One Southwest Michigan, One Community

Earned Income Tax Awareness Day

2012-01-26T23:16:00.000-05:00

When times get tough in low-income households, the food budget is usually the first thing families cut. We can’t end hunger as long as people lack the financial resources they need to put food on the table.

A series of tax cuts will expire at the end of 2012, including two provisions that are critical for low-income working families: the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC). These tax credits boost household earnings and lift millions of people out of poverty each year.

Additional information about EITC and the Child Tax Credit are in the full article at:

www.bread.org/ol/2012/tax-credits/

Michigan Department of Education Looking for Partners for Summer Feeding Program

2012-01-26T02:28:00.000-05:00

Education leaders in Michigan are looking for help keeping kids healthy even when school is not in session.

More than a half million kids in Michigan are eligible for summer food assistance, but only about 15 percent of them do (participate).

Now, the Michigan Department of Education is looking for organizations to help change that. “We know it works, we know healthy kids are healthy learners and the results are better results educationally,” said Martin Ackley, Michigan Department of Education.

The Department of Education says a recent report found that more than half of kids in Michigan are living in poverty. Now the department is asking for churches, summer camps and other organizations to volunteer to be sponsors and act as sites for the summer lunch program.

Sponsors receive federal compensation for both the meals and administrative costs.

www.wwmt.com/articles/leaders-1401004-look-education.html

Michigan Department of Treasury Now Accepting Home Heating Credit Tax Forms

2012-01-24T09:12:00.002-05:00

The Michigan Department of Treasury has begun processing home heating credits for low-income residents.

Residents can apply for the credits for 2011 heating payments on their state income tax return or by filing a Michigan Home Heating Assistance Claim if they don't file a return. Links to both are on the state's heating assistance and income tax websites.

Forms are available at many libraries and post offices in Northern Michigan and at Department of Human Services branch offices around the state. Residents also may get forms and assistance by calling 517-636-4486.

NOTE:

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and AARP Volunteer sites throughout the state can assist low income and senior citizen clients with IRS certified volunteers for no cost. Direct deposit refunds can be obtained in as few as 8-10 days.

www.wwmt.com/news/heating-1400923-home-residents.html

The list of VITA sites throughout Michigan can be found at:

www.michiganeic.org/freetaxprep

Niles Area Meals on Wheels Celebrates the Holidays and 39 Years of Service

2011-12-27T11:28:00.001-05:00

The Niles-Buchanan Meals on Wheels was first established 39 years ago. Since that time, volunteer drivers have travelled almost one million miles to deliver nutritious meals to elderly and shut-in individuals.

This Christmas, in appreciation of their work and with a desire to serve and cheer their clients, an Edwardsburg woman decided to decorate recipients’ Christmas tables. In the true spirit of Santa’s elves, she chose to remain anonymous when donating the 40 handcrafted, one-of-a-kind Christmas centerpieces. Her work was greatly appreciated by all those who received her handiwork, this week, in addition to their daily meal delivery.
Taking to the road with Meals on Wheels director Thom Christie and new board member Marcia Rifengberg as they traveled, delivering some meals and the holiday centerpieces, gives one a special appreciation for the program and those they serve.

First stop: Four Flags Plaza and Dotty Waterbury.

“Oh my land! Thank you so much. That is so beautiful. What a nice Christmas gift!” Waterbury said, adding, “If it wasn’t for these people I don’t know what I would do. I can’t cook anymore. I get a nice balanced diet but then I have to put up with that!”

She laughs as she motions toward Christie. They have a special relationship and each gives as good as they get.
“Life is too short to be too serious,” Waterbury said.

“She’ll haul off and take a poke at me if I get out of line,” Christie said.

www.nilesstar.com/2011/12/22/on-the-road-with-meals-on-wheels/

Another face of the U.S. recession: homeless children

2011-12-23T21:07:00.001-05:00

As her mother sat in a homeless shelter in downtown Miami, talking about her economic struggles and loss of faith in the U.S. political system, 3-year-old Aeisha Touray blurted out what sounded like a new slogan for the Occupy Wall Street protest movement.

"How dare you!" the girl said abruptly as she nudged a toy car across a conference room table at the Chapman Partnership shelter in Miami's tough and predominantly black Overtown neighborhood.

There was no telling what Aeisha was thinking as her 32-year-old mother, Nairkahe Touray, spoke of how she burned through her savings and wound up living in a car with five of her eight children earlier this year.

But how dare you indeed? How does anyone explain to kids like Aeisha and countless others how they wound up homeless in the world's richest nation?

www.ongo.com/v/2619528/10586/32EA3B8072364161/another-face-of-the-us-recession-homeless-children

Hospitals That Serve The Poor Struggle With Readmissions

2011-12-20T10:17:00.002-05:00

Hospitals across the country are trying to clamp down on frequent readmissions in anticipation of new penalties Medicare is readying. But it's a bigger probolem at hospitals that treat lots of low-income patients.

Poorer folks are more likely to be readmitted, so hospitals that treat a lot of them face special challenges at the same time those hospitals often have fewer resources, researchers have found.

Indeed, places that have the highest proportion of poor patients are nearly three times as likely to have high heart readmission rates, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis. That's the case with New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, Howard University Hospital in Washington and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore. (KHN has an interactive chartwhere you can look up hospitals in your region to see their heart failure readmission rate and the poverty level of their patients).

www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/12/20/144008734/hospitals-that-serve-the-poor-struggle-with-readmissions

NY Times: Now That the Factories Are Closed, It’s Tee Time in Benton Harbor, Mich.

2011-12-17T06:23:00.003-05:00

On the northern edge of Benton Harbor, just beyond the grim grid of housing projects, shuttered storefronts, boarded-up homes and junk-laden yards that dominate much of the town, sits an emerald oasis known as Harbor Shores. As the name suggests, Harbor Shores is a resort development. At its heart is a pristine Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course that meanders along a river and creek; through woods and wetlands; and, most striking, across tall, white sand dunes overlooking Lake Michigan.

The golf course was built largely on fallow, polluted land that was once crowded with factories: holes No. 4 and No. 5 were the slag pit for a company that made automobile brakes. Holes No. 14 and 15 were a former Superfund site once occupied by a company that used radium and mercury to manufacture components for fighter planes.

www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/magazine/benton-harbor.html

Niles Food Drive Today

2011-12-09T09:01:00.002-05:00

The Niles Athletic Department has combined forces with the Niles High School SADD, N Club and Athletic Booster Club to help support the Niles Salvation Army.

If you would like to join Niles Community Schools in their fight against hunger, please bring non-perishable food items to this Friday night’s matchup between the Niles Vikings and the Benton Harbor Tigers. By joining in the support of the Salvation Army, donators will receive a discount for entering the game and complimentary popcorn.

Currently the biggest needs for the Salvation Army are: powdered milk, anything canned with meat (tuna, Chili, Dinty Moore beef stew/chicken and dumplings) and cereal.

“The Salvation Army food bank is at an all-time low, and it is the goal of the Niles Community Schools to help in whatever way possible,” said Taylor Campbell, N-Club President and varsity voys basketball student athlete. “This a great opportunity for Niles High School students to give back to the local community in ways we didn’t know we could. There is a direct impact by our donations to the food bank right here in our area. It is a good feeling knowing we can help make somebody’s holiday season a little better."

www.nilesstar.com/2011/12/08/niles-food-drive-friday/

Coalition for Community Development in Muskegon Heights Works to Re-Open School Libraries

2011-12-06T06:17:00.002-05:00

“Will you read to me?” the small girl with large dark eyes asked politely.

Five-year-old Tunna Gay was standing among other excited kindergartners at Martin Luther King Elementary School's new library. Eyeing the woman who had just entered the library, Tunna approached, holding out the book she had chosen.

Soon other students crowded in to hear the stranger read a story on a bright morning at the Muskegon Heights school.

Around them other women were reading to clusters of children — women who volunteered their time to reopen the school's library that had fallen victim to budget cuts.

Muskegon Heights school officials, faced with deficit spending, were forced to close all the school libraries last year. There was no money to pay librarians, so books were boxed up, library rooms put to other use, and schoolchildren were left without that mainstay of learning.

www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2011/12/closed_muskegon_heights_school.html

State's child poverty rate is shameful

2011-11-30T22:08:00.004-05:00

For the first time ever, the federal census of 2010 will produce demographic data for each school district in Michigan. In the past, census figures were available with detail data for all counties, cities and townships, but not for school districts. When the data is fully released for the first time the census will present details on population, poverty, income, etc. for each school district in the state.

Poverty in Michigan has increased in the past decade. Dramatically. In 2009, the U.S. Census estimated that one in five school-age children in Michigan were poor. That's more than 340,000 school age children living in poverty. The final release of the 2010 census will or will not confirm this number. Still, if the census estimates were even close to being right, and if one child living in poverty is a shame, 340,000 Michigan children living in poverty is tragic.

The federal poverty guidelines defines a family of four as being poor if their annual income is $22,050 or less. That isn't a lot of dough to pay the rent or mortgage, buy groceries, put gas in the car in order to get to work or grocery store, let alone buy school clothes and school supplies for the children.

In the past, the best gauge of the number of poor children in a school district was the district's total free and reduced lunch count participation. This data has been available for more than a decade and is published annually by the Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information in Lansing. The federal free school lunch guidelines are only slightly higher than the poverty guidelines. A child from a family of four qualifies for free school lunch (and breakfast in most districts) if the child's family makes $28,665 or less per year.

While it is true that in the United States our poverty is not the same kind of poverty one finds in third world countries, it is also true that a family living on less than $28,665 per year probably isn't living the life of Bill (Gates, Cosby or Clinton).

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/11/30/opinion/editorials/7508108.txt

Note: source of the above graph:
http://www.project.org/info.php?recordID=467

Friar in Detroit puts soup kitchen on wheels

2011-11-30T03:47:00.005-05:00

As reported by the AP:

A Franciscan friar lost the brick-and-mortar headquarters for his Detroit-based charitable operations earlier this month.

But that hasn't stopped Brother Al Mascia from serving the homeless, elderly and others in Detroit.

Mascia raised $4,000 to buy two specially designed tricycles with vendor carts in front and storage trailers in back so he wouldn't miss a beat in serving his clientele.

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Mascia pedals into the outdoor waiting area of the Rosa Parks Transit Center on the tricycle.

He comes loaded with hot drinks, sandwiches and fruit, small packets of toiletries and clothing.

Mascia tells the Detroit News he wants the disadvantaged in Detroit "to know that someone is thinking about them."

detnews.com/article/20111124/BIZ/111240393/Detroit%E2%80%99s-Brother-Al-Mascia-puts-soup-kitchen-on-wheels

Class and the courts

2011-11-21T08:13:00.002-05:00

There, perhaps, is no moment in life when the difference in class is more apparent than when you are accused of a crime. The wealthy hire the best lawyer they can. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided. But, the kind of attorney you get in Michigan all depends on where you live.

So, imagine this. You’ve been accused of a crime. You know you didn’t do it. But, the police think you did. You cannot afford a lawyer. So, you are appointed a lawyer. In a few counties, it might be someone from a public defenders office. In other counties, your lawyer might be someone who was appointed by a judge- which some see as a conflict. The lawyer got the job because of the judge which puts the lawyer’s independence in question. In almost half of Michigan counties, it might be a lawyer who put in the lowest bid for a contract with the county. Critics say for most counties, not enough resources are provided to a public defense lawyer to put together a proper defense.

“We are out to prove what everybody knows and that is the public defense system in this state is broken.”

That’s Michael J. Steinberg with the Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU has a case before the courts to get adequate legal defense for low-income people charged with a crime.

In a 2008 report, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association found Michigan ranks 44th of the 50 states in public defense funding. That means only five states spend less.

In fact, state government doesn’t pay for public defense. Michigan requires each county to pay the cost. And for most counties, it’s just not a big priority.

http://www.michiganradio.org/post/class-and-courts

Michigan Radio: Bridging the Gap Between Benton Harbor and St., Joseph

2011-11-19T20:20:00.002-05:00

We've been talking a lot about class, what it means, and how we define it.

We took a trip to St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. They’re called the Twin Cities, but they're different.

In Benton Harbor forty-three percent of families live below the poverty line.

In St. Joseph it’s six percent.

And, families in St. Joseph earn more than twice as much as their neighbors across the river.

www.michiganradio.org/post/bridging-gap-between-benton-harbor-and-st-joseph

Tallying the homeless Berrien consortium cites progress

2011-11-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

Five years into a plan to end homelessness in Berrien County, many people are still without a permanent place to live.

But over that period, a coalition of more than 50 agencies and nonprofit organizations working as the Housing Resource Network of Southwest Michigan made important strides to help people who are on the street or in danger of losing their homes.

The gains were made despite a struggling economy, HRN official Alysia Babcock said during a progress review Wednesday at First Church of God, but a lot of work remains to be done.

A point-in-time count of the homeless in Berrien County in January tallied 594 people. The number included 363 children, 65 disabled people, 25 who had been subjected to domestic violence and 15 veterans.

Babcock, executive director of Emergency Shelter Services in Benton Harbor, presented data showing that homeless children were found in all K-12 school districts in the county.

"That was an eye-opener for us," Babcock told the group of people representing agencies, nonprofits and religious groups that joined to combat homelessness. "These numbers, I think, are pretty shocking."

The count, done at one point of time around the country, may have overlooked some homeless people in Berrien because the winter cold weather drives many into any available building.

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/11/17/local_news/7315990.txt

Michigan Is One of a few States Raising Taxes on Working Poor

2011-11-15T22:43:00.003-05:00

Michigan is among just a handful of states raising taxes on low-income working families while cutting taxes for other groups, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities said in a report released Tuesday.

The Washington-based group notes that Michigan, New Jersey and Wisconsin all have scaled back tax credits for low-income workers in recent years while cutting business taxes. In Michigan's case, low-income families will see their tax breaks shrink starting next year by about $260 million annually while businesses will get a $1.1 billion tax break starting in January and a $1.7 billion tax break the year after.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder originally wanted to eliminate the state Earned Income Tax Credit, but agreed to reduce it from 20 percent of the federal credit to 6 percent for tax year 2012. He said earlier this year that the state needed to make cuts to balance the budget and noted no cuts were being made in Medicaid programs providing health care to low-income working families. He also has said the business tax cuts will create jobs.

But the Michigan League for Human Services, which opposed shrinking the EITC, said the change is bad policy.

www.cnbc.com/id/45314876

Additional information and the full report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities can be found at:

www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3620

Class segregation

2011-11-14T07:31:00.002-05:00

The divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is not just a matter of bank accounts. More and more it determines where you live.

We’ve all heard about racial segregation. Whites live one place. Blacks live in another. There are all kinds of ethnic neighborhoods. But in the last 40 years, racial-ethnic segregation has moderated somewhat- although it is still high. But socioeconomic segregation, segregation by class, is on the rise.

“Well, the biggest change is, of course, the shift in the income distribution. We’ve become a much more unequal society in the past three decades."

Douglas Massey is a Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton. He was the lead author of a study about this trend toward class segregation which was published in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. He says in the past few years, you can really see the shift as people lose their homes to foreclosure and have to move.

“As fewer and fewer people are in the middle and more and more people are in the extremes, housing markets tend to produce higher levels of social class segregation, higher levels of segregation on the basis of income.”

Some people are moving on up and others are moving to the wrong side of the tracks.

In some areas, it gets to the point that teachers, sales clerks, baristas, the guy who puts tires on those nice cars can’t afford to live in the towns where they work. They live in less affluent communities and have to commute to work which adds to their financial burden.

So how did we get to this greater divide between classes? It started with racial segregation.

http://www.michiganradio.org/post/class-segregation

Racial Divide Persists in Michigan's Infant Mortality Rate

2011-11-10T09:09:00.001-05:00

For nearly 30 years, Michigan has been reducing its infant mortality rate. Still, as of 2009, a black infant in Michigan is three times more likely to die than a white baby, according to the latest statistics from 2009.

In fact, the mortality rate for black infants in Michigan for 2009 (15.5 per 1,000 live births) is roughly the same today as for white infants in 1973 (15.2). In the last decade, infant mortality rates for white infants have decreased from 5.9 to 5.4.

“We’re glad that our infant mortality rates have gone down, but we are still ranked 40th in the nation, which is nothing to be proud of,” said Jack Kresnak, president and CEO of Michigan’s Children, a nonprofit advocacy group for children and families. “We have a serious issue here. Babies of color are not seeing their first birthdays.”

Since 1973, the infant mortality rate for black infants in Michigan has been cut by about half. In the same period, infant mortality rates for whites have gone down by about two-thirds. The statewide infant death rate in 2009 was 7.5 deaths per 1,000 births. Michigan suffered 881 infant deaths out of 117,309 live births that year, according to figures from the Michigan Department of Community Health.

bridgemi.com/2011/11/racial-divide-persists-in-michigans-infant-mortality-rate/

Paid-leave benefits lagging for working moms in US

2011-11-10T08:17:00.003-05:00

New census data show nearly half of working women who give birth are forgoing paychecks to care for their newborns as employers become selective about granting paid leave.

Lower-educated mothers are nearly four times more likely than college graduates to be denied paid maternity benefits, the widest the gap has been over the past 50 years.

The analysis released Thursday by the Census Bureau highlights the patchwork of work and family arrangements in the U.S., which, unlike most countries, lacks a federal policy on paid parental leave.

The study finds that while more companies since the 1960s have been offering paid leave to women for time off for pregnancy, birth and child care, the share of first-time mothers who received such benefits more recently has leveled off.

www.wwmt.com/articles/working-1398140-paid-leave.html

Global income inequality: Where the U.S. ranks

2011-11-09T09:08:00.002-05:00

It's no surprise that top earners in America make a heck of a lot more than middle- and lower-income Joes.

But the disparity is greater here than in most developed nations.

The U.S. has a higher level of income inequality than Europe, as well as Canada, Australia and South Korea, according to data gathered by the World Bank.

And, while many nations have seen income inequality rise within their borders, the United States has experienced a more rapid increase in recent decades, widening the wealth gap even more.

"The top 1% in the U.S. really receive much more than in Western European countries," said Branko Milanovic, an economist with the World Bank and author of "The Haves and the Have-Nots."

America ranks in the bottom third of the list of 90 countries that Milanovic compiled, which is mainly based on 2008 data of per capita income or consumption in each nation.

money.cnn.com/2011/11/08/news/economy/global_income_inequality/index.htm

Food pantries face constant struggle to meet growing demand

2011-11-07T19:11:00.002-05:00

Food pantries across Michigan are struggling to keep up with demand as more people come to them in need.

In Kalamazoo County there are 26 different grocery pantries open on various days of the week, all catering to local families in need.

Each day starts the same way at the more than two dozen pantries in Kalamazoo County, with calls coming in from people looking for help.

“They are entering lots of new households, people who are between this job and the last, it's taken longer to find that job and we know that everybody's got to eat again tomorrow,” said Anne Lipsey, Executive Director, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes.

The St. Augustine Pantry is open three days a week and also opens an extra day at the end of the month when the need is greatest. When a family comes in, workers use a key to figure out how many items they get, depending on the number of people they have to feed.

www.wwmt.com/articles/food-1398005-pantries-growing.html

For many middle-income families, college is no longer within reach

2011-11-06T17:53:00.003-05:00

A smaller percentage of middle-income undergraduate students is attending the nation's elite public universities, raising concerns among experts and college officials that years of rising costs and tuition increases are putting top-tier educations at top public schools beyond the reach of some families.

At the University of Michigan, the percentage of freshmen with family incomes of $40,000-$100,000 fell 13% from 2005 to 2009, a national survey tracking incoming freshmen found.

U-M says it's working to reverse the trend and says there's a misperception that the school is unaffordable. Officials say U-M has increased financial aid the past several years. "We've done everything possible to keep access for all students," President Mary Sue Coleman said.

The national trend and other data indicate many middle-income families are trapped in a bind: They make too much to qualify for significant financial aid for their children, but not enough to pay increasing college costs at some public schools without more help.

www.freep.com/article/20111106/NEWS06/111060474/For-many-middle-income-families-college-no-longer-within-reach?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Berrien County Donations Wanted for Moms Who Need Diapers

2011-11-04T20:40:00.004-04:00

The Great Start Collaborative and Parent Coalition of Berrien County is currently hosting a countywide diaper drive through Nov. 30 in order to collect 15,000 diapers for infants and toddlers in Berrien County.

Many families in Berrien County continue to struggle in this economy and those struggles are having an impact on our youngest citizens.

The Great Start Collaborative and Parent Coalition of Berrien County are in need of help to make sure infants and toddlers in this county are not going without one of their most basic necessities.

www.nilesstar.com/2011/11/04/help-out-families-with-diaper-donation/

A picture of food stamp usage

2011-11-04T08:24:00.004-04:00

Given what we know about the poverty rate and the current state of the economy, it should come as no surprise that more people are relying on food stamps these days.

But you may be surprised to find who receives food stamps, and where they live.

A new report from the Carsey Institute, which researches vulnerable children, youth and families, finds that 14.6 percent of rural households were relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 2010.

That’s nearly the same as the percentage of households in inner urban areas who use the food and nutrition program for low-income households, also known as SNAP.

Both urban and rural households have seen SNAP use increase sharply between 2007, when the recession began, and 2010, as the nation struggled with a weak economic recovery.

lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/03/8601953-a-picture-of-food-stamp-usage

Preschool Tests Take Time Away from Play--and Learning

2011-11-03T09:17:00.002-04:00

On a perfect Southern California morning not long ago, a gaggle of children gathered in the backyard of a million-dollar home in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood to celebrate the birthday of twin four-year-old girls. The host parents had rented a petting zoo for the day, and kids jumped gleefully in a bouncy castle out in the driveway. On the terrace, a few parents chatted beside an alluring spread of bagels, coffee and fruit.

Most of the kids at the party attend the same preschool. The father of one child enrolled there, where tuition is $14,300 a year for half a day, was asked what he likes about it.

“I like that my daughter can tell me what kind of whale it is we see in a movie,” said the man, sporting a seersucker jacket. “They seem to be teaching things that other schools don’t.”

“You ask them what they did in school today,” chimed in another dad, “and they’re like, ‘Oh, today we learned about pointillism.’ There’s a whole series on Picasso, a four-month project on Klimt.”

The first father continued his praise. “You go in there, and they’re sitting down, learning something,” he said. “At other preschools, they’re just playing.”

These parents might be surprised to learn that “just playing” is in fact what nearly all developmental psychologists, neuroscientists and education experts recommend for children up to age seven as the best way to nurture kids’ development and ready them for academic success later in life. Decades of research have demonstrated that their innate curiosity leads them to develop their social, emotional and physical skills independently, through exploration—that is, through play. Even animals as diverse as squirrels, horses and bears engage in, and cognitively benefit from, play.

www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm

Poorest poor in US hits new record: 1 in 15 people

2011-11-03T08:35:00.000-04:00

New census information paints a stark portrait of the nation's haves and have-nots with the ranks of America's poorest poor reaching further into mainstream America.

The poorest Americans have now reached a record high 1 in 15 people, spread widely across metropolitan areas as the housing bust pushed many inner-city poor into suburbs and other outlying places and shriveled jobs and income.

The new information comes a week before the government releases first-ever economic data that will show more Hispanics, elderly and working-age poor have fallen into poverty.

www.wwmt.com/articles/america-1397836-poor-poorest.html

Challenge prods Americans to shop like food-stamp recipients

2011-10-31T10:47:00.001-04:00

Elected officials and activists joined faith groups in a program that challenges Americans to spend one week living like the 49 million food stamp recipients.

For the national food stamp challenge that kicked off at a District Safeway teams that each included a food stamp recipient tried to shop for a weeks' worth of food.

www.wjla.com/articles/2011/10/challenge-prods-americans-to-shop-like-food-stamp-recipients-68425.html

High anxiety, other ills run into low-grade mental health care system in Michigan

2011-10-30T18:38:00.002-04:00

From Nichole Kemp’s perspective, West Michigan’s mental health treatment system rates something less than a top grade.

Kemp, 37, was diagnosed 20 years ago with bipolar disorder and borderline schizophrenia.

In August, the Kentwood resident was hospitalized for four days at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services after she found herself unable to stop crying and overwhelmed by feelings of panic.

Since then, Kemp has been stymied in getting the help she feels she needs. She said she was denied case management service through network180, Kent County’s primary mental health agency. She said it also declined to pay for psychiatric consultation and her medications.

“I am very, very frustrated,” Kemp said. “I am very disappointed in the system. I cannot believe there is nothing available to me. I can’t believe that every door is shut to me.”

www.mlive.com/health/index.ssf/2011/10/high_anxiety_other_ills_run_in.html#incart_hbx

Poor, minorities more likely to be obese. But why?

2011-10-30T13:37:00.003-04:00

Inside a Quaker meeting house in Lansing's Old Town, 15 or so people sit in a circle of chairs.

It's 8 a.m., and they make quiet conversation while balancing plates of bagels and fruit.

Their names are handwritten in folded cards at their feet.

Pretty soon, a speaker calls for their attention, and the questions begin — questions designed to make them squirm.

• Do people make assumptions about you based on how you look?

• Do you make assumptions about other people?

• Are you treated differently because of your gender, your class, your race?

Those aren't the kinds of questions polite strangers are supposed to discuss, says Renee Canady, newly promoted health officer for the Ingham County Health Department and an adjunct professor at Michigan State University.

But believe it or not, she says, those are precisely the kinds of questions we need to ask each other if we're going to make any breakthroughs on one of the most baffling and frustratingly difficult facts of the nation's obesity epidemic: The amount of money you make and the color of your skin can increase your chances of being fat.

"The structures of our lives — our emotional, financial and support systems — are so different," Canady says. "We're trying to help people see that the choices people make are determined by the choices people have. And some people just don't have good choices."

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111030/NEWS01/110300491/Poor-minorities-more-likely-obese-why-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

2011-10-28T11:14:00.006-04:00

The Box Factory for the Arts
presents
Linda LaRocque’s

Ain’t Tina Turner
Classical Music

November 19 at 4:30 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

November 20 at 4:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Box Factory for the Arts
1101 Broad Street, St. Joseph, MI

All Proceeds Benefit Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen
Tickets: $10 per person

Please reserve seats at 269-983-3688

or by PayPal at

www.boxfactoryforthearts.org

Background:

The Box Factory would like to share with you West Michigan native Linda LaRocque’s story
of three people who live on the street, exploring their abilities and inabilities to cope with daily life.

Imagine finding yourself having no choice but to live on the streets. What would you do without the simple necessities in life: food and shelter?

In today’s tough times, we felt it was important to tell this story and to do it as a benefit for the Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen which faces its own struggles in these economic times.

Rev David Beckmann on Hunger and Poverty and Our Government Budgets

2011-10-27T08:14:00.005-04:00

David Beckmann of Bread for the World, a national, religious advocacy organization for the poor, talks about reducing hunger and poverty in the world and in this country. He provides some examples of hope and improvement in places like Bangla Desh.

He talks about how in the United States we have made progress when we tried to do so. "But we haven't made the sustained progress against poverty that other countries have made. Because we haven't made the sustained effort."

"All the food that people in need get from all of the food charities across the country amounts to 6% of the amount of food they receive from federal food programs. "

So, basically all of the churches, food pantries, and soup kitchens in the country would have to increase their giving by more than 15 times to make up for the loss if all federal aid in programs like SNAP were eliminated.

In the middle/latter part of the interview is a plug for donations to the organization Bread for the World. However, I do not feel it diminishes from the overall message of the video which discusses from a religious perspective the need for governmental aid for the poor.

Heating aid cuts could impact many in state

2011-10-24T08:46:00.002-04:00

Michigan's winter is expected to be harsh.

And, if the state's allotment of federal funds to help low-income residents pay heating bills is cut as much as 50 percent as expected, things could be much worse for the nearly 41,000 Ingham County households and about 15,000 others in Eaton and Clinton counties who have needed assistance.

"We certainly think people who've been helped in the past are threatened with receiving no help this year and it's supposed to be a cold winter and our economy hasn't improved. It's a huge problem," said Judy Putnam, spokeswoman for the Michigan League for Human Services.

Federal funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, was cut from $5 billion to $4.5 billion for the fiscal year that ended in September. And advocates believe Congress will approve $3.5 billion for fiscal 2012.

The cuts come as Congress focuses more on other areas deemed higher priorities, such as education, reductions in health care fraud and lowering the national debt.

The state's Department of Human Services, which helps administer the LIHEAP funds through the Home Heating Credit, could see its federal heating assistance funds slashed by anywhere from one-third to one-half. Last year the state received $276.5 million in LIHEAP funds.

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111024/NEWS01/110240318/Heating-aid-cuts-could-impact-many-region?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Empty houses? Needy families? Time to mix

2011-10-23T05:43:00.003-04:00

There are certain sounds that are pure childhood joy. One is the clomping of little feet up the stairs. Another is the squeal of delight.

This past week, in a freshly renovated house in Detroit, those two sounds came together. Seven children. Running up the stairs. Running into bedrooms.

Cue the squeals.

"I call this one!" ... "This one!" ... "I got the top one!" They were laying claim to something every child ought to have -- a bed -- but they were giddy because they had been sleeping three to a mattress in a dingy house infested with mold.

Now this?

"I got top bed!" ... "I got bottom bed!"

Their mother, Kristy Wilson, followed in behind them. Her eyes were wider than a moving truck, and she kept turning left and right, putting her hand on her heart or her cheek.

"Whose room is this?" she asked, entering a bedroom with a queen-size mattress on a new frame.

"Yours and your husband's," she was told.

She fell to her knees, laid her head on the bed and began to cry.

www.freep.com/article/20111023/COL01/110230441/Mitch-Albom-Empty-houses-Needy-families-Time-to-mix?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p

Racial Disparities in School Discipline Feeding the ‘School-to-Prison’ Pipeline, Report Finds

2011-10-21T19:54:00.002-04:00

Public schools are suspending Blacks and Latinos and students with disabilities at much higher rates than others, according to recent findings by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC).

In a newly released report, "Discipline Policies, Successful Schools, and Racial Justice,” NEPC documents that suspension rates for non-Whites have more than doubled since the 1970s, while the Black-White gap has more than tripled.

Civil rights advocates are concerned that such racial disparities in the educational system perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline, i.e. the funneling of students — primarily children of color — out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

www.unfinishedbusiness.org/20111021-racial-disparities-in-school-discipline-feeding-the-school-to-prison%e2%80%99-pipeline-report-finds/

11,000 Michigan families confront the unknown

2011-10-20T08:24:00.001-04:00

The roles Sharon Matthews has fielded so far are hardly the stuff of cakewalks: high school dropout; single mom; gunshot victim.

But her toughest role yet begins next month: Guinea pig.

The 41-year-old Detroit resident and her 15-year-old daughter are among the 11,000 Michigan families banned from welfare, as the state of Michigan begins to enforce a 48-month lifetime cap on cash assistance.

Matthews knows her benefits likely will disappear forever in November. What she and others, from the office of Gov. Rick Snyder down to local soup kitchens, don’t know is what will happen after that.

The changes wrought to Michigan’s welfare system by Snyder and the Michigan Legislature are unprecedented nationally. No other state has kicked so many people off assistance in such a short amount of time, with such little notice. The result is a volatile social experiment that could help transform the state’s economy, or fill the beds of homeless shelters and prisons.

bridgemi.com/2011/10/11000-michigan-families-confront-the-unknown/

Employers challenged to help victims of domestic violence

2011-10-17T22:21:00.002-04:00

When there's violence at home, it typically happens behind closed doors -- but has profound effects in many other places, including the workplace.

That's the conviction of Jennifer Fopma, executive director of SAFE Place in Battle Creek.

"It's a true dollars-and-cents issue," Fopma said. "An employee distracted by troubles at home is unlikely to be fully productive."

Statistics distributed by the shelter during Domestic Violence Awareness Month support her view that domestic violence has a negative impact on local, state and national economic sectors:

» One in four women experience physical violence from an intimate partner at some point, and 85 percent of domestic-violence victims are women.

» Three-quarters of women killed in non-robbery situations while working were murdered by a former intimate partner.

» Nationally, homicide is the second leading cause of death for women on the job, with 20 percent of those having been murdered by their partner.

» Businesses nationwide lose an estimated $727.8 million in productivity, with more than 7.9 million paid workdays lost annually because of intimate-partner violence.

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20111017/NEWS01/110170302/Employers-challenged-help-victims-domestic-violence

Immigration expert tries to dispel 'myths' about Hispanics in U.S.

2011-10-15T21:24:00.002-04:00

Marcelo Suárez-Orozco flashed a slide showing the 5.5 million surge in under-18 Hispanic population in the United States during the last decade, which, to the noted professor and immigration expert, underscored a stark reality of the future.

“These are the teachers, the firefighters, the cops, the scientists — this is the future of the United States. These are your new citizens,” he told a crowd of Seidman Business College students at Grand Valley State University’s Loosemore Auditorium on Thursday.

“For those of you in business, these are your new customers.”

Suárez-Orozco is co-founder of the Harvard Immigration Project and professor of globalization and education at New York University. His latest book, “Latinos: Remaking America,” is a comprehensive study of the nation’s fastest-growing ethnic group.

www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/10/immigration_expert_tries_to_di.html

Judge OKs Michigan Welfare Cuts

2011-10-15T06:26:00.001-04:00

Welfare cuts are back on after U.S. District Judge Paul Borman ruled late Friday that the new notices sent out this week by the Michigan Department of Human Services provided enough warning and information to 11,162 families scheduled to lose their cash assistance benefits this month.

The revised notices “satisfy the due process concerns,” Borman wrote in his ruling.

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111015/NEWS01/310150002/Judge-OKs-Michigan-welfare-cuts?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Gov. Snyder appoints commission to improve legal representation for the poor

2011-10-13T19:10:00.002-04:00

A commission to investigate how to improve legal representation offered to low-income criminal defendants was created Thursday by Gov. Rick Snyder through an executive order.

Snyder said the commission is necessary because the quality of such representation varies greatly around the state.

“A core principle of our criminal justice system is to guarantee that an individual charged with a crime be entitled to legal representation, even if they are unable to hire private counsel,” Snyder said in a release. “The Commission will work to ensure that all criminal defendants receive effective assistance of counsel.”

The 14-member Indigent Defense Advisory Commission is charged with recommending changes in the system, due to the governor and Legislature by July 15, 2012.

www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/10/gov_snyder_appoints_commission.html

Welfare recipients to get another reminder that they've lost cash assistance

2011-10-13T06:14:00.001-04:00

More than 11,000 Michiganders who get cash assistance from the state might find a bit of déjà vu in their mailboxes this week. The Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS) has reissued 11,162 notices alerting recipients of Family Independence Program (FIP) that they’ve about to lose those benefits.

That’s because they’ve reached their lifetime limits, and recipients are encouraged to call 1-855-763-3677 to talk to a DHS social worker who can connect them with other programs and resources.

The letters, which DHS director Maura Corrigan said are the fourth notice to go out, were sent again after a ruling by U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman last week.

www.freep.com/article/20111012/NEWS06/111012019/Welfare-recipients-get-another-reminder-they-ve-lost-cash-assistance

Mom jailed for being too poor to pay child support

2011-10-09T19:26:00.002-04:00

The Michigan Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday at 9:30 a.m. to decide whether the felony conviction of a Detroit woman who was too poor to pay more than $1,100 a month in child support should stand.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the University of Michigan Innocence Clinic are representing Selesa Likine, who lost her job and custody of her three children after being diagnosed with a severe mental illness.

The ACLU of Michigan and the U of M Innocence Clinic will argue the trial court violated Likine’s constitutional rights by not allowing her to prove to the jury that she was unable to pay her assessed child support.

Last year, a judge adjusted Likine’s child support payments to $25 a month; however, she still owes tens of thousands of dollars in back payments.

In 2005, Likine was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.
After a lengthy hospital stay, she was terminated from her job and has not been able to work since.

In 2007, despite the fact that her only income was the $603 a month she received in Social Security benefits, the court increased her child support payments from $181 to $1,131 a month.

www.dowagiacnews.com/2011/10/06/mom-jailed-for-being-too-poor-to-pay-child-support/

Mich. shrinks safety net for poor as poverty rises

2011-10-08T14:34:00.001-04:00

Michele Shoemaker spent Wednesday packing, faced with a weekend deadline to leave the simple two-bedroom rental in Jackson where she and her 15-year-old son have lived for five years. About to be cut off from welfare and with no job, she has sent him to live with her sister and his cousins, but there's no room for her.

Shoemaker, 38, said Medicaid will cover the costs of treating her bipolar disorder and painful fibromyalgia, but even if she could find a job after 10 years on welfare, perhaps as a waitress or cook, it would be hard to keep because of her mood swings. She's losing her home and has no place to go, but she says the hardest thing is the loss of her son.

"I want him home and I don't even have a home for him to come to," she said, fighting through tears.

Judge halts welfare cuts for 41,000 Michigan residents

2011-10-04T20:15:00.002-04:00

A federal judge today accused the state of "sleight of hand," and halted plans to end welfare benefits to nearly 41,000 Michigan residents.

U.S. District Judge Paul Borman determined after a hearing today that the state failed to give proper notice to those it planned to cut off, and although the issue was brought to the federal court in a lawsuit filed by just three plaintiffs, the judge also granted class status to include everyone affected by the state's decision.

Lawyers for the government declined to discuss after the hearing how the state will respond.

The judge's order requires the state to send new notices to all those affected — and this time the state must include a copy of a new policy that dictates the changes.

detnews.com/article/20111004/METRO/110040423/Judge-halts-welfare-cuts-for-41-000-Michigan-residents#ixzz1ZrUyf84G

Elmo & Sesame Street Join the Awareness Campaign for Childhood Hunger

2011-10-04T11:53:00.002-04:00

There's a poignant moment right at the top of Sesame Street's new prime-time special, "Growing Hope Against Hunger." Everybody's gathered for a food drive near Hooper's store when, Lily, a new Muppet developed specifically for the show, reveals to Elmo that "sometimes I go with my family to the food pantry." Elmo is clearly jolted by the news. "Elmo never even has to think about where his next meal is coming from," he says.

It's no surprise that Sesame Street is tackling a tough societal issue. The show's been doing it from the start, setting up in New York City and debuting in 1969 with a cast of multicultural characters as friends. It was a time when a lot of Americans thought of the city as crime-ridden and racially divided.

Just in the last couple of years, the Workshop has produced specials about parents losing a job and how children grieve after a parent dies.

In the new program, which airs October 9th on PBS, (check out the sneak preview video above) the Workshop goes after the very big problem of childhood hunger. The USDA says 16 million kids live in "food-insecure" households, meaning they have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.

www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/10/04/141020644/sesame-street-tackles-child-hunger-one-muppet-at-a-time

Polly's Place Honors Domestic Violence Awareness Month with Fund Raiser

2011-10-02T20:01:00.004-04:00

Polly’s Place, Niles celebrated its upcoming re-opening and marked Domestic Violence Awareness Month Sunday with the first of several fundraisers, the First Annual Pedal for Polly’s Place.

The faith-based center for domestic violence and related abuse, which is re-opening Oct. 17, held a 20-mile scenic bike ride from Garden Hills Farms in Buchanan Township, on Rangeline Road and along the St. Joseph River and Fernwood Nature Preserve. An after-party with prize drawings was also held. Entry for the race was $15. All proceeds from the event benefited Polly’s Place. “We’re really excited to be up and running,” said Paul Leonard, director of marketing and development.

The shelter has recently announced it is upping its fundraising efforts, which include the bike ride.

The next fundraiser is the Polly’s Place Annual Fashion Show and silent auction Nov. 6 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Bell Building, 305 North Third St., Niles. Refreshments will be provided. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. For tickets, call 683-6523.

www.nilesstar.com/2011/10/02/pedal-to-prevent-abuse/

Students Ignorant of Civil Rights History

2011-10-02T06:46:00.002-04:00

When Julian Bond, the former Georgia lawmaker and civil rights activist, turned to teaching two decades ago, he often quizzed his college students to gauge their awareness of the civil rights movement. He did not want to underestimate their grasp of the topic or talk down to them, he said.

"My fears were misplaced," Bond said. No student had heard of George Wallace, the segregationist governor of Alabama, he said. One student guessed Wallace might have been a CBS newsman.

That ignorance by U.S. students of the basic history of the civil rights movement has not changed — in fact, it has worsened, according to a new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center, on whose board Bond sits. The report says states' academic standards for public schools are one major cause of the problem.

"Across the country, state educational standards virtually ignore our civil rights history," concludes the report, which is to be released Wednesday.

detnews.com/article/20111002/SCHOOLS/110020308/Students-ignorant-of-civil-rights-history--study-says#ixzz1ZcVnxWrM

Michigan Students Have Little Guidance as Counselors Eliminated

2011-10-01T07:59:00.003-04:00

High school seniors are expected to ask their guidance counselors where they can find work in Michigan.

Their guidance counselors, though, may be asking the same question.

At a time when Michigan teens are struggling to find their footing in a changing economy, schools are thinning the ranks of guidance counselors.

State schools averaged one guidance counselor per 638 students in the 2008-09 school year – sixth worst in the nation. And it’s likely gotten worse since then.

“The situation is becoming more and more dire,” says Harry Clay, Michigan School Counselor Association manager. “With fewer counselors, they’ll have less time to produce. If you don’t get a chance to see the kids that often, how effective are you going to be?”

The counseling shortage comes as a Bridge Magazine analysis of job projections concludes that students face very tough competition for jobs for years to come, yet many do not understand the complexities of the job market.

bridgemi.com/2011/09/students-left-with-little-guidance-in-high-schools/

Preliminary Study: Florida Welfare Recipients Less Likely to Use Drugs Than Other People

2011-09-28T09:59:00.002-04:00

Preliminary figures on a new Florida law requiring drug tests for welfare applicants show that they are less likely than other people to use drugs, not more. One famous Floridian suggests that it's the people who came up with the law who should be submitting specimens.

Columnist and best-selling author Carl Hiaasen offered to pay for drug testing for all 160 members of the Florida Legislature in what he called "a patriotic whiz-fest." Several of the law's supporters say they're on board.

"There is a certain public interest in going after hypocrisy," Hiaasen said Tuesday, two days after he made his proposal in a Miami Herald column.

"Folks that are applying for DCF (Department of Children and Families) money normally wouldn't be standing in that line, and on top of that humiliation they now get to pee in a cup so they can get grocery money for their kids," Hiaasen told The Associated Press in an interview at his Vero Beach home.

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20110928/NEWS01/109280309/Fla-welfare-applicants-less-likely-use-drugs

Stevie Wonder's Teacher at Michigan School for the Blind Passes at 87

2011-09-27T05:48:00.004-04:00

This is not strictly a story about poverty, but it is a story about diversity. It is a story that reminds me that all children deserve a free and appropriate public education. It is a story about one such teacher who served education in such a capacity.

Stevie Wonder's teacher at the Michigan School for the Blind, Yvonne Whitmore, has passed away at the age of 87. According to Yvonne's daughter, Ms. Whitmore encouraged Stevie and said "'He has a great voice for ballads - we need to get him to sing ballads."

So, here it is for Ms. Whitmore. Thank-you for being a teacher. I think Stevie listened to your advice:

My Cherie Amour

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltDgSSJbJlA&feature=related

The full article about Ms. Whitmore is in today's State Journal:

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110927/COLUMNISTS09/109270312/Schneider-Teacher-s-friend-hopes-she-ll-hear-from-Stevie-Wonder

The Poor Are Less Likely To Have Their Cases Reviewed by the Supreme Court

2011-09-26T07:04:00.003-04:00

She's just 21, but lawyer hopeful Sydney Hawthorne already has done research to unlock the mysteries behind how cases reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

After a year of sifting through hundreds of documents, she discovered bad news for people who are poor: Their cases are less likely to get heard.

Hawthorne of Genesee County's Grand Blanc Township recently took home the grand prize at an undergraduate research forum at Michigan State University for her study on how the U.S. Supreme Court sets its agenda.

Among Hawthorne's findings: Paupers - low-income people who may include prisoners - are 30 percent less likely to have their cases reviewed.

"It was interesting to see the effect of (economic status) in deciding Supreme Court decisions," said the political science major, who plans to attend law school after she graduates from MSU.

"It's important for us to understand this process since Supreme Court decisions affect every aspect of our lives."

Paupers often can't afford legal services, such as filing petitions, which could be a major factor in their disadvantage, she said.

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110926/NEWS06/109260321/Study-Poor-less-likely-cases-reviewed

State's Heating Aid Endangered

2011-09-24T13:14:00.001-04:00

Social services groups are scrambling to prevent thousands of low-income Michigan residents from having their heat cut off after a program that helped pay overdue utility bills for the poor lost its funding.

A court struck down the financing system used by the program in July, and lawmakers haven't enacted a new one.

With the aid money running out as winter arrives, officials are temporarily drawing on other funds to tide over needy families.

www.wwmt.com/articles/mich-1396243-funding-prevent.html

Preschool funding for kids pays off in billions later

2011-09-23T10:02:00.002-04:00

There are few sure investments in this chaotic economic climate, but on a national level, education has proven to pay off big down the road. As tight economic times have put the squeeze on education budgets here in the U.S., a new report shows the big benefits of even small investments in early education worldwide.

For every dollar invested in boosting preschool enrollment, middle- and low-income countries would see a return of some $6.40 to $17.60, according to a new analysis published September 22 in The Lancet. “Early childhood is the most effective and cost-effective time to ensure that all children develop to their full potential,” noted the authors, led by Patrice Engle, of California Polytechnic State University. “The returns on investment in early child development are substantial.”

blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2011/09/22/preschool-funding-for-kids-now-pays-off-billions-later/

Ministers from Super Committee Congressional Districts Speak Out On Shared Sacrifice

2011-09-22T07:39:00.005-04:00

Ministers from the Super Committee's congressional districts Tuesday urged senators and representatives who have pledged not to raise any taxes, even on the wealthy and corporations, to reconsider.

Among the clergy was the Rev. Dan Scheid, rector of St. Augustine's Episcopal Church in Benton Township. In a teleconference call organized by Faith in Public Life, he was one of four pastors asking reconsideration by committee members who have signed anti-tax activist Grover Norquist's pledge to never raise taxes.

The bipartisan Super Committee, which arose out of the debt ceiling crisis, has 12 senators and representatives charged with coming up with a plan by Thanksgiving to reduce the debt by at least $1.2 trillion over the next decade.

The ministers' statements were intended for Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, Rep. Dave Camp, R-Midland, (and others).

Scheid in the teleconference call said he's in "a city and a state that's lived with the devastating effects of a sour economy that sadly predates the recession the rest of our country is climbing out of now."

Scheid said his parishioners have operated a food pantry for four years, and volunteer at the Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen.

"We see firsthand, week after week and month after month, men and women and children who are hungry and need some help," he said.

Many in desperate need of help are the "working poor," and the least able to absorb any additional burdens or cuts in services, he said.

One such parishioner is a "cook at the community hospital," Scheid said. "She works hard, but she still has to wait for over an hour, twice a month, for a couple bags of groceries from our church basement to help her make it from paycheck to paycheck.

"Is this the type of person we as Americans want to saddle with more responsibility than she can already bear as the Super Committee finds $1.2 trillion for deficit reduction? How about my working-class and middle-class and retired parishioners who staff our food pantry? Is it up to them as well to suffer cuts in services to come up with this $1.2 trillion package?

"Or should we ask for shared sacrifice in finding this money by asking fellow Americans who have been abundantly blessed with high incomes to contribute more of a fair share through an increase in their taxes?"

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/09/21/local_news/6594244.txt

P.S. The above picture is from the food pantry at St. Augustine Episcopal in Benton Township.

Michigan Changing Food Stamp Eligibility Rules

2011-09-20T17:43:00.001-04:00

An undetermined number of Michigan's nearly 2 million food assistance recipients will lose the help under new eligibility requirements the state will begin using in October.

Michigan has determined food assistance eligibility based only on income for roughly a decade. A new policy will include a review of certain financial assets starting Oct 1. The requirements will affect new applicants right away and existing recipients when their cases come up for review, which typically happens once every six months.

Those with assets of more than $5,000 in bank accounts or some types of property would no longer be eligible for food assistance. Other assets that would count against the cap include vehicles with market values of more than $15,000 and second homes, depending on how much is owed on the properties.

Some assets, such as primary residences and 401k accounts, would not be considered for determining food assistance eligibility.

The Michigan League for Human Services says the policies will make it harder for those who are out of work or underemployed to qualify for the assistance. The organization says need is increasing as the state's unemployment rate rose to 11.2 percent in August, the third-highest rate in the nation and up from 10.2 percent in April.

moneywatch.bnet.com/economic-news/news/michigan-changing-food-stamp-eligibility-rules/6301165/#ixzz1YX1713Em

Two Views on School Reform

2011-09-20T12:59:00.004-04:00

The following is an article in the Washington Post which discussed school reform and the issues faced by schools in high areas of concentrated poverty. Julie Mack from the Kalamazoo Gazette also discussed a similar issue in the following post. Thus, two views on school reform: one from a national reporter, the other from a local Southwest Michigan reporter.

Here's the view from the Washington Post reporter:

The numbers are nauseating. According to the just released new Census Bureau data, based on 2010 data:

*22 percent of American children live in poverty

*39 percent of black children live in poverty

*35 percent of Hispanic children live in poverty

The federal government set the poverty level in 2010 for a family of four living with an income of no more than $22,314 or a single person with an income of no more than $11,139. And, according to this Washington Post story, the total number of Americans living below the line is at the highest level in the last 52 years. That’s 46.2 million Americans, or 15.1 percent of all Americans.

And if you consider that, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University, a family of four needs an income of about twice the poverty threshold to cover basic expenses, more than 42 percent of American children live in low-income families.

So what does this have to do with school reform?

Almost everything.

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/public-educations-biggest-problem-gets-worse/2011/09/13/gIQAWGz2RK_blog.html

Is it fair to expect teachers in high-poverty schools to be miracle workers?

2011-09-20T12:54:00.001-04:00

Think about three different scenarios:

• A doctor who specializes in hard-to-treat patients.

• A farmer struggling with drought.

• A cop assigned to a high-crime neighborhood.

Would you expect these three to experience outcomes — such as number of patient deaths, size of crop yields or number of cases solved — similar to those of their counterparts who face fewer challenges?

Sure, we expect the same professional standards regardless of work environment; being in a tough spot is no excuse for incompetence.

But an expectation of results is typically adjusted based on circumstances.

It only makes sense.

Yet, when it comes to schools, this kind of logic goes out the window.

www.mlive.com/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/09/is_it_fair_to_expect_teachers.html

Behind the poverty numbers: real lives, real pain

2011-09-20T07:58:00.002-04:00

At a food pantry in a Chicago suburb, a 38-year-old mother of two breaks into tears.

She and her husband have been out of work for nearly two years. Their house and car are gone. So is their foothold in the middle class and, at times, their self-esteem.

"It's like there is no way out," says Kris Fallon.

She is trapped like so many others, destitute in the midst of America's abundance. Last week, the Census Bureau released new figures showing that nearly one in six Americans lives in poverty — a record 46.2 million people. The poverty rate, pegged at 15.1 percent, is the highest of any major industrialized nation, and many experts believe it could get worse before it abates.

The numbers are daunting — but they also can seem abstract and numbing without names and faces.

Associated Press reporters around the country went looking for the people behind the numbers. They were not hard to find.

There's Tim Cordova, laid off from his job as a manager at a McDonald's in New Mexico, and now living with his wife at a homeless shelter after a stretch where they slept in their Ford Focus.

news.yahoo.com/behind-poverty-numbers-real-lives-real-pain-151738270.html

Brookings Study: Detroit's low education = high unemployment

2011-09-14T07:04:00.005-04:00

The unemployment bottom line boils down to education, according to a study of who's unemployed and who's not by Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

According to Brookings, in the Detroit, Warren, Livonia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), workers with bachelor's degrees had only a moderately high unemployment rate in 2009 of 6.8 percent, while 21.5 percent of those with a high school diploma or less were unemployed in 2009.

In the last decade, an increasing number of jobs in the Detroit area demand a diploma and not enough workers have them. The study calculates that only 16 percent of adults in Detroit, ages 25 and older have a college degree even though 18 percent of occupations in the region require this level of education.

www.mlive.com/jobs/index.ssf/2011/09/detroits_low_education_high_unemployment.html#incart_mce

Bread for the World: Hunger and Poverty Facts

2011-09-13T09:06:00.002-04:00

14.6% of U.S. households struggle to put enough food on the table. More than 49 million Americans—including 16.7 million children—live in these households.

Bread for the World has a compilation of additional statistics, facts, and links to reports on hunger and poverty at:

www.bread.org/hunger/us/facts.html

September 11, A Personal Poem

2011-09-06T18:54:00.004-04:00

To my friends at Poverty Reduction Initiative:

There will be a short hiatus of my postings to this blog. My apologies for that. My daughter passed away on Labor Day. It was a week shy of her 25th birthday on 9/11.

With that in mind, please allow me to share a poem that I wrote for her on her birthday in 2008:

September 11

Some days are sacred
and filled with memories
for Christians it is
Christmas or Easter,
I suppose.
But for me the day I first held you child
is most blessed.

A father's bond started
on this day, your whole life ago,
only for me not so long.
It seems an instant
since the precious time
I first stroked your hair
and the tears rolled down my cheeks
as you entered my heart
right there, right then.

Mothers carry within their wombs
and love for months before dads.
The kicks of little hands and legs
and beats of tiny hearts are foreign to us
something to feel from the outside
not within.
So it is on day one
that our devotion begins.

Such it is.
A father's love
starts then, my precious daughter,
and for this dad
it never dies
as my heart was yours
that very day
and will always be
for this there is no end.

- Rob B.

God's Kitchen Opening Delayed in Battle Creek

2011-09-03T19:44:00.003-04:00

God's Kitchen-Battle Creek, a new soup kitchen that was scheduled to open Labor Day, now will not open until Oct. 3, according to a press release Friday evening from the nonprofit's board of directors.

Pastor William Stein, chairman of the soup kitchen's board of directors, cited an "unsuccessful fundraising campaign" for the delay.

The kitchen was supposed to open inside the Springfield Farmers Market in Begg Park and serve meals from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday to low-income children, seniors and families. It also hopes to promote health and fitness through various health screenings and activities at the park. Stein had hoped to raise $10,000 by Monday's opening.

"We may have moved too quickly," Stein said in the release. "Our soup kitchen must be operational by Oct. 3 in order to provide assistance to the hundreds of individuals and families that are about to be kicked off of welfare."

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20110903/NEWS01/109030305/God-s-Kitchen-opening-delayed

Black Unemployment Highest Since 1984

2011-09-02T17:41:00.003-04:00

The August jobs report was dismal for plenty of reasons, but perhaps most striking was the picture it painted of racial inequality in the job market.

Black unemployment surged to 16.7% in August, its highest level since 1984, while the unemployment rate for whites fell slightly to 8%, the Labor Department reported.

"This month's numbers continue to bear out that longstanding pattern that minorities have a much more challenging time getting jobs," said Bill Rodgers, chief economist with the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.

Black unemployment has been roughly double that of whites since the government started tracking the figures in 1972.

Economists blame a variety of factors. The black workforce is younger than the white workforce, lower numbers of blacks get a college degree and many live in areas of the country that were harder hit by the recession -- all things that could lead to a higher unemployment rate.

But even excluding those factors, blacks still are hit with higher joblessness.

money.cnn.com/2011/09/02/news/economy/black_unemployment_rate/index.htm?iid=HP_Highlight

Who’s lovin’ it? The life of McDonald’s workers

2011-09-01T20:43:00.006-04:00

McDonald's is, after Wal-Mart, the nation's second-largest private employer, with 700,000 workers. And as the economy flags, and as more Americans seek cheaper food, that number is rising.

On April 19, McDonald's held a National Hiring Day and says that it brought in 62,000 new employees.

"We've got flexible schedules, benefits and jobs that can turn into satisfying careers," McDonald's' Web site said. Yet many people above the poverty line would never even consider working at McDonald's. The stigma of working at McDonald's is so culturally ingrained that since 2001 the Oxford English Dictionary has defined the neologism "McJob" as "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, esp. created by the expansion of the service sector."

Labor advocates are predictably in lockstep with the OED. "McDonald's is no worse than Burger King or Wendy's or anyone else in the fast-food industry," says Jose Oliva, national policy coordinator for Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which advocates for food service workers nationwide. "But it pays the lowest wages possible. It starts people at minimum wage and then keeps them at a low wage for as long as they can get away with it." (Minimum wage is $8.25 in the (Washington D.C.) and $7.55 nationwide. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.36 million American workers are paid minimum wage or less.) ...

www.ongo.com/v/1740466/10586/A6C6AAAAB8201A2F/whos-lovin-it-the-life-of-mcdonalds-workers

114 Calhoun County Families Will Lose Cash Assistance Benefits in a Month

2011-08-31T21:29:00.004-04:00

With more than 100 local low-income families preparing to lose state cash assistance in the next month, Calhoun County nonprofits are skeptical of their ability to fill the need.

State lawmakers approved new four-year limits on Michigan's cash assistance program last week. The changes mean 114 cases in Calhoun County and 11,162 around Michigan will lose welfare benefits starting Oct. 1, according to the Michigan Department of Human Services.

"It's just going to add more pressure to our system, that's for sure, and things are already challenging," said Bob Randels, executive director of the Food Bank of South Central Michigan.

So far this year, the food bank's distributions are already up 22 percent from a record-breaking 2010, Randels said.

Nancy MacFarlane, CEO of Community Action, which helps low-income families in Calhoun and three other counties, said the organization simply won't be able to take on the extra need.

"We help people until we run out of money," she said.

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20110831/NEWS01/108310306/114-Calhoun-County-families-lose-cash-assistance

Son's Drug Bust May Make Mom Homeless

2011-08-29T19:34:00.001-04:00

Sandy Douglas said she has no idea where she will be living after this week. Douglas, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and her 11-year old daughter won't be able to afford the apartment they've lived in for several years. They've lost their government housing subsidy, commonly called a Section 8 grant after the part of the law that created it.

They lost it because of what Douglas' 20-year-old son did.

He was convicted of cocaine posession. Because he was on the lease for her apartment, the Grand Rapids Housing Commission - which administered her rent subsidy - revoked it because her son was busted for drugs.

"I kept saying, 'I'm not responsible for my son. He's 20,'" Douglas told Target 8 investigators.

But the Housing Commission takes a hard line on drug offenses. "Anybody on the lease, if caught, would automatically be terminated," Director Carlos Sanchez said. "We are mandated by the federal government not to serve people involved in drug-related activity."

Son's drug bust may make mom homeless: woodtv.com

Center on Budget & Policy Priorities Report: TANF and How Well Does It Provide Income Support for Poor Families?

2011-08-29T18:13:00.004-04:00

President Clinton signed the 1996 welfare law 15 years ago today, creating the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to replace the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. We’ll present a series of posts this week that provide a closer look at how welfare reform has played out over the last 15 years. Today’s post focuses on TANF as a source of income support for poor families.

TANF’s early years witnessed unprecedented declines in the number of families receiving cash assistance — and unprecedented increases in the share of single mothers working, especially those with less than a high school education. But since then, nearly all of the employment gains have disappeared, and TANF caseloads have responded only modestly to increased need during this deep and long downturn.

As the following charts make clear, TANF remains an important source of income support for a small, but vulnerable group of families. However, because relatively few families receive TANF and benefits are very low, TANF plays a much more limited role in helping families escape poverty or deep poverty (i.e., income below half the poverty line) today than AFDC did.

www.offthechartsblog.org/tanf-at-15-part-i-how-well-does-it-provide-income-support-for-poor-families/

Economic Slow Growth Leads to Rapid Growth in SNAP

2011-08-28T08:24:00.003-04:00

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to release its latest update on the food stamp program. It's an important indicator of the nation's economic health — and the prognosis is not good.

Food stamp use is up 70 percent over the past four years and that trend is expected to continue.

The spike began in late-2008 and early-2009 when the worst of the recession was triggering massive layoffs and home foreclosures. Although the economy has been growing since mid-2009, the pace has been too slow to absorb the nearly 14 million people without jobs. Nearly half of those have been out of work more than six months.

As a result, the number of people seeking federal help with groceries has been soaring. At this time four years ago, before the recession hit, about 27 million people were using food stamps. Today 46 million get help through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — what most people call food stamps — which is roughly 15 percent of the population.

www.npr.org/2011/08/28/139968385/slow-growth-economy-spikes-food-stamp-reliance

A Tale of Two Schools: A Cautionary Tale on School Rankings

2011-08-27T09:25:00.004-04:00

The following opinion is my own and not the opinion of anyone else affiliated with One Southwest Michigan, One Community:

The Michigan Department of Education recently released rankings of all schools in the State of Michigan, nearly 3,800 of them. School rankings sometimes reduce complex educational problems into overly simplified tables. Local newspapers have described the methodology behind the rankings as: "approved by the US Department of Education," not a very thorough explanation.

Similarly, Consumer Reports (CR) reviews and ranks the best and worst automobiles in the country. In order to prepare these rankings, CR performs their own thorough tests of vehicles as well as surveys thousands of vehicle owners throughout the country.

One way to think of the CR rankings is that they take a look at what auto companies do with the raw materials they are provided (i.e., steel, plastic, and rubber) and try to assess the quality of the finished product. The results can be surprising: The lowly and moderately priced Chevrolet Malibu is a much more highly rated vehicle than the over priced Cadillac Escalade, and for that matter higher rated than all other Cadillac models. Personally, I would rather drive a Chevy Malibu than a Cadillac, but I wonder if most Americans would feel the same way.

I would guess that most of the journalists doing the reporting on the recent release of the Michigan Department of Education rankings, and for that matter the readers of the articles, have no idea what criteria or methodology were used to rank the schools as the “best” or the “worst”.

Let me give you an example. Let's call it "A Tale of Two Schools."

East Grand Rapids, aka, Cadillac Escalade, and Hartford High School, aka, Chevrolet Malibu. East GR is one of the wealthiest communities in West Michigan. Lots of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals call East GR their home. There are lots of million dollar homes in East GR. Not so many in Hartford. Here is some data on the two schools:

% of Children Who are Poor (i.e., qualify for lunch program)

East G.R. = 9%
Hartford = 70%

% of Schools Which the School Outperforms

East G.R. = 62%
Hartford = 47%

+ Increase or - Decline in Performance from the District's Middle School

East G.R. = -33%
Hartford = +25%

East GR's middle school is in the top 5% of the state in academic performance. On top of that, all of East GR's elementary schools are in the top 10%, one of them Wealthy Elementary, is in the top 1%. 95% of the schools in the State have more poor children than East GR. So basically, East GR High School takes kids from lower grades who are in the top 10% of achievement in the state, living in one of the wealthiest suburban communities in the state (as measured by free/reduced lunch counts), with some of the best school facilities in the state on the banks of Reeds Lake where they win lots of state athletic championships, and turns them into average achievers at their high school so that their parents with all of their political connections can then spend lots of money to send them to the nation's Ivy league and other premier colleges.

Why is East GR High School not on the list of poorly performing schools? The “raw materials” they receive from lower grades tell me that they should be performing much better than they are.

On the other hand, Hartford High School in rural Michigan and one of the poorer communities in the state, takes kids from lower grades, who admittedly should be doing better, and turns them into students who achieve nearly as well as East Grand Rapids students: average for the state. And since Hartford parents don't have the resources and political connections of their Kent County counterparts, my guess is that Hartford kids go on to achieve excellence at schools that are not for U.S. News and World Reports Ivy League elite, i.e., schools like Western, Grand Valley, and Michigan State. And I would bet that right now Hartford teachers and administrators are working diligently to improve the educational opportunity for all kids, not just a rich elite few.

The moral of the story is that a good Chevy is always better than a crummy, over priced Cadillac.

My kudos to Hartford High School for achieving nearly as well as East GR with far fewer resources. Hartford High School far outperforms its peers in improving educational achievement for its students. You make all of us Chevy owners proud!

Finally, I wish journalists would dig a little deeper into a story about educational achievement to understand and explain how the rankings come about. The simple statement that it is a system of ranking “approved by the US Department of Education” is not a very thorough explanation.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Training Tuesday in St. Joseph

2011-08-26T07:23:00.004-04:00

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Berrien and Cass has scheduled an In-Service Training Meeting for its Big Brothers and Big Sisters, both community-based and site-based, on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Lakeland Regional Medical Center’s Community Meeting Room at 1234 Napier Ave. in St. Joseph.

The staff will present the Child Safety and Youth Protection Guidelines and Ground Rules, guidelines which will help the mentor volunteers develop a healthy relationship with their Littles and will help them teach the children in their care about appropriate boundaries as well as how to build skills which will protect them from violence while allowing them to recognize and trust the caring adults in their lives.

BBBS also welcomes prospective volunteers to this training, as long as they preregister by calling 684-1100 ext. 3 or e-mailing info@bbbsofbc.org.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a United Way-funded program.

To learn more about mentoring opportunities available for volunteers at BBBS, go to

www.bbbsofbc.org

The above article originally appeared in the Niles Daily Star at:

www.nilesstar.com/2011/08/25/big-brothers-big-sisters-training-tuesday-in-st-joseph/

ABC's hunger at Home: Crisis in America Report

2011-08-24T11:42:00.002-04:00

ABC News is focusing on hunger and poverty in the United States. This report discusses the 14.7 million children in poverty:

Ain't Tina Turner Classical Music?: Benefit Performances for Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen

2011-08-21T15:49:00.004-04:00

The Box Factory for the Performing Arts in St. Joseph, Michigan will be hosting a performance for the benefit of the Benton Harbor Soup Kitchen.

The play is entitled:

"Ain't Tina Turner Classical Music"

The play was written by South Haven native Linda LaRocque and is a play about homelessness and the unshakable human spirit. The production tells the story of three homeless people and their abilities (and inabilities) to cope with daily life. Despite shame, guilt, fear, and adversity, the bountiful human spirit continues to march forward.

Performances are tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 19 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 20, a 2:00 p.m. matinee.

The Soup Kitchen's web site which has preliminary information to be updated is at:

www.soup-kitchen.org/-/

And just to get you in the mood:

Student Loan Debt Has Grown by 511% In a Decade

2011-08-20T02:21:00.005-04:00

You think the housing bubble was enormous? Meet the education bubble. On Wednesday, an (in The Atlantic) by Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus explained the debt crisis at American colleges. But some startling statistics will help to make their analysis a little more tangible. The growth in student loans over the past decade has been truly staggering.

Here's a chart based on New York Federal Reserve data for household debt. The red line shows the cumulative growth in student loans since 1999. The blue line shows the growth of all other household debt except for student loans over the same period.

This chart looks like a mistake, but it's correct. Student loan debt has grown by 511% over this period. In the first quarter of 1999, just $90 billion in student loans were outstanding. As of the second quarter of 2011, that balance had ballooned to $550 billion.

www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/08/chart-of-the-day-student-loans-have-grown-511-since-1999/243821/

Pokagon United Methodist Fills 25 Backpacks a Week with Food For Dowagiac Elementary Students

2011-08-18T20:53:00.002-04:00

Pokagon United Methodist Church fills 25 backpacks a week with food to feed Patrick Hamilton Elementary School students in Dowagiac during the school year.

PUMC’s backpack ministry began last spring through elementary counselor Lisa Armijo, Shari Bradke said Wednesday evening as the Youth Adventure pre-teen K-7 group demonstrates how their assembly line works for replenishing the washable blue bags, which they then pray over.

“It costs $6 a backpack,” Bradke said. “We deliver the backpacks on Friday so they can take them home” over the weekends. “They bring them back on Monday, or sometimes it’s Tuesday or Wednesday. We haven’t not gotten a backpack back yet.”

Bradke said, “We work through the counselor. She’s the one who gave us the names of the kids. There are approximately 200 kids in the Dowagiac school system who could use backpacks,” which is why PUMC plans a holiday bazaar fundraiser for the ministry Nov. 12 at Dowagiac Lions Club.

“We’re trying to contact other churches and organizations to see if they would give us donations, or if they would take on a backpack program so more kids can be fed,” said Bradke, who can be contacted at (574) 309-0260.

www.dowagiacnews.com/2011/08/17/pokagon-umc-fills-25-backpacks-a-week/

Second Impressions in Kalamazoo will Give Away Leftover Summer Clothing on Friday Morning

2011-08-18T20:46:00.002-04:00

People in need in Kalamazoo will have a chance to get their hands on free clothes Friday morning.

Second Impressions, 3750 S. Westnedge Ave., will be offering its entire leftover stock of used summer clothes from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Friday for Kalamazoo residents who can't afford it otherwise.

Customers who stop by will be able to take as much clothing as they want for free.

www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/08/second_impressions_in_kalamazo.html

Poor often don’t know benefit of banks: Study by U Mass Dartmouth

2011-08-14T17:24:00.002-04:00

Low-income families use costly check-cashing and loan services not because they lack access to banks, but because they lack knowledge of banking options and their advantages, according to a study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

For example, the study found that about one in four low-income residents in the New Bedford area do not have a bank account because they believe they cannot afford it - although most community banks and credit unions offer low-cost or free accounts as required by state law. In addition, the study found, even low-income residents with bank accounts still use check-cashing establishments more than their banks...

...On average, low-income people without bank accounts spend about 5 percent of their income, about $800 to $1,000 a year, on fees from check-cashing services, according to Bank On, a San Francisco program that aims to remove banking barriers for people with low incomes. That adds up to about $40,000 over a working life.

articles.boston.com/2011-07-06/business/29744008_1_bank-accounts-convenient-hours-and-locations-check-cashing-services

How to Change This? Tests Scores in Schools Closely Follow School Poverty Rates

2011-08-14T08:23:00.007-04:00

The debate over how to fix Michigan’s education system often boils down to arguments over budgets, benefits, teacher tenure and class size.

Those issues may affect the way children learn in school, but U.S. Census figures hint at a single, overriding factor: Poverty.

Estimates of poverty and income show school districts with the lowest reading and math scores are often those with the highest poverty rates.

The pattern is clear both locally and statewide.

Across Michigan, such districts as Muskegon Heights, Flint Beecher and Benton Harbor have high poverty rates and low test scores.

The state’s wealthiest districts — including Bloomfield Hills, Northville, East Grand Rapids and Dexter — have median family incomes above $100,000 and very high test scores.

www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/school_achievement_closely_tra.html

P.S. For full disclosure, as of August 2011 I started working as an Interim Financial Officer for the Benton Harbor Schools.

Michigan Begins Notifying Families that Welfare Benefits are Running Out

2011-08-11T21:20:00.000-04:00

Michigan has begun notifying some families receiving welfare benefits that their federal assistance is running out.

The move could affect nearly 14,000 families who had secured an extension on the 5-year federal limit to receive benefits, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Letters began going out Tuesday that include contact information for caseworkers who will try to help families find other assistance programs. They also encourage recipients to call United Way's referral service for help getting additional assistance, if needed.

"I'm concerned" about the families, said Michigan Department of Human Services Director Maura Corrigan, "but we're here to help them make that transition - to fulfill the intent of the law and to get them to self-sufficiency."

www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110810/NEWS04/108100334/Michigan-lets-some-families-know-welfare-aid-running-out

St. Joseph Church-Kalamazoo to Host Kenyan Priest on 9/11 to Raise Awareness and Funds for Drought Stricken Horn of Arfica

2011-08-09T06:31:00.006-04:00

Yes, I know that our 401k and 403b retirement plans are in the dumpers because of what is happening in the U.S. and global stock markets. Yes, the American government in Washington during the debt ceiling debate has just gone through a period of what can at best be considered ineffectual.

Still, thousands of miles away in the Horn of Africa there is a severe drought. So, I am including this article from the Kalamazoo Gazette as a reminder of the many who are less fortunate than we are who live in the U.S.

According to the article:

"An estimated 29,000 Somali children younger than 5 have died as a result of the drought, U.S. officials said last week, and the U.N. estimates more than 600,000 children are acutely malnourished."

The Gazette further states,

"When Maureen Metty visited Kenya this summer, it was easy for her to see that things were not looking good.

There was dry land where rivers and lakes once were, and locals told her it had been some time since rain had fallen in the African country's northwest.

“They told me at that point that they probably had about two hours of rain in a year and a half,” said the nun from Kalamazoo’s Sisters of St. Joseph.

For further details, see:

www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/08/kalamazoos_sisters_of_st_josep.html

Berrien County's Self-Help Legal Resource Center is doing brisk business

2011-08-08T08:32:00.002-04:00

For years Debra Williamsen felt out of luck, powerless to collect the share of property she claimed was hers under a 1999 divorce settlement. Living on disability payments and unable to afford a lawyer, the Hagar Township woman heard from a friend that help was available for people who want to represent themselves in court.

Williamsen dropped in at the Self-Help Legal Resource Center in the Berrien County Courthouse and learned how to file for a new court judgment.

On a recent day Williamsen was back at the center with her longtime friend, Etta Little, filling out the paperwork to seek a lien on the property, which is being sold. Williamsen said she's confident she will get the $39,000 she was supposed to receive 12 years ago.

Without the center's help in providing forms and instructions, "I would just be out in the cold," she said.

Little previously had success handling her own case, which involved enforcement of a settlement for money. She said the center helped her through the process.

"If you don't have the resources to get things done, this is where to come," said Little, who is also disabled.

Jennifer Willhite of Coloma, visiting the center on the same day to complete paperwork for a child support matter, first used a self-help legal facility while living in Las Vegas. "They've been great here," she said. "They do a great service."

Willhite said she contacted a lawyer about representing her in the support case but could not afford the $1,500 fee.

"That's two house payments," she said.

Without the information she gets at the center, Willhite said she would have had to go to court unprepared, perhaps hurting her chances.

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/08/07/local_news/5727533.txt

PBS Religion & Ethics Addresses: What is a Fair Tax System?

2011-08-05T16:35:00.004-04:00

The main purpose of a tax system is to raise revenue for the common good, for the public good. That’s its purpose. But it has to do so in a way that is fair, that involves shared sacrifice, because really it’s a matter of sharing the burdens of a free society and of a good society. That’s, morally speaking, what taxes are about. So unless a tax system meets the test of fairness, none of its other advantages really matter.

- PROFESSOR MICHAEL SANDEL (Professor of Government, Harvard University)

Watch the full episode. See more Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

CNN: Teacher Jobs Disappear

2011-08-04T21:33:00.004-04:00

Friday's jobs report could kick off the worst quarter for state and local government jobs on record. And teachers are at the center of the bullseye.

The public sector is estimated to have shed 65,000 positions in July, according to Greg Daco, U.S. economist for IHS Global Insight. Some 50,000 are projected to come from state and local governments.

And things won't get better anytime soon. The state and local government sector could shed around 110,000 jobs in the third quarter, which would top the massive downsizing that occurred in the early 1980s.

"The sector keeps bleeding jobs," Daco said. "The third quarter could be the worst ever."

All told, the state and local government sector has lost 577,000 jobs since its peak in September 2008. Some 224,000 of those have been in education.

While teachers and other school employees are often dismissed temporarily over the summer, more are getting the ax this year because of major state budget cuts to public education. And fewer are expected to get rehired in September, leading to the grim estimates for the quarter.

"Since the state and local sector is facing a lot of tough budget decisions, it will lay off teachers it won't rehire in September," Daco said.

money.cnn.com/2011/08/04/news/economy/teacher_government_jobs/index.htm

15% of All Americans Participate in SNAP

2011-08-04T18:31:00.003-04:00

Nearly 15 percent of all Americans participate in SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps), according to the newly-released U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) figures for May 2011. That’s a record 45,753,078 people.

While many argue that SNAP spending is “out of control,” two examples illustrate that the program is working as it should be—serving more people during economic hard times:

As poverty and unemployment have increased, the number of participants has also gone up since the beginning of the recession in December 2007.
The May 2011 figures include people affected by tornadoes in Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia, who received benefits under SNAP’s disaster program.

notes.bread.org/2011/08/snap-participation-still-on-the-rise.html

Niles Library Rescues Salvation Army 'Feeding His Sheep' Program

2011-08-04T06:23:00.005-04:00

The Salvation Army’s Feeding His Sheep program has been saved thanks to an offer from the Niles District Library in the 11th hour.
Last week the program, which provides weekend meals in backpacks to students in area schools during the school year, appeared to be in jeopardy due to lack of space at The Salvation Army office.

Jan Nowak, director of caring ministries and social services, told the Star last week that the program needed a 1,000 square-foot space that is heated and secure at no cost. Her prayer was answered. Library officials, after reading in the Niles Daily Star this week about the situation, contacted The Salvation Army about room in its basement.

“The library is always looking for ways to serve our community,” said library Director Nancy Studebaker. “We are a tax-supported entity and we are happy in any way we can use the resources of the library to benefit our community, especially children in need.”

www.nilesstar.com/2011/08/03/library-helps-salvation-army/

Homelessness in the Shadows of Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington

2011-08-01T16:28:00.003-04:00

While the folks in Congress and the White House argue about national budgets, deficits, and such, a writer for the Washington Post wrote the following piece:

It’s noon, and it’s over 100 degrees in Washington. The media and others have endlessly repeated their solid, survive-the-heat advice: Stay inside, preferably near air conditioning, and drink lots of water. Good advice, unless you can’t get or stay inside or consistently access fresh water — in other words, if you’re homeless.

You can’t visit or live in the nation’s capital without recognizing that homelessness is an enormous problem here. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are more than 6,000 homeless men, women and children in the District (of Columbia) and well over 25,000 homeless people in the District, Maryland and Virginia combined. In 2009, a third of the District’s homeless could be categorized as experiencing “chronic homelessness,” meaning that for reasons including disability and mental illness, they had been homeless repeatedly or for long periods. Although only some of them were completely “unsheltered,” many shelters or transitional housing facilities don’t allow occupants to return during the day. Here in Washington, the homeless can often be found in parks, on sidewalks and in alleys during the day.

But let’s stand back from the panoramic view of homelessness in the capital, however troubling. This day is headed toward 105 degrees, and the heat index (a measure of how hot it feels) will surpass 115. Today and tomorrow and for as long as deadly heat pervades Washington and large parts of the country, homelessness isn’t a troubling phenomenon; it’s a life-and-death situation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/when-the-heat-hits-think-of-the-homeless/2011/07/26/gIQAT8B3hI_story.html

Volunteer Center of SW Michigan Schedules Free Training for Non-Profits

2011-07-31T14:35:00.003-04:00

The Volunteer Center of Southwest Michigan in August will have training programs for employees and volunteers at nonprofit organizations.

Center officials said those connected with nonprofit agencies in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties will learn and practice such skills as registering organizations, post-volunteer opportunities and recruiting volunteers through the Volunteer Center's new HandsOnConnect volunteer matching website.

(For times, dates, and locations see the following article):

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/07/30/local_news/5816276.txt

Summer Education Programs Serve Migrant Children in Southwest Michigan

2011-07-28T20:14:00.002-04:00

It may be summer, but students are filling the halls of schools in two central Berrien County school districts.

As they do every year, migrant farm worker children are spending time in classrooms in the Berrien Springs and Eau Claire school districts.

"We're trying to keep kids on grade level but also make it as interactive and fun as we can," said Tim Keathley, on the staff at Eau Claire schools.

The districts are among several in Southwest Michigan serving the migrant population. Others are Bangor, Coloma, Dowagiac, Hartford, South Haven and Watervliet.

The money comes from federal and state sources.

The programs tend to take summer into account and combine academics with other activities, like field trips and special events. When possible, students can earn high school credits.

Eau Claire schools had a "fiesta night" Wednesday to celebrate the end of the summer program while Berrien Springs had an open house for students and their families.

Sylvester Elementary School Principal Danny Bartz is in charge of the summer migrant program at Berrien Springs, which has had such a program for many years. He said the goal this summer was to do more to emphasize academics for the 120 students, ages 3 to 18.

"This year, we've tried to incorporate what we're doing during the year with our reading and writing program and our safe and civil schools initiative," he said. "We have ramped up our academic expectations. We've really tried to focus on reading and helping them understand more of the English language.

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/07/28/local_news/5847993.txt

Online Map Hopes to Ease Michigan Summer Hunger Challenges for Youths

2011-07-28T10:10:00.004-04:00

republished from the State of Michigan Department of Education website

LANSING – Summer in Michigan is lots of fun. However, for thousands of children, summer may mean going without the healthy breakfast and lunch normally offered at their local school.

There are free meals available to children across Michigan through the Summer Food Service Program. Yet, despite serving more than 144 million free and affordable lunches during the 2010 school year, only 2.6 million meals were served through this program last summer.

In an effort to provide these free meals to more children, the Michigan Department of Education has created a SFSP Site Locator Map. This online map allows parents, youth, and food assistance organizations to find the nearest meal sites across the state.

"The free Summer Food Service meal sites are in most communities, we just need families to be aware and able to find them,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. “This online tool is designed to provide greater information and access to nutritional meals for kids during the summer.”

The map is simple to use – just go to the Map webpage, click on the site nearest you and a pop up window with hours of operation and meals served appears. The map is updated weekly throughout the summer as additional sites begin operation. The public is encouraged to check the website throughout the summer for Summer Food sites nearest them.

The Summer Food Service Program was established to ensure that children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Free meals, that meet federal nutrition guidelines, are provided to all children 18 years and younger at approved SFSP sites in areas with significant concentrations of low income children. SFSP operators include public and private nonprofit schools, residential camps, colleges or universities, government agencies, and other private non-profit organizations.

The SFSP Site Locator Map can be found at www.mcgi.state.mi.us/schoolnutrition or at the Summer Food Service Program website at www.michigan.gov/sfsp

The Summer Food Service Program, administered by MDE through funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is available to children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

New Documentary Film Sheds Light on Issue of Migrant Children Farm Workers in Michigan and Other States

2011-07-28T01:17:00.002-04:00

A new documentary film, The Harvest or La Cosecha, is being released this week in New York. The film follows the life of migrant children farm workers and their families as they travel from Texas through several other states (including Michigan) picking crops.

The trailer for the film follows:

The film was first introduced in June in Washington D.C. At a press conference on Capitol Hill Thursday, June 16th, Actress Eva Longoria and other child advocates held a press conference in announcing the introduction of “The Children’s Act for Responsible Employment” (CARE), legislation which attempts to ensure adequate protections for children working in our nation’s agricultural fields. Additional information about the film and the proposed CARE Act can be found at:

www.shineglobal.org/index.php/eva-longoria-and-congresswoman-lucille-roybal-allard-introduce-care-act-to-protect-child-farmworkers-in-the-us/

Additional information about the film can be found at the film's web site:

theharvestfilm.com/

What will happen to 25,000 Michigan kids cut from assistance?

2011-07-27T07:52:00.003-04:00

Spokesmen from Michigan League and DHS talk about the impact of state budget cuts on poor children and families:

Bridge Academy gives adult students a chance for a diploma and a better life

2011-07-26T16:30:00.003-04:00

Like many people wanting to change their lives, Benton Harbor resident Kent Rush just needed a nudge in the right direction.

Four years ago, Rush, 26, struggled to support three children, "running into a lot of temporary jobs, dead-end jobs, not making any cash - it was just like a dead-end street," he said.

At one of those jobs Rush suffered a thumb injury that had his doctors talking about amputation, which didn't happen.

"I was going into debt, I almost lost my house, I had to take off work eight weeks - I'm (saying), like, 'This factory work isn't gonna get it,'" he said.

But Rush's fortunes changed after joining YouthBuild, which is run by Michigan Works of Berrien Cass and Van Buren counties. YouthBuild is now part of the Bridge Academy, which opened last fall at 777 Riverview Drive, Benton Harbor.

The academy is a year-round alternative school for anyone 16 and over who is looking to complete their general education diploma or high school diplomas, Chief Education Officer Chris Fielding said.

Those who finish the program gain the job and life skills they need to function while making the transition to a better career.

"Employers are going, 'Please take direction, be part of a team, don't argue with everybody and be on time,'" Fielding said. "As a work force development organization, we have that opportunity to instill those skills."

Rush has seen that example play out in his life.

He works for Shelton Construction, which has taken him to major projects like the carousel restoration at Silver Beach and the Harbor Shores clubhouse.

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/07/26/local_news/5807085.txt

Pew Study Shows Racial Wealth Gap Widens

2011-07-26T01:17:00.005-04:00

There's long been a big gap between the wealth of white families and the wealth of African-Americans and Hispanics. But the Great Recession has made it much worse — the divide is almost twice what it used to be.

That's according to a new study by the Pew Research Center, which says that the decline in the housing market is the main cause.

The numbers are astounding. The average wealth of a white family in 2009 was 20 times greater than that of the average black family, and 18 times greater than the average Hispanic family. In other words, the average white family had $113,149 in net worth, compared to $6,325 for Hispanics and $5,677 for blacks.

That's the largest gap since the government began collecting the data a quarter of a century ago, and twice what it was before the start of the Great Recession.

Real Estate Downturn

Rakesh Kochhar, one of the authors of the report, says white households went into the recession in a much stronger position and, as a result, were better able to weather the storm.

One reason was investment in real estate. Minority families had most of their wealth in their homes, so when the housing bubble burst, Kochhar says, those households took a bigger hit.

"Especially Hispanics, for example. Sixty-six percent of their net worth derives from home equity," Kochhar says. "And they are concentrated geographically in parts of the country such as California, Arizona, Florida and Nevada, where the housing downturn was most severe."

The result is that the average Hispanic family lost two-thirds of its wealth between 2005 and 2009, according to the Pew report. Black families lost more than half of theirs.

www.npr.org/2011/07/26/138688135/study-shows-racial-wealth-gap-grows-wider

Chicago Physician and Authority on Premature Births: Racism is a Stressor that Can Trigger Pre-Term labor

2011-07-25T19:35:00.005-04:00

It doesn't matter if you're well off financially. It doesn't matter if you have a college education. It doesn't even really matter if you've had adequate health care.

If you are a black woman living in the United States, you are much more likely to have a premature baby than a white mother in the same socioeconomic category.

What is causing this gap?

Dr. James Collins, a physician and researcher from Chicago and an authority on premature births, believes the culprit is racism.

"Racism exists, and racism is a stressor" that decreases the immune system and can trigger pre-term labor, Collins told an audience of medical professionals and community leaders Wednesday.

The event was sponsored by the Berrien County Health Department and Lakeland HealthCare.

Upward mobility for black women does reduce the rate for low-weight births, the leading cause of infant mortality, Collins said.

The rate of infant mortality is higher for poor, black single teenage mothers, especially if the mother was a low birth-weight baby.

If you live in poverty and were a low birth-weight baby "you're pre-programmed to have a low birth-weight baby," Collins said.

The lives of 6,000 black babies could be saved each year if the infant mortality rate for blacks could be lowered to that of whites, Collins said. For those who survive, low birth weight leads to health problems later in life.

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/07/25/local_news/5755174.txt#comment

Branch Area Food Pantry Celebrates 25 Years at Annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner

2011-07-23T17:06:00.002-04:00

The Branch Area Food Pantry (BAFP) held the annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner last Wednesday at the St. Charles activity hall, a time of fellowship and gratitude. There were 76 of the volunteers in attendance.

“I think Deacon Al (Provot) would be very pleased to see how far the pantry has come,” said Chuck Tippman, chair of the board. “This is the best-run organization of its kind I’ve been involved in.”

Tippman recalled when Provot recognized a need and began a pantry of sorts in a closet in the St. Charles office building 25 years ago.

www.thedailyreporter.com/news/x1009569270/Branch-Area-Food-Pantry-shows-gratitude-with-dinner

What "The Grapes of Wrath" Says about Today's Immigrant Workers

2011-07-21T11:11:00.004-04:00

When John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, a reporter asked him if he thought he deserved the world’s most prestigious award for novelists. Reportedly, Steinbeck said, "Frankly, no."

Sadly for Steinbeck, this opinion was shared by many literary critics who thought that while he was a competent writer, he wasn’t worthy of the Nobel. Although he was a prolific writer, Steinbeck’s literary reputation rested primarily on one work that remains undisputed in terms of its contribution to American culture.

When The Grapes of Wrath was released in 1939, it caused a sensation that literature is probably no longer capable of provoking. It won the Pulitzer Prize and was the best-selling novel of the year. Just months later, in 1940, the book was turned into a film by John Ford that was nominated for seven Academy Awards.

For readers today, Steinbeck’s migration saga remains relevant as a piece of (dramatized) social analysis. It’s essentially a road novel about the Joads, a poor Midwestern migrant farming family. Throughout the novel, the Joads fight to keep their family intact while fleeing the 1930s Oklahoma Dustbowl for the hope of farm work in California...

(Today) It’s common to meet young men laboring on farms in the United States who haven’t been home in years. They keep sending their family money saved from their $9-an-hour wages, but there’s no human contact.

Even families that reconstitute themselves on the U.S. side of the border are not secure. The Urban Institute estimates that 100,000 immigrant parents of U.S. citizen children have been deported to Mexico over the past 10 years...

notes.bread.org/2011/07/the-grapes-of-wrath-revisited.html

Poverty study: 1 in 3 Michigan senior citizens struggles with money

2011-07-20T13:30:00.003-04:00

A third of Michigan’s seniors are considered “economically insecure” — far more than the federal poverty limits would suggest, according to a new study.

Moreover, even in counties that are home to some of the most affluent suburbs where the wealthiest will buoy the overall median household income, at least one in four seniors on the other end of the economic scale struggles to make ends meet, according to the paper, “Invisible Poverty: New Measure Unveils Financial Hardship in Michigan’s Older Population.”

“There’s the popular perception that they have this nice car and their house is paid off and they travel the country. And that’s true for some,” said Thomas Jankowski, one of the study’s authors and associate director for research at Wayne State University’s Institute of Gerontology. “But others – many, many others – just skate on the edge of economic security.”

www.freep.com/article/20110720/NEWS06/110720009/Poverty-study-1-3-Michigan-senior-citizens-struggles-money-

"Injustices in the food sytem are abundant" - Niki Britton, Berrien County Health Dept

2011-07-20T11:11:00.006-04:00

The goal of the Benton Harbor Farmers Market is to make fresh food available to all residents, particularly low-income people who might not have access to healthier choices.

"Injustices in the food systems are abundant, and this means that not everyone has the same access to affordable, healthy foods they need to live their best life," Nikki Britton, the Berrien County Health Department's epidemiologist, said in a press release.

Britton refers to neighborhoods without full-service grocery stores as "food deserts," where it is easier to get a bag of corn chips than an ear of corn.

This consumption of junk food can lead to diabetes and other illnesses.

Another entity trying to link small farmers to customers looking for healthy foods is the Conservation Fund. The organization recently announced that it had received a $400,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to help black and Hispanic farmers increase their production. The produce can in turn be sold at farmers markets.

"They are really the unsung heroes of local communities," said Peg Kohring of Sawyer, the Conservation Fund's Midwest coordinator and a member of the Berrien County Board of Health.

The grant will benefit farmers and markets in 11 southwest Michigan counties, including Berrien, Van Buren and Cass.

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/07/20/local_news/5713273.txt

School Suspensions are Up Across the Board but are Significantly Higher for Minority Students

2011-07-19T09:19:00.004-04:00

Researchers in Texas have released the most comprehensive analysis of school suspension and expulsion policies ever conducted. It's considered groundbreaking because of its scope and detailed examination of disciplinary policies that when misused often put students at greater risk of dropping out or being incarcerated.

The study, titled Breaking Schools' Rules, is extraordinary in that it looked at individual school records and tracked all seventh-graders in Texas — 1 million of them — for six years. One finding surprised even veteran educators: 60 percent of those students were suspended or expelled at least once between their seventh- and 12th-grade years.

Mike Thompson with the Council of State Governments Justice Center, which commissioned the study, said the frequency with which kids in Texas are suspended and expelled reflects a 20-year trend that has seen the rate double nationally.

"For example, in California in 2010 alone, nearly 13 percent of students were put in out-of-school suspension or expelled," he said. "In Florida, that was 9 percent."

Texas, though, is the only state that has been able to use this data to track kids and see what happens to them after they're suspended or expelled.

A Higher Rate Of Removal For Some Groups

Of the 1 million students in Texas who were tracked, 15 percent were disciplined repeatedly — 11 times or more. Half of them ended up in juvenile-justice facilities or programs for an average of 73 schooldays. These students were likely to repeat a grade and not graduate from high school.

Just as worrisome, Thompson said, is who is being suspended and expelled.

"African-American students and those with particular educational disabilities experience a disproportionately high rate of removal from the classroom for disciplinary reasons," he said.

One glaring example: 70 percent of black girls were suspended or expelled, compared with 37 percent of white girls, usually for the same offenses...

www.npr.org/2011/07/19/138495061/report-details-texas-school-disciplinary-policies

Do early-childhood programs enable poor parenting?

2011-07-18T13:55:00.002-04:00

An oft-repeated perception among conservatives and libertarians is that early-childhood programs such as Head Start are counter-productive because they enable slacker parents.

The subject came up last week in an interview with House Speaker Jase Bolger when I asked him about state funding for early-childhood education.

Bolger acknowledged the research that shows the value of early intervention services, but also he sees it as an area where government programs enable the lack of personal responsibility. A quick excerpt from the story:

”It’s a very difficult balance,” he said. “Kids go hungry, so schools start feeding them. Kids get in trouble after school, so there’s after-school problems. Parents don’t read to kids at home, so we give reading help at school. Parents don’t get kids ready for kindergarten, so we need preschool.

We turn to schools to do the things that parents aren’t doing” and it builds an expectation in parents that it’s really the schools’ responsibility, Bolger said. “It’s an unintended consequence of government doing too much.”

So is there evidence that the good from early-childhood programs is offset by parents easing up on their own responsibilities?

www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/07/school_zone_blog_do_early-chil.html

Monday: Homeless Advocates to Discuss Tax Proposal in Downtown Kalamazoo

2011-07-17T12:31:00.003-04:00

As they try to build momentum for a Kalamazoo County ballot proposal, homeless advocates are holding a public meeting Monday to unveil survey results that show whether there is public support for their plan.

The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Van Duesen Room at the Kalamazoo Public Library on Rose and South streets.

Last month, Kalamazoo County Public Housing Commission Chairman David Anderson asked for the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners to put a 0.33 mill tax request on the Nov. 8 ballot. Anderson is a Kalamazoo city commissioner.

www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2011/07/homeless_advocates_to_discuss.html

Economist Magazine: Food Stamps are the "Most Effective" form of economic stimulus "increasing economic activity by $1.73 for every dollar spent"

2011-07-16T11:50:00.006-04:00

WHEN the dismal news came on July 8th that the unemployment rate had risen fractionally to 9.2%, both Republicans and Democrats declared the data proof of the folly of the other party’s policies. How, Republicans asked, could Democrats even consider raising taxes when the economy is so weak? How, Democrats retorted, could Republicans advocate big cuts in the safety net when so many Americans are in desperate need? As the haggling over raising the legal limit on the federal government’s debt reaches a climax, the feeble state of the economy is making the budgetary trade-offs involved ever less appealing...

Take food stamps, a programme designed to ensure that poor Americans have enough to eat, which is seen by many Republicans as unsustainable and by many Democrats as untouchable. Participation has soared since the recession began (see chart). By April it had reached almost 45m, or one in seven Americans. The cost, naturally, has soared too, from $35 billion in 2008 to $65 billion last year. And the Department of Agriculture, which administers the scheme, reckons only two-thirds of those who are eligible have signed up.Advocates for the poor consider (cuts to food stamps) unconscionable.

Food stamps, they argue, are far from lavish. Only those with incomes of 130% of the poverty level or less are eligible for them. The amount each person receives depends on their income, assets and family size, but the average benefit is $133 a month and the maximum, for an individual with no income at all, is $200. Those sums are due to fall soon, when a temporary boost expires. Even the current package is meagre. Melissa Nieves, a recipient in New York, says she compares costs at five different supermarkets, assiduously collects coupons, eats mainly cheap, starchy foods, and still runs out of money a week or ten days before the end of the month.

It is also hard to argue that food-stamp recipients are undeserving. About half of them are children, and another 8% are elderly. Only 14% of food-stamp households have incomes above the poverty line; 41% have incomes of half that level or less, and 18% have no income at all. The average participating family has only $101 in savings or valuables.

www.economist.com/node/18958475

Goodwill Summer Youth Program puts teens, young adults to work

2011-07-15T15:42:00.002-04:00

For more than 80 Battle Creek area youth, the Goodwill Summer Youth Program has made the bleak summer job market a bit less intimidating.

The program, which receives its funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, targets youth from the ages of 16 to 24 and trains them for employment. After training began June 27, the first wave of 76 employees began working July 5 and will continue for eight weeks.

"We're right on schedule of where we wanted to be," said Jerry Mainstone, VP of Workforce Development at Goodwill. "Actually, we're probably 10 to 15 youth being placed ahead of where we wanted to be."

Mainstone's goal was to employ 80 youth this summer and the program has almost already surpassed that number.

"Our goal was to get 80 youth employed, and if that required 80 worksites, then that's what we would have done," Mainstone said. "But we were able to find some worksites that took multiple kids because they had multiple departments to put them in."

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20110715/NEWS01/107150309/Goodwill-Summer-Youth-Program-puts-teens-young-adults-work