Mathematica Policy Research, as part of an evaluation of the Parents and Children Together study, conducted a qualitative study of fathers who voluntarily participated in Responsible Fatherhood programs. Many of these fathers struggled with unstable employment and low wages, which complicated their ability to financially support their children, despite a desire to do so. The findings show some of the challenges fathers experience when dealing with child support systems, and the report makes suggestions for service providers about how to help fathers address them.

This brief from the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy discusses demographics in Southwestern Minnesota, a rural area where the population is aging and becoming more diverse, particularly among youth. The goal of the brief is to analyze the circumstances youth face in this region, including consideration of economic, educational, and social indicators. Also discussed is the increasing inequality of opportunity, as well as the strengths of the region that could facilitate improvements to social circumstances and youth opportunities.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation hosted this webinar in October 2016; the webinar recording is available online. The webinar is part of a series discussing lessons learned from the Foundation’s Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP) initiative, which is working with youth, especially those who have been justice system involved, homeless, or in the child welfare system, to address the challenges that make it difficult for them to achieve degrees or maintain jobs. LEAP sites have aimed to make their services responsive to youth who have experienced trauma, since research shows that suffering extreme stress and adverse experiences in childhood can impair physical development in ways that have long-term consequences. On the webinar, three LEAP sites discussed how they have made their services trauma-responsive.

IMPACT 5000 is the District of Columbia Housing Authority’s (DCHA) initiative to increase support for the 5,000 children living in its properties. These children face several challenges, including food insecurity, economic uncertainty, and health issues. This resource includes materials from an event at Urban Institute at which a panel presented findings from a community needs assessment of residents of DCHA family properties.

This post from the Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring is part of a series on toxic stress. In this post, the authors highlight what professional staff need to know about toxic stress to best serve vulnerable youth and families.

Based on provisions in the Affordable Care Act, approximately 180,000 youth who have aged out of the foster care system are eligible for extended health care coverage through age 26. However, only 13 states have made Medicaid coverage available to all former foster youth residing in that state. This brief from the National Center for Children in Poverty explores the health needs of youth in and aging out of foster care, restrictions applied by states, and recommendations that may help legislators remove barriers to access.

This paper from Two Dollars a Day examines the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and other sources of data, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) records, school reports of homeless children, and utilization of charitable emergency food programs. These data sources have been consistently showing a decline in conditions for America’s poorest families.

This collection of resources from the Annie E. Casey Foundation focuses on the millions of youth aged 16-24 who are out of school and not working. The resources can help policymakers and practitioners serve this population, often referred to as disconnected youth.

This brief, published in November 2015, is one of a series in the Heartland Alliance’s National Initiatives on Poverty and Economic Opportunity’s WIOA Planning and Implementation Toolkit. WIOA prioritizes services to older and out-of-school youth, as these youth will likely face additional barriers to employment and have different services needs as compared to younger and in-school youth. As TANF agencies consider their role in summer jobs programming and other opportunities for youth, this brief provides lessons learned around practical program design and recommendations for serving this priority population in the context of WIOA.

Since 2010, veteran homelessness has fallen 47 percent. This report from the Urban Institute looks back at the work of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), which has played a critical role in helping reduce homelessness.