF Responsiveness During the Great Recession: This new Brookings Institution report concludes that TANF responded relatively well during the recession. The report is based on three studies: (1) an examination of the changes in the TANF rolls compared to changes in AFDC rolls during previous recessions, plus changes in TANF rolls in relation to rising unemployment state-by-state; (2) a review of data on single mothers' likelihood to receive TANF benefits during the 2001 and 2007 recessions, their receipt of other program benefits, and what actions single mothers took to deal with the recession; and (3) interviews with 44 directors of state TANF programs to determine their state's response. A summary is available as well as the full paper.
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| Human Services Jobs | |
Marin County, Calif. is currently recruiting to fill the Chief Fiscal Officer position in their Health and Human Services Department. Please apply by August 29, 2014.
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Tom Joseph
National Association of County Human Services Administrators
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