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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Sweet treats get homeless off the streets
A nonprofit Chicago bakery is employing homeless adults as bakery staff to give them the experience and paychecks to help them get back on their feet. Half the profits from the bakery will go to aiding the disabled and homeless. Some homeless are already seeing improvements in their quality of life.
Original story
Labels: homeless, homeless employment, nonprofit bakery
County moves to take over welfare fraud and public-housing fraud cases
A Wisconsin county is moving to make welfare fraud and public-housing fraud violations of county ordinances. Welfare fraud and public-housing fraud are currently state offenses that could bring possible jail sentences. However, due to caseload pressures and staffing shortages, the district attorney’s office typically does not prosecute such cases unless they involve a significant amount of money. If approved, the Waukesha County ordinance would downgrade fraud offenses to the level of a traffic ticket, giving police officers a new option for penalizing offenses that often go unpunished.
Original story
Labels: public-housing fraud, Waukesha County, welfare fraud
Rise in Medicaid applications concerns care providers
The increase in the number of Medicaid applications worries health care providers because of the growing likelihood that the program will have less money to dispense. Applications for Medicaid have spiked, with agencies running out of application forms and fielding more phone calls inquiring about the program. Officials expect the number of applicants to continue to grow as joblessness rises.
Original story
Labels: Medicaid
Educated immigrants lack resources to find adequate jobs
Nearly 20 percent of college-educated immigrants are working in unskilled jobs. This “immigrant brain waste” is particularly prevalent among Latin American and African immigrants, compared with Europeans and Asians with the same education level. The lack of networking skills and cultural barriers lead these immigrants to settle for unskilled employment.
Original story
Labels: college-educated, immigrants, unskilled labor
Homeless outreach offers free services
Washington State’s second annual Project Homeless Connect provided services to over 900 Tacoma and Pierce County homeless people, almost double the number who received help last year . Over 600 volunteers provided them with eye checks and glasses, dental care, HIV testing, flu shots, transportation, counseling, job advice and a buffet lunch.
Original story
Labels: homeless, medical services, project homeless connect
Bailouts for financial giants, but no money for the hungry and homeless
The federal government is pledging trillions of dollars to bail out financial giants, yet is unable to find money to help homeless, impoverished Americans. The U.S. Conference of Mayors reported that between November 2006 and November 2007, 80 percent of 23 major U.S. cities had more people using soup kitchens and 43 percent had an increase in the number of homeless children. However, federal funding for emergency feeding programs and homelessness prevention did not expand by a penny.
Original story
Labels: bailout, homeless, poverty, soup kitchen
Improved Social Security payouts fall short of retirees’ needs
Social Security benefits are increasing by 5.8 percent, which means an extra $63 monthly for the average retiree. The raise is supposed to enable recipients to keep abreast of inflation. But sharp increases in food and fuel costs, coupled with declines in the returns on retirement investments due to the financial sector crisis, are still likely to mean that many retirees are worse off.
Original story
Labels: increased benefits, Social Security
Number of homeless and needy students on the rise
The number of homeless students is rising in several Oklahoma school districts. The increase is attributed to declines in the economy and to efforts by school officials to identify the homeless more accurately. Although not all schools are seeing more homelessness, many that aren’t nevertheless have more students requesting reduced-price meals.
Original story
Number of homeless and needy students on the rise
The number of homeless students is rising in several Oklahoma school districts. The increase is attributed to declines in the economy and to efforts by school officials to identify the homeless more accurately. Although not all schools are seeing more homelessness, many that aren’t nevertheless have more students requesting reduced-price meals.
Original story
Americans postponing medical treatment during financial crisis
The economic crunch is leading many Americans to cut back on medical care and opt for home remedies. A survey by the Rockefeller Foundation and Time magazine found that the number of people who went without prescriptions, used retirement savings to pay for health care, or skipped doctor visits for themselves or children has risen since last year. Layoffs, shrinking bank accounts, rising medical prices and widespread economic anxiety have prompted people to split pills, skip screening tests, and delay elective procedures. Even people with insurance are skipping medical exams fearing doctors will discover a condition they cannot afford to treat.
Original story
Labels: medical care, medical cost, medical insurance
Retailer targeting needy students
A Target store recently donated a truckload of school supplies to homeless and impoverished children in this western North Carolina city, whose numbers have increased from previous years. The school system says it makes these supplies readily available to the students in need, but many teachers continue to use their own money to buy supplies for their students.
Original story
Labels: donation, school supplies, students, Target
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