This blog is a place for journalists to discuss their experiences covering poverty. It works in tandem with onpoverty.org, a site run by Washington and Lee University's American Poverty Journalism Center.
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Buses provide homeless students with transportation
Hawaii homeless students are guaranteed a way to get to school, under a settlement intended to give homeless families full access to the public school system. The state will provide school buses and city bus passes to those who need help with transportation. The federal judge said that last year the state education department could only account for 300 of 2,000 students estimated to be homeless.
Original story
Labels: busing, Hawaii, homeless students, Honolulu, Star Bulletin
Florida college students turn to food stamps
Rising food prices are hitting college students hard, and some have turned to the government for help. The number of students receiving food stamps has increased 44 percent in one year, said the Florida Department of Children and Families. But many are not sure if they qualify, and don’t know how to apply. People who use food stamps can buy only fruits, vegetables, meats and other staples.
Original story
Labels: college students, Florida, food prices, food stamps, homeless, rising costs
Homeless “human pawns” in LA hospital scheme
Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif., hospitals submitted phony Medicare and Medical bills for hundreds of recruited homeless patients, state and federal authorities allege. For the homeless, posing as hospital patients meant a clean bed and cash. For the hospitals that processed them, it meant a full patient-load and a government paycheck. But after federal raids on three medical centers, the scheme is up.
Original story
Labels: federal raid, homeless pawns, hospital scheme, Los Angeles, Orange County
Programs move poor into the suburbs, problems continue
Under Section 8 of the federal housing voucher program, thousands of poor, urban and often African-American residents have vacated the tough streets of their old neighborhoods for the comfort of the suburbs. But law enforcement and housing experts argue that rising crime rates follow the Section 8 recipients to their new homes. Others discount a direct link, but social and racial tensions between the newcomers and their neighbors have increased.
Original story
Labels: federal housing, homeless, section 8, suburb problems, The New York Times
Los Angeles car wash campaign gets council support
A campaign by car wash employees for fair wages and decent working conditions recently gained support from the Los Angeles City Council. The council unanimously passed a resolution endorsing efforts by the workers, most of them immigrants, to secure better wages and conditions and to organize a union.
Original story
Living in limbo: Low-wage workers struggle amid economic uncertainties
Low-wage workers are tiptoeing an economic tightrope made even riskier by recent price rises and job losses. Their struggles to pay for basic needs have increased with the overall rise in financial insecurity. And most do not have a financial cushion to fall back on. This week, we feature a Washington Post article on the perils that low-wage workers face, and the hopes that keep them moving forward.
Original story
Labels: economic tightrope, low-wage workers, The Washington Post
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