Based on data from the 2005 American Community Survey and the Census in 2000, this report from the Brookings Institution analyzes poverty in the 100 largest urban areas in the United States. The percentage of people living in poverty increased in both cities and suburbs between 1999 and 2005, and the child poverty rate rose faster than the overall rate by 3 additional percentage points. The poverty rate in large cities was 18.8 percent- twice as high as in suburbs at 9.4 percent in 2005.

The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Academy that took place in Dallas, Texas from February 2-4, 2003 at the Fairmont Hotel-Dallas.

Authored by Jeanette Hercik, Karen Lynn-Dyson, H. Lien Bragg, Courtney Kakuska, and Bradley Myles. This technical assistance packet was developed by Caliber Associates, Inc. as part of the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Initiative. This initiative is sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Family Assistance (OFA) and Office of Community Services (OCS), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).

The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Academy III that took place in St. Louis, Missouri from March 8-11, 2005 to foster collaboration to improve administration and delivery of services to TANF families.

This report provides an overview of the promising practices presented at the joint Peer TA/Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Big Five Roundtable. The California Department of Social Services made a Technical Assistance (TA) request on behalf of their largest urban center (Los Angeles) and on behalf of four very similar urban centers (Chicago, Houston, New York City and Philadelphia.) The five target cities were led through a series of facilitated discussions involving the core subject areas of performance management and contracting, saturation engagement, diversion and immediate employment, and re-engagement and sanctions.

The Urban Partnerships Initiative was designed by the Administration for Children and Families to support the work of TANF stakeholders in urban environments by promoting shared learning, enhancing cities' performance management, and developing strategies to improve services to families so that they may achieve and maintain self-sufficiency. The following report describes the Urban Partnerships for Welfare Reform Leadership Forum that took place in Baltimore, Maryland.

As place is an important factor for positive family outcomes, this Urban Institute article reviews types of neighborhoods and how surroundings can play a role in the well-being of families and children. By research a variety of indicators, it concludes that families residing in urban and rural areas face increased hardship than families residing in suburban areas.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina took the lives of 1,800 people in the Gulf Coast region and caused $81.2 billion worth of damage. Since the storm, rebuilding efforts have sought to create a better New Orleans, and this article, from the Brookings Institution, reviews the progress in the past year and visions for the future.

To improve the employment outcomes for ex-offenders, Baltimore Mayor's Office of Employment Development (MOED) facilitated the creation of the Baltimore's citywide Ex-offender Task Force (EOFT) in October 2002. EOTF membership includes more than 100 government agencies, nonprofit and community-based service providers, major foundations, advocacy groups, and faith leaders. In December 2003, EOFT issued a report that outlines barriers to effective service delivery and provides recommendations for the service improvements. To facilitate prioritizing the recommendations from the report and secure additional funding to support those priorities, a Mayoral-appointed Ex-Offender Employment Steering Committee was created in March 2004 and started the second phase of Baltimore's initiative.

This report, from the Urban Institute, describes incarceration and prisoner reentry trends in Philadelphia between 1996 and 2003. By reviewing characteristics of individuals returning to the community, this study provides insight on challenges regarding prisoner reentry in Philadelphia.