Strategies to engage youth transitioning to adulthood is crucial to addressing needs such as education, employment, and mentoring. This report from the National League of Cities describes cross-system initiatives from eight cities across the country on supporting vulnerable youth. Specifically, Boston, Albany, and San Diego have developed creative partnerships across their cities to include a variety of public systems and agencies.

Published through Child Trends, this newsletter includes information from the National Survey of Children’s Health, which provides state-level data on children’s health and wellbeing. Additionally, authors provide information on new data tools and resources on child welfare.

The Department of Mental Health in Massachusetts is committed to preventing homelessness for people with serious mental illness. From the Urban Institute, this report is the beginning of an evaluation of the Homelessness Initiative, and provides an overview of the history of the Initiative for the last 15 years.

This report from the Government Accountability Office reviews how States are preparing youth in foster care for independent living. In 1999, the funding for independent living programs was increased to $140 million. GAO evaluated the funding allocations by State, the services provided, State coordination of programs to provide services, and the Administration for Children and Families' progress in meeting its accountability requirements.

From the National Institute of Drug Abuse within the National Institutes of Health, this press release reports that crystal methamphetamine use among young adults in the United States has considerably increased. A reported 2.8 percent of adults ages 18-26 used crystal methamphetamine in the years 2001-2002. The use of crystal methamphetamine is associated with criminal behavior and risky sexual behavior among this population.

More than 650,000 prisoners are released annually in the United States. The Urban Institute conducted this four-year study to understand challenges of prisoner reentry in Cleveland, Ohio. This brief provides the results from interviews with 300 prisoners 12 months after release. The study includes information on the ability of returning prisoners to find stable housing and employment, reunite with family after release, and avoid substance use and recidivism.

This resource from the Urban Institute provides information on asset building among low-income families. Because welfare benefits and food stamps are means tested, assets and income must fall below set limits for families to qualify. This ensures that benefits go to the most needy families; however, asset limits can also discourage asset building for low-income families. Authors review how assets, such as education, a home, a car, or an individual development account (IDA), can be exempted.

The proportion of the labor force over 65 years old is estimated to increase between 2004 and 2014. Therefore, the health of the aging population is crucial to ensure the elderly are physically and cognitively capable of work. This article from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) calls for additional research to be done on how improving health will stimulate the economy and national wealth.

This research brief from Child Trends offers an overview of a growing body of research on men’s pregnancy intentions. New research suggests that men’s pregnancy intentions and prenatal behaviors may have implications for fathers’ later involvement with their children. Utilizing data from the 9-month Resident Father Survey of the 2001 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), authors provide information on the effects of prenatal intentions and behaviors.

This Bulletin from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reviews the characteristics of low-income households with very low food security in 2005. Food security is used to measure how effective nutrition assistance programs are meeting the needs of the population that these programs are meant to serve. As part of the strategic plan, the USDA seeks to reduce the prevalence of very low food security among low-income families.