Economic Opportunity Report articles from April 2004

Economic Opportunity Report archives from April 2004

Welfare stalled.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... WELFARE STALLED--With welfare reform still stalled in the Senate, the 1996 law has been given yet another three-month lease on life. Under the latest extension bill, S. 2231, welfare programs will continue through June 30, giving the Senate...

Bush administration overhauls overtime pay eligibility rules.
April 26, 2004... New standards governing eligibility for overtime pay unleashed a torrent of controversy in Congress last week over how the rules will affect low-and middle-income families. The changes, which represent the most substantial overhaul of...

HHS reports continued decline in families getting TANF assistance.(Health and Human Services)(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... The number of families getting welfare assistance has continued to drop, with a 1.2 percent decrease from June through September of last year and a whopping 54 percent drop since 1996 when welfare reform legislation was enacted. In...

More low-income children served by SCHIP in FY 2003.(State Children's Health Insurance Program)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... More low-income children are being served under the State Children's Health Insurance Program, as enrollment rose 9 percent in fiscal 2003 over the year before. In fiscal 2003, 5.8 million children participated in the program at some point...

California SCHIP plan.(State Children's Health Insurance Program)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... CALIFORNIA SCHIP PLAN: Some 73,000 medically underserved and uninsured children in rural areas of California will get health care through the State Child Health Insurance Program, under a state plan recently approved by the Bush administration....

Jackson, housing expert, sworn in as new secretary of HUD.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Pledging to increase access to affordable housing for low-income families, Alphonso Jackson this month was sworn in as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Boosting the number of homeowners, and minority...

New initiative seeks to increase home ownership among natives.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Some 100,000 new homes are expected to be built to improve housing prospects on Indian reservations, through a 10-year initiative launched this month by the National American Indian Housing Council (NAIHC). Banks and financial institutions...

FRAC: food insecurity grows, program participation rises.(Food Research and Action Center)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Food insecurity is on the rise: 34.9 million people lived in households experiencing hunger in 2002, up from 31 million in 1999. Overall, people in one in nine households either experience hunger or food insecurity, according to the Food...

USDA grants to help low-income seniors buy fresh fruits, vegetables.(United States Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Forty-seven state agencies and tribal organizations Friday got funding aimed at helping to get more fresh fruits and vegetables in the hands of low-income senior citizens. Funded under the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, the...

Rockefeller bill would mandate more research on poor children.(Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... More research into the well-being of children --particularly low-income children--would be conducted under legislation introduced recently by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.). The bill, S. 2213, would require the U.S. Department of Health and...

Most Head Start grantees do not face major compliance problems.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... While recent headlines have focused on salary and other controversies in the Head Start program, new federal data reveal no major compliance problems for almost 90 percent of Head Start grantees in 2002. In fact, 89 percent of grantees had...

Senators seek funding for program to help poorer families afford college.(Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... A group of senators has pushed for continuation of a federal-state program that helps low-income families afford college. Proposed for elimination by President Bush, the LEAP (Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership) program provides...

National group urges Congress to keep CSBG funding steady.(Community Services Block Grant)
April 26, 2004... The community services block grant has successfully put decision-making at the local level and provided a model for helping low-income people "in a flexible, decentralized, non-bureaucratic and accountable way," said the National Association...

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.(Grant Opportunities)
April 26, 2004... Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Innovative community-based projects are being sought to help improve the health of at-risk populations, under ongoing grant programs from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The foundation wants to fund projects...

Workforce Investment Boards.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Workforce Investment Boards: Some $5.5 million is available for grants to eligible Workforce Investment Boards that have shown they can form working partnerships with grassroots faith-based and community organizations. These new grants are to...

One-Stop delivery system.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... One-Stop Delivery System: Nonprofit, grassroots organizations are eligible for $1 million in grants to help provide job training and basic skills education through One-Stop Career Centers. The U.S. Employment and Training Administration expects...

Community Technology Centers.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Community Technology Centers: Some 18 to 25 awards averaging $350,000 each are available to create or expand Community Technology Centers to provide access to information technology and related training to disadvantaged residents of...

Migrant Even Start.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Migrant Even Start: Twelve to 15 grants aimed at helping to break the cycle of poverty among migrant families are available under the Migrant Education Even Start (MEES) Family Literacy Program for fiscal 2003 and 2004. The U.S. Education...

Head Start training.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Head Start Training: Some $1.5 million is available from the federal Head Start Bureau to help get more minorities into Head Start positions. Under the Head Start Hispanic Latino Service Partnerships, colleges can provide professional...

Infant health grants.(Grant Opportunities)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Infant Health Grants: Some $2.7 million is available for three to six projects to provide such services as parenting skills, in-home support and counseling to help prevent infant abandonment, especially of infants exposed prenatally to drugs...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 26, 2004... * The National Housing Conference June 9 will honor Angelo R. Mozilo, chairman and CEO of Countrywide Financial Corp. as the Annual Housing Person of the Year. During the Washington, D.C., event, participants will view the National Building...

USDA proposes new rules for food stamp eligibility, certification.(Regulations)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... New rules that would expand eligibility and certification for food stamps, as mandated by the 2002 Farm Bill, have been proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The new rules, which are open to public comment until June 15,...

Income eligibility guidelines.(standards define eligibility for federal nutrition programs)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Income Eligibility Guidelines: New income standards guiding eligibility for federal child nutrition programs and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program have been announced for the year beginning July 1. The guidelines reflect increases...

American Dream.(American Dream Downpayment Initiative)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... American Dream: Interim regulations to implement the new downpayment assistance component of the American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI)--designed to help low-income families own homes--take effect April 29. The rules identify eligible...

Multifamily Housing.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Multifamily Housing: A proposed rule would require all participants in the Multifamily Housing Programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to file "previous participation certificates" electronically by a specific date....

College Guides for Hispanics.(Resources)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... College Guides for Hispanics: A new series of free regional college guides for Hispanic students has been announced by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) in partnership with Hobsons, a provider of education and...

Workforce Development Politics: Civic Capacity and Performance.(Resources)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... Workforce Development Politics: Civic Capacity and Performance is new from Editor Robert Giloth and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The book examines workforce development systems in place in various cities and the potential for systemic reform....

Ohio jobs.(career pathways help working poor)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... * Ohio Jobs: A dozen planning grants have been awarded for organizations in Ohio to develop "career pathways" to help low-wage workers, especially by helping them earn postsecondary credentials that will raise their earning power. The grants,...

Wisconsin health program.(BadgerCare program)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... * Wisconsin Health Program: Wisconsin's BadgerCare program, which provides health care to low-income families, has been extended for three years. The program incorporates the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with a Medicaid...

Child care rolls.(children's food funding)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... * Child Care Rolls: In 16 states, reduced eligibility levels have meant fewer low-income children qualify for child care assistance, and in nine states funding has been cut for after-school care. In all, some 500,000 children are on child care...

Summer jobs.(The After-School Corporation)(Neediest Cases Fund of the New York Times Co)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... * Summer Jobs: Some 1,000 summer jobs will be created for low-income teens in New York City, under the Neediest Cases Fund of the New York Times Co. The jobs program, about to begin its second summer, is in response to cuts in government-funded...

USDA rural grants.(United States Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... * USDA Rural Grants: Aiming to spur economic development in rural areas, the U.S. Agriculture Department has awarded $10.9 million in loans and grants to 34 agencies in 17 states. Funds can be used to boost community facilities and...

Affordable housing campaign.(Campaign for Affordable Housing)(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... * Affordable Housing Campaign: A new alliance formed this month aims to make a major public education effort to inform policy makers and the public about the need for affordable housing. Some 14.4 million families have critical housing needs,...

Weatherization aid.(Brief Article)
April 26, 2004... * Weatherization Aid: The U.S. Energy Department this month awarded $128.2 million to 30 states and the Navajo Nation to help improve the energy efficiency of low-income families' homes. The grants are intended to "save energy, lower energy...