The Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP), in partnership with Demos, released its third report in the Living Longer on Less series, “Severe Financial Insecurity Among African-American and Latino Seniors”. This report focuses on the financial vulnerability of African-American and Latino senior households and uses a Senior Financial Stability Index (SFSI) to assess the financial stability of the households studied. Using SFSI, the report shows that 91 percent of African-American and Latino seniors face financial vulnerability, meaning that they about 9 out of every 10 African-American and Latino seniors are unable to be economically self-sufficient. The main sources of economic security and risk uncovered were: insufficient assets, high healthcare and housing expenses as well as little to no home equity. The authors suggest that in order to address poverty among African-American and Latino seniors, policymakers should promote comprehensive reforms to support working age adults’ maintenance of economic security and preparation for retirement.

From the Child Trends Databank, this page includes the latest information on youth employment. Specifically, employment declined in 2009 for youth (ages 16-24), which is a trend that began in 2000. In October 2009, 45 percent of youth were employed at some level, and those not enrolled in school were employed at 63 percent. The data also show that in 2009, 20 percent of youth were neither enrolled nor employed. Authors cite multiple factors explaining the decline in employment, including the current economic recession.

MDRC is currently conducting an impact evaluation of the New York City-based Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO). This report presents the interim results from the CEO program, which is a transitional jobs program designed to help former prisoners increase longer-term employment and reduce recidivism. Overall, results show that the program has had the highest rate of reductions in recidivism for the highest risk former prisoners. Researchers suggest similar transitional jobs initiatives target the highest risk population with the highest likelihood of reoffending.

Managed by the Hatcher Group with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Tax Credits for Working Families Web site provides a one-stop resource on tax credits that support working families both nationally and in states. The Web site includes research and resources on the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and the Property Tax Circuit Breaker.

Low-wage workers must navigate through multiple social systems in order to access benefits to support employment. The Center on Law and Social Policy, in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, developed this toolkit to help state and local policymakers, program operators and advocates identify federal funding streams that can be used to support integrated service delivery. The toolkit focuses on integrated service delivery to help organizations offer multiple services to best support participants toward self-sufficiency.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Commonwealth of Virginia collaborated to reduce the number of children in foster care and reduce the use of congregate care. This report provides an overview of their efforts by building a family-centered child welfare practice model. Through this model, the Commonwealth increased permanency rates and access to community-based care, and reduced overall spending.

From 2008 to 2009, the nation’s rate of homelessness rose by 20,000 people, or 3 percent. About four out of every 10 of these individuals live on the street, in a car, or another location not intended for human habitation. The National Alliance to End Homelessness released a report on the morning of Wednesday, January 12 analyzing the impact of the recent economic recession on homelessness in America. The report breaks its analysis into four main sections: (1) changes in rates of homelessness, (2) economic risk factors that have shifted due to the recession, (3) subpopulations that have been especially affected by the economic recession and trends within the given populations, and (4) specific States with increased risk factors for worsening rates of homelessness. The State of Homelessness in America is an effective evaluation of the most recent data related to homelessness and presents its findings using maps, tables, graphs and interactive online tools.

From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this news report discusses Census data that show, despite the economic recession, government efforts prevented an increase in poverty in 2009. Specifically, existing programs, such as unemployment insurance, assistance programs for low-income households, and tax credits for low-income working families, provided an important safety net. The Recovery Act’s programs and increased funding to existing programs kept more than 4.5 million people out of poverty in 2009.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) announced a series of new products through the Campaign for Disability Employment that are designed to promote the hiring, retention, and advancement of people with disabilities, and dispel negative stereotypes about disability and employment. The products include two Public Service Announcement (PSA) discussion guides, seven posters, as well other campaign outreach tools.

Community colleges around the country are faced with the task of teaching basic skills courses to over 2.5 million students. These students are often unable to make the transition to college-level coursework, an inability that has significant income-related implications. Individuals who do not take college coursework and earn an occupational certificate earn significantly less than those who do so. In an effort to aid students in making the transition from basic skills education to college coursework, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) program. The current study found I-BEST positively impacted six of seven educational outcomes as compared to a control group. Although the study did not find a relationship between I-BEST participation and positive changes in wages and hours worked, the authors attribute this to the participants entering the workforce during a recession. Due to the known positive relationship between college coursework and income, it is expected that future studies will find positive workforce outcomes among I-BEST participants.