Currently, most measures of poverty focus mainly on income and income level and do not include other aspects of economic status such as assets or debt. From the National Center for Children in Poverty, this fact sheet reviews the current measures of poverty in the United States. Authors also provide alternative ways that economic hardship can be measured to accurately portray poverty.

From the Chapin Hall Center for Children, this report outlines child population trends and implications of these trends on services for families in Chicago. Authors identify Chicago neighborhoods with more children living in poverty and offer information on schools and programs that serve children in the city. Researchers provide data from the 1990s and also project population trends and service delivery up to the year 2010 for Chicago’s children.

The Government Accountability Office conducted this study on low-income and minority serving institutions- including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Alaska Native Serving Institutions, Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and other postsecondary institutions that serve low-income students. GAO examined the programs to determine how institutions used their Title III and Title V grants, what objectives and strategies the Department of Education has developed for these programs, and to what extent Education monitors the grants.

This study tests family homelessness based on patterns of public shelter use and examines whether family characteristics are associated with homelessness. It was found that 20% of homeless families are in shelters for longer periods, and some cycle in and out of shelters. The families with repeat stays have the highest rates of intensive behavioral health treatment, placement of children in foster care, disability, and unemployment.

This report is from the National Center on Children in Poverty, and provides information on state policy choices surrounding early childhood policies. State polices regarding early childhood are affected by federal changes in programs such as Medicaid and the Child Care and Development Fund, and this leads to variance across the country.

The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services authored this document on rural health and human services in the United States. This report examines the following key topics: Medicare Advantage, Head Start, and substance abuse. Findings confirm the difficulty of implementing human services in rural areas.

The Urban Institute reviews the affects of gentrification on the welfare of low-income families, and offers strategies for preserving housing in the neighborhoods. Such strategies include creating a market for rent options or insurance against rising rental costs, and offering financial instruments to insure builders, and preserve and increase the development of affordable housing.

Government safety-net programs provide income, health, education or other forms of assistance to individuals, families, and households. The AARP Public Policy Institute authored this resource looking at the distribution of work-related and need-related benefits among American families in 2004. While most older Americans are covered by Social Security and Medicare, need-related government programs are still important for low-income, older Americans.

One in twelve people in the United States participate in the FNS-sponsored Food Stamp program. In this report, GAO examined what methods States are utilizing to increase access to the program, results of such methods, and what actions States have taken to maintain program integrity while implementing alternative methods.

This fact sheet, from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, provides an overview of the health of African American men, including mortality rates, health status, insurance coverage, and access to care. Authors find that African American adult men are more likely to lack health insurance than boys, as are adult men in the Midwest and the South, compared to the Northeast and the West.