Author: Jon Aren

(July 1) – For so many students struggling with the effects of poverty, having an AmeriCorps or Senior Corps member offer support and coaching in partnership with teachers and school leaders can mean the difference between graduating ready for college and career or dropping out of school.

(June 30) – California lawmakers and Los Angeles officials advanced new measures to address the state’s large homeless population this week, including a $2 billion statewide plan passed Thursday to build more housing for homeless people who are mentally ill.

(June 29) – The sickest people living on San Francisco’s streets are not only the most noticeable, but the most vulnerable and hardest to reach. Public health experts believe roughly a third — and maybe many more — of all homeless people in San Francisco are mentally ill, many of them battling severe conditions like…

(June 28) – The Education Department is revising the federal financial aid application to make it easier for homeless college students to access loans and grants, in response to requests from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

(June 27) – There are almost 50 million people living in poverty in the United States. almost 15 percent of the population. And as long as there have been poor people, there have been others trying to help them.

(June 26) – Over 500,000 Americans are homeless each night. Studies show that people experiencing homelessness are increasingly older, sicker, and more likely to die than others their age. Today, 297 Health Care for the Homeless programs operate, many doing excellent work.

(June 23) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) told the United States that tackling poverty should be an “urgent” priority to ensure the country’s wellbeing in the fund’s annual review of the U.S economy. The report released Wednesday cited statistics showing that 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty, including 20% of children.

(June 23) – One out of five U.S. children lived in poverty in 2014, unchanged from the previous year despite rising employment, according to the latest available data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a nonprofit children’s advocacy organization.

(June 22) – America’s safety-net programs are meant to help the poorest and most vulnerable access meet their basic needs—food, medical care, and safe housing—and there’s an ongoing debate about just how robust and successful these programs are.

(June 22)  – California — after spending some $16 billion from the voter-approved Proposition 63 — faces a new crisis with its failed mental health system. State senators and interest groups have proposed a $2 billion raid on Prop. 63 money to subsidize affordable housing for individuals with mental illness and for other homeless Californians.