Economic Opportunity Report articles from September 2004

Economic Opportunity Report archives from September 2004

It's not over.(Slants & Trends)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The controversy continues over the Bush administration's new overtime rules, as the House last week voted to overturn the brand new regulations. In a 223-193 vote, in which 22 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the administration,...

HUD approves most appeals for increased section 8 housing funds.(Housing and Urban Development)
September 13, 2004... Some $156 million in federal funds will be restored to the Section 8 housing voucher program, as the government has approved virtually all public housing authority (PHA) appeals filed, during a continuing controversial and contentious year in...

White House conference on poverty needed to galvanize people into action.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The only way to fight poverty effectively is with a White House conference to examine the key issues involved: jobs, housing, health care, education and the digital divide. That, according to Community Action Partnership (CAP) President...

Senate panel votes to bar future WIC-only stores.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Responding to concerns that WIC-only stores are overcharging their customers and growing too rapidly, a Senate panel last week voted to bar any new WIC-only stores from opening. This action, taken during the Sept. 8 markup of the Senate's...

House clears spending bill for CSBG, education, job training.(Community Services Block Grant)
September 13, 2004... An amendment adding $22 million to help low-income residents meet energy costs this winter was approved last week, as the House cleared a $142.5 billion bill funding the Community Services Block Grant as well as education and job training...

Fair market rents draw criticism from low-income housing groups.
September 13, 2004... Low-income housing advocates have urged the federal government to overhaul its proposed Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for fiscal 2005, saying the changes do not accurately reflect the rents in many communities and would require housing agencies to...

Anti-terrorism seminars aim to help CAAS respond to low-income needs.(Community Land Security Training Program)
September 13, 2004... As the nation neared the somber anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, community action agency officials were being schooled in ways to respond to terrorist and other threats to the low-income communities they serve. In seminars...

Delays in reauthorization put anti-poverty programs at risk.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Anti-poverty efforts are being left open to funding cuts, since Congress has failed to act on reauthorization of key programs, two Democratic critics charge. Specifically at risk are the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)...

HUD has announced $2.5 billion in awards to the nation's public housing authorities for improvements in existing units or to build and acquire new units.(Grant Awards)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... * HUD has announced $2.5 billion in awards to the nation's public housing authorities for improvements in existing units or to build and acquire new units. The funding, which comes from HUD's Capital Fund program, is distributed each year to...

HHS last month awarded more than $19 million in grants to help 66 health centers increase their capacity to serve rural and inner-city residents, many of whom lack health insurance.(Grant Awards)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... * HHS last month awarded more than $19 million in grants to help 66 health centers increase their capacity to serve rural and inner-city residents, many of whom lack health insurance. The awards were made under President Bush's five-year...

Mathematica Policy Research Inc.'s lessons from the early head start fatherhood demonstration projects is part of the June head start bulletin from HHS providing an overview of efforts to involve fathers more in care of their children.(Resources)
September 13, 2004... * Mathematica Policy Research Inc.'s Lessons from the Early Head Start Fatherhood Demonstration Projects is part of the June Head Start Bulletin from HHS providing an overview of efforts to involve fathers more in care of their children....

Child and Family Statistics' America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being echoes many other recent reports in concluding that conditions for U.S. children are generally getting better.(Resources)(http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... * Child and Family Statistics' America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being echoes many other recent reports in concluding that conditions for U.S. children are generally getting better. For example, children's family...

Do Child Characteristics Affect How Children Fare in Families Receiving and Leaving Welfare?(Resources)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... * Do Child Characteristics Affect How Children Fare in Families Receiving and Leaving Welfare? found teenage boys fare significantly worse in families that have left the welfare rolls. The report is by Child Trends and published by the Urban...

Estimating the Size and Characteristics of the SSI Child Population: A Comparison Between the NSCF and Three National Surveys compares several data sources that the National Survey of SSI Children and Families provides more comprehensive and accurate data for examining policy than do the others.(Resources)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
September 13, 2004... * Estimating the Size and Characteristics of the SSI Child Population: A Comparison Between the NSCF and Three National Surveys compares several data sources that the National Survey of SSI Children and Families provides more comprehensive and...

Ky. nonprofit helps residents navigate affordable housing.(Case Study)(Frontier Housing)
September 13, 2004... The following article is the first in a three-part series in which EOR will explore how a relatively poor, uneducated state deep in the heart of Appalachia is working to overcome the quagmire of housing low-income residents in safe, affordable...

USDA, Freddie Mac launch pilot on rural rental housing.(United States Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... A $10 million pilot project to rehabilitate and preserve affordable rural rental properties is under way, under a joint program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Freddie Mac. Under the program, which was announced Aug. 27,...

Charter schools.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Information that the U.S. Education Department (ED) collects on charter schools is being sharply scaled back for a periodic report that provides a detailed national profile of the nation's schools. In the past, the Schools and Staffing Survey...

Illegal immigrants.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has promised to veto a bill that passed the state Legislature in late August allowing illegal immigrant adults to apply for a California driver's license. The state Senate voted 21-14 and the Assembly passed it 42-35....

USDA publishes new rules for Child, Adult Care Food Program.(Federal Register)(United States Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... New rules to administer the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for needy participants have been unveiled in an effort to overcome mismanagement and increase fiscal oversight, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced. An...

TEFAP commodities.(Federal Register)
September 13, 2004... * TEFAP Commodities: USDA has announced the surplus and purchased commodities expected to be available for donation to states under the Emergency Food Assistance Program for fiscal 2004. For the list of commodities, see the Sept. 3 Federal...

SCHIP allotments.(Federal Register)
September 13, 2004... * SCHIP Allotments: The Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have announced final 2005 allotments to states and territories under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The allotments become available after Oct. 1....

Payment error rates.(Federal Register)
September 13, 2004... * Payment Error Rates: In a related notice, CMS has issued a proposed rule on measuring payment error rates in the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Public comments are due Sept. 27. See the Aug. 27 Federal Register, p. 52620.

Student Support Services.(Federal Register)
September 13, 2004... * Student Support Services: Deadlines dates were reopened and extended to Sept. 14 for the Student Support Services Program for residents in Florida counties that were declared a disaster area because of Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm...

Drug discount card.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Drug Discount Card: To help people with intellectual disabilities and limited literacy skills better understand the Medicare Approved Drug Discount Card, a new Web-based guide with audio and video clips will be developed, the U.S....

Community development.(Funding Opportunities)
September 13, 2004... About $4 million is expected to be available for the fiscal 2005 Bank Enterprise Program and $6 million for fiscal 2006 BEA awards, according to a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) issued by the Community Development Financial Institutions...

Head start grantee.(Funding Opportunities)(Advertisement)
September 13, 2004... The federal Head Start Bureau is looking for a new grantee to serve nearly 800 Head Start and Early Head Start children in Dougherty County, Ga. About $4 million is available to serve 713 Head Start children and $608,183 is available to serve...

Cleveland tops poverty list among nation's large cities.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... Single-parent homes, job losses and low wages are three reasons making Cleveland the nation's most impoverished big city, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Census said a third of the city's population and nearly half of children were...

Food stamp participation.(Community Food Resource Center)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... More than a million New York City residents got food stamp benefits in July, but some 700,000 eligible people still remain to be served, according to the city's Human Resources Administration. As a result, the Community Food Resource Center, an...

Predatory lending.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... A $3 million federal campaign to educate consumers on how to avoid falling victim to predatory lending when purchasing HUD homes was launched this month. The bilingual ad campaign is to hit 20 cities where HUD has a significant number of homes...

Medicaid drug purchasing.(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... The federal government last week approved plans for Minnesota and Hawaii to form joint purchasing pools for their state Medicaid programs to save money on prescription drugs, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced. These...

SFSP awards program.(Summer Food Service Program )(Brief Article)
September 13, 2004... USDA is seeking nominations for the 2003/2004 "Summer Sunshine Awards!" to recognize outstanding efforts to expand and serve children under the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). This year awards will be open to more types of groups than in...

Ominous on omnibus.(Slants & Trends)(Senate Appropriations Committee)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... OMINOUS ON OMNIBUS--Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said he is resisting pressure to pass a fiscal 2005 omnibus spending bill or to postpone difficult spending decisions until next year. "More and more people are...

Ups and downs for natives.(Slants & Trends)(native americans)
September 27, 2004... UPS AND DOWNS FOR NATIVES--Last week marked a time of celebration for Native Americans, with the Sept. 21 opening in Washington, D.C., of the long-awaited National Museum of the American Indian. But along with all the ceremony and pageantry...

Senate committee ups CSBG, strikes even start for FY05.(Community Services Block Grant)(fiscal year 2005)
September 27, 2004... Community Action Agencies and other grantees would share $650 million in the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) for the coming fiscal year, under a Senate Appropriations Committee plan that is more generous than either the House bill or the...

Health care & LEP.(Limited English proficiency)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... HEALTH CARE & LEP: Access to health care for people with limited English proficiency (LEP) is rising higher on advocates' radar screens. As Steve Hitov, managing attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHLP) in Washington, D.C., put it, if...

Senate panel gives huge boost to Section 8 housing vouchers.(Senate Appropriations Committee)
September 27, 2004... Section 8 housing vouchers would be boosted a dramatic $1.426 billion, to $20.707 billion, in fiscal 2005 under a bill approved last week by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The amount represents a $2.24 billion increase over the...

Senate panel would up WIC, level-fund child nutrition.(Women, Infants and Children)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program would be raised to $5.17 billion in fiscal 2005 under a Senate Appropriations Committee bill approved this month. The WIC amount would add $500 million to current funding and is $200 million...

Bill would join workforce agencies, business, colleges for job training.(senate bills)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Job training programs would get more federal help under a bipartisan Senate bill introduced this month to establish a grant program promoting partnerships among local workforce agencies, businesses and community colleges. Introduced by...

CACFP toolkit.
September 27, 2004... CACFP TOOLKIT: Effective Oct. 1, homeless shelters can serve children up to age 18, instead of only up to age 13, under the Child and Adult Care Food Program, as mandated under this year's reauthorization of child nutrition programs. An online...

Court decisions clamp down on rural rental housing.(low income groups)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Two recent court rulings provide new reason for concern regarding the preservation of affordable rural rental housing for low-income tenants. First, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded elderly and low-income tenants could not...

Harvard study blasts administration's plans for public housing subsidies.
September 27, 2004... Flawed and draconian is how some northern housing authorities are describing a trend in the redistribution of public housing subsidies. The Bush administration has laid out a plan that directs billions of dollars away from northern cities...

Former New York city hotels now house, shelter homeless.(Innovations)(Prince George Hotel)
September 27, 2004... In the heart of a lower Manhattan neighborhood sits a large, looming edifice that once housed the country's moneyed and now serves the city's down and out. More than 1,000 homeless men and women call the Prince George Hotel home now,...

State corporation helps brings housing to rural Kentucky.(Case Studr)(Kentucky Housing Corp)
September 27, 2004... (second of three parts) In this series, EOR is exploring how various entities in Kentucky are working to provide affordable housing to low-income residents. In Kentucky, the work of local home ownership groups aiming to help low-income...

Low-income working families losing out on tax refunds.(Earned Income Tax Credit)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... Some 7 million low-income working families are losing out on as much as $12 billion in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) refunds in unclaimed money and because of questionable practices of tax preparers, a new report has found. This amount...

Privacy rights questioned in ER plan for illegal immigrants.(Emergency Room)
September 27, 2004... A federal initiative to reimburse hospitals for emergency care provided to illegal immigrants has many facilities and immigration advocates questioning if the guidelines violate patient rights to privacy. Congress has allotted $1 billion...

'Parents as teachers' uses toys to expand shelter efforts.(teaching of homeless children)
September 27, 2004... Homeless children in three states will have some new toys to brighten up their surroundings, as a pilot parent education project is bringing toys into shelters to spur learning among the children housed there. In 10 shelters in Michigan,...

Poverty up, but child care down, women's law center reports.(National Women's Law Center report)
September 27, 2004... Even though poverty rates are rising, states are cutting back on child care by tightening eligibility for programs and making them more income-restrictive, the National Women's Law Center reported this month. In about three-fifths of...

Payment error rates.(Federal Register)
September 27, 2004... * Payment Error Rates: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have corrected the comment due date published in an Aug. 27 notice proposing a rule for measuring payment error rates in the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Comments...

Workforce development.(Grant Awards)
September 27, 2004... * Workforce Development: Verizon Communications announced $101,000 grants to nine Indiana nonprofit groups to help train workers for new and better jobs. Among those funded were Goshen High School, which got $9,000 to help at-risk and special...

Food stamps outreach.(Grant awards)
September 27, 2004... * Food Stamp Outreach: USDA has awarded $1 million to eight faith and community-based groups to help make more eligible low-income people aware of--and gain access to--the Food Stamp Program. The grants will be used to test innovative food...

Hurricane victims.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... * Hurricane Victims: Residents displaced from low-income units in Florida because of recent hurricanes will not lose their low-income housing credits, the IRS and Treasury Department announced Sept. 16. The agencies have temporarily suspended...

CAA award.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... * CAA Award: Entergy Corp. CEO J. Wayne Leonard this month won the first-ever Corporate Partnership Award bestowed by the Community Action Partnership and its network of Community Action Agencies. Leonard received the award earlier this month...

Food stamp numbers.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... * Food Stamp Numbers: Food stamp participation rose to 24,163,504 individuals in June, an increase of 187,901 from the month before. The June 2004 rate shows a 2.4 million-person increase from a year earlier and more than 7 million-person...

WIA participants.(Center for Law and Social Policy)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... * WIA Participants: Tables showing the number and percentage of participants in Workforce Investment Act programs, by funding stream and training, state-by-state for program year 2002 has been prepared by the Center for Law and Social Policy...

Outstanding CDBG recipients.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... * Outstanding CDBG Recipients: HUD this month awarded Community Development Excellence Awards to 14 communities for their "outstanding work in using Community Development Block Grant funding to create better communities and to improve the lives...

Medicaid integrity.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... * Medicaid Integrity: Fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program resulting in substantial financial loss to states and the federal government is detailed in a new report from the General Accountability Office (GAO). GAO could not give an estimate...

Hunger's Hope Awards.(Brief Article)
September 27, 2004... * Hunger's Hope Awards: The Food Bank of New York City has taken top honors for serving one's community in the 2004 round of Hunger's Hope Awards bestowed by America's Second Harvest this month. The New York City food bank last year upped its...