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Family Strengthening News is a monthly e-newsletter
produced by the Family Strengthening Policy Center, an initiative
of the National Human Services Assembly funded by the Annie E.
Casey Foundation.
Family Strengthening: A deliberate and sustained effort to ensure
that parents have the necessary opportunities, relationships, networks
and supports to raise their children successfully, which includes
involving parents as decision-makers in how their communities meet
family needs. - Annie E. Casey Foundation
Family Economic Success
Study Finds Poor Employment Outcomes for Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care
A new study from the Urban Institute examines employment outcomes for youth who age out of foster care through their middle twenties in three states: California, Minnesota, and North Carolina. The study linked child welfare, Unemployment Insurance (UI), and public assistance administrative data to assess outcomes. Results suggest that youth who age out of foster care continue to experience poor employment outcomes at age 24 and generally follow one of four employment trajectories as they transition to adulthood. Click here..
Bridging the Gap: Refundable Tax Credits in Metropolitan and Rural America
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) lifts many working families out of poverty each year, but a new Brookings Institution report reveals uneven EITC filing and receipt rates. Areas of the country with low EITC receipt and greater levels of economic distress merit additional outreach and education efforts. To read more…
Self-Employment and Economic Mobility
Self-employment has held out the promise of economic mobility to generations of Americans. However, it is unclear whether the success stories of self-made men and women represent common experiences or exceptional cases. This brief from the Urban Institute describes the mechanisms by which self-employment may have mobility outcomes different from standard employment, paying particular attention to the substantial differences in self-employment effects across income, race, and gender subgroups. To read more..
Bill Would Expand Opportunities for Older Workers
Sens. Herb Kohl (D-WI), Gordon Smith (R-OR), and Kent Conrad (D-ND) have introduced the Incentives for Older Workers Act to eliminate barriers for older Americans who want to stay in the workforce longer. The bill would: remove penalties in certain pension plans for workers who phase into retirement; allow seniors who continue to work beyond retirement age to earn Social Security credits until age 72; reduce the amount of Social Security benefits lost to seniors who claim benefits before reaching normal retirement age and while they continue working; make older workers eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit; and clarify that certain defined benefit pension plans can define normal retirement age as the earlier of a specified age or 30+ years of service. To read more..
The Working Poor and Commuting in the U.S.
Transportation is necessary to nearly every aspect of daily life. It enhances both physical and economic mobility and is a key factor in workers’ ability to find and retain employment. A new survey from the Brookings Institution offers a better understanding of transportation and its costs by focusing on commuting. An analysis of the commuting and housing expenses of the working poor finds that compared with other workers the working poor spend a much higher portion of their income on commuting. The cost burden of commuting for the working poor is 6.1 percent compared with 3.8 percent for other workers. To read more..
Family Support Systems
Tight State Budgets Reveal Governors' True Pre-K Colors
In spite of significant fiscal and political challenges, 16 governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C. proposed a total of $261 million in increases for pre-kindergarten programs. The steadfast commitment by many governors to invest in pre-k is partially due to the growing support of the business community, which considers early education an essential investment in workforce development. To read more... Visit www.preknow.org to learn more about Pre-K.
Tax Credits and Public Benefits: Complementary Approaches to Supporting Low-Income Families
Tax credits and public benefits are complementary approaches to supporting low-income families, policy makers do not need to choose between them according to a new report from the Center for Law and Social Policy. By understanding the advantages and disadvantages of both mechanisms advocates and policy makers can better choose the right tool for the job at hand, rather than adopting a one-size fits all approach. Click here..
Key Lessons for Programs Interested in Boosting Teen Participation
Mounting evidence suggests that sustained participation in structured out-of-school-time activities is key to healthy development and positive outcomes for youth. Thus, strategies for promoting and maintaining youth engagement, particularly as youth gain independence during the middle and high school years, are of increasing interest to program operators and funders. More Time for Teens, a new report from Public/Private Ventures, distills key lessons for programs interested in boosting teen participation; one being that programs should develop outreach and programming that takes into account the importance teens place on friendships. To read more...
States Push to Get Food to Needy
As the economy sputters, states are taking extraordinary measures to help people keep food on the table, and the federal Food Stamps program is their primary tool. This year, soaring food and energy prices and lost jobs have led a record number of people to enter the program — more than in any year since the program began in 1964. But even as the number of applicants spirals, states are reaching out to millions more who may not realize they are eligible or are reluctant to participate. To read more…
Also visit the Food Research and Action Center
Increasing State Investments in Early Care and Education: Lessons Learned
This report, prepared by Voices for America’s Children for the Casey Foundation, profiles efforts in 10 states to increase investments in early childhood. These states differ widely in size, political dynamics, budget resources, and in demographics of the under-five population, but common threads exist in the advocacy strategies applied. To read more..
Strengthening Families Through Guardianship
Kids are Waiting: Fix Foster Care Now released a new brief which highlights the importance of subsidized guardianship as a means for ensuring permanent families for children. It includes a table on the estimated number of children by state who could leave foster care with the new federal guardianship support proposed in the Kinship Caregiver Support Act. To read more..
Thriving and Nurturing Communities
Intergenerational Housing Funding Announcement
The long-awaited notice of federal funding for intergenerational housing demonstrations for grandparents raising grandchildren is in the April 25, 2008 Federal Register. To learn more about intergenerational programming click here. If you are interested in applying for funding click here. To read Generations United action agenda to create affordable housing opportunities for grandparents raising children click here..
Rethinking U.S. Rental Housing Policy
With one-third of Americans in renter households, more families cannot find apartments or homes that they can reasonably afford. The nation’s housing challenges undermine other top domestic priorities: making work pay, leaving no child behind, growing the economy and protecting the environment. A new report from the Brookings Institution states that The President should promote a housing policy under which the federal government assumes responsibility for boosting the purchasing power of low-income renters to cover the cost of decent quality housing, through a combination of an increased minimum wage, an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, and targeted housing vouchers. To read more..
Senate Passes Mortgage Relief Bill
The Senate has passed the Foreclosure Prevention Act that would provide tax breaks to home builders and buyers of foreclosed properties. It would provide $4 billion for local governments to buy and fix up abandoned properties, a provision that is intended to prevent neighborhood blight. The Senate measure also includes a number of other provisions, including state authority to issue an additional $10.9 billion in tax-exempt bonds to refinance sub-prime mortgages and provide mortgages for first-time home buyers; $180 million for counselors to help borrowers avoid foreclosure; increasing the length of time a lender must wait before beginning foreclosure proceedings on a home owned by returning war veterans; and permanently raising the amount of the maximum mortgage that can be backed by the Federal Housing Administration. To read more..
America's Rental Housing: The Key to a Balanced National Policy
The current housing debacle not only adds to the number of households competing for low-cost rentals and threatens current renters with eviction from their homes, but also increases the costs of financing rental housing construction and preservation, according to a new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (JCHS). Moreover, because many high-risk loans now in default are concentrated in low-income and minority communities, the fallout from foreclosures is hitting the same neighborhoods where many of the nation’s most economically vulnerable renters live. JCHS asserts that in order to reach a more balanced housing policy we must eliminate land use policies that limit development of affordable, higher density rental housing in resource-rich suburban communities. To read more..
New from the Family Strengthening Policy Center...
We are pleased to announce a new Family Strengthening Initiative titled Caring Workplaces, Committed Employees! Like many other nonprofit human services organizations, you may be experiencing challenges attracting qualified people for paid or volunteer openings and retaining good workers. Decades of corporate and public sector experience have established that employees – and volunteers – perform better at work and stay with organizations that help them shoulder their family responsibilities. To help the nonprofit human services sector keep pace, the year-long Caring Workplaces, Committed Employees initiative aims to make the case, provide best practices and case studies, and offer learning events. The Family Strengthening Policy Center is pleased to release the first of these resources:
For more info about this initiative go to www.nassembly.org/fspc
Announcements & Additional Resources
National Campaign Will Connect Millions of Americans to Technology, Combat Poverty
One Economy Corporation is a global nonprofit organization that uses innovative approaches to deliver the power of technology and information to low-income people, giving them valuable tools for building better lives. Their two-year campaign is a member-supported effort that marshals the resources of government, business, and the nonprofit sector around a powerful goal: extending the promise of innovative technology to expand opportunities to those who need them most.
Logic Model Builder for Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention/Family Support Programs
The Logic Model Builder assists prevention, family support, and parenting programs in evaluating the effectiveness of their programs. Developed as a collaborative effort between the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention and Information Gateway and part of the FRIENDS Evaluation Toolkit, the Logic Model Builder provides guidance in developing a logic model - a picture of how a program works - to outline what you do, why you do it, and how you can measure your results. Click here..
May is Foster Care Month
The campaigns and activities being organized in communities across the country during National Foster Care Month help raise awareness on behalf of young people in foster care and remind citizens that everyone can do something positive to help foster children build a brighter future.
National League of Cities’ City Platform for Strengthening Families and Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth outlines the essential tasks necessary for sustained progress and provides a framework for local action on behalf of young people and their families. Click here for more information..
The Coalition for Community Schools, with support from the MetLife Foundation, has created a one-stop-shop for principal preparation and professional development programs and practicing principals. The website features the best research and tools on nine essential topics that will help principals effectively engage communities and families. Click here..
NeighborWorks America Launches New Center for Foreclosure Solutions Web site
The new site now provides tips, data, helpful links and information on training and best practices in foreclosure prevention. Click here..
Cornerstones for Kids’ Workforce Planning Portal provides hands-on tools and resources for human services agencies looking for solutions to workforce challenges.
Conferences & Events
The Center on Children and Families at Brookings and the National Poverty Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan will hold a forum to discuss the policy challenges posed by single mothers who have not been able to find stable employment and who may have used up their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) eligibility or face sanctions. These women head the families that are most vulnerable to the current economic downswing. Click here..
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
9:00 AM to 11:15 AM
Brookings Institution
Children and Family Issues on the Campaign Trail: Polling, Politics, and Policy
This month's panel at the Urban Institute will discuss how demographic changes in America's child population, led by shifts in family structure, immigration, fertility rates, and ethnic diversity, intersect with public policy in nuanced ways. Panelists will probe public opinion about child and family issues, including education and health care, and will examine how these topics are, or are not, being addressed in national and local campaigns.
May 8th 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. To listen to a live audio webcast click here
American Youth Policy Forum
Building Afterschool Capacity at the National Level: The Community Schools Model. This forum will examine the “community schools” model as a part of the growing movement to expand the lens through which "out-of-school time programming " is viewed. Speakers will include representatives from the Coalition for Community Schools, Communities in Schools, Children’s Aid Society, and University of Pennsylvania Center for Community Partnerships
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
RSVP: Please reply to aypf@aypf.org Monday, May 12, 2008
National Foster Parent Association Conference
May 12 - 16, 2008
Atlanta, GA
Prevent Child Abuse America
Connecting the Dots … Turning Knowledge into Action
May 19 – 22, 2008
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Afterschool Alliance
Afterschool for All Challenge
May 13-14, 2008
Washington, D.C.
Save the Children Advocacy Day 2008
Save the Children's sixth annual Save the Children Advocacy Day will press for American leadership to save the millions of children under five who die each year from preventable causes through passage of the U.S. Commitment to Global Child Survival Act. For more info..
June 11-12, 2008
Washington, DC
2008 Nonprofit Human Resources Conference: Advancing Mission Through People
The 2008 Nonprofit Human Resources Conference is the first of a series of planned annual events designed to bring together nonprofit human resources practitioners, executives, thought leaders, and researchers to not only discuss human resources issues of critical importance to the nonprofit sector, but also to identify resources – human, financial, and programmatic – that will advance the missions and organizational effectiveness of individual organizations and position the sector more effectively for the future. The early bird registration deadline for the conference is April 30. National Assembly members will receive a discount on registration and the discount is even greater if members register prior to April 30. Click here to register.
September 28-29, 2008
Washington, DC
For other conferences and events, click here.
Family Strengthening Policy Center Briefs
In addition to producing this newsletter, the Family Strengthening Policy Center has produced analyses of the following promising practices and policies that advance place-based family strengthening. We do the research and analysis so you don't have to! Please check them out, and please feel free to reference those you find helpful. Click the titles below to view the briefs in PDF format.
We particularly commend to you the most recent and over-arching policy brief: Family Strengthening Writ Large: On Becoming a Nation That Promotes Strong Families and Successful Youth
Integrated Materials:
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For more resources from the National Assembly, please visit our other sites:
National Human Services Assembly
www.nassembly.org
The National Human Services Assembly (National Assembly) is an association of the nation’s leading national nonprofits in the fields of health, human and community development, and human services. The National Assembly's mission is to engage leaders of the sector in collective efforts to advance the effectiveness of health & human services in the United States.
National Collaboration for Youth
www.collab4youth.org
The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY), a 30-year old affinity group, is a coalition of National Assembly member organizations that have a significant interest in youth development. This Web site includes NCY's public policy agenda and issues and information about NCY's F.I.L.M. (Finding Inspiration in Literature and Movies) and juvenile justice projects.
National Youth Development Information Center
www.nydic.org
A one-stop Web site for youth workers with information on funding, programming, research, policy, job and training opportunities. NYDIC also provides current news to the youth development field and has one of the largest online libraries, providing practice-related information at low-cost or no cost.
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