October 2017

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Congress passed one disaster recovery package with a special mission in mind. The bill was designed specifically to encourage developers to rebuild or create new affordable rental housing in the Gulf Coast. The plan worked: The 2005 act spurred millions of dollars in new investment in the recovery, creating or restoring tens of thousands of housing units for low-income families. Congress hasn’t passed another similar disaster recovery bill since.

Dolores , the new documentary directed by Peter Bratt in theaters this month celebrates the force that is Dolores Huerta, the labor organizer and political activist who worked tirelessly on behalf of some of the most poverty stricken workers in the country. Amongst union organizers and political activists, Dolores Huerta is a legend. Yet she is virtually unknown to the public. Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) with Cesar Chavez. They were equal partners in the movement in every...

While working to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA) through the two-generation CareerAdvance anti-poverty program in Tulsa, Toneshia Forshee would meet up with fellow participants in the program twice a week for study sessions. "We tutored ourselves," Forshee, now a phlebotomist, told me when I met her last fall in Tulsa, Oklahoma. "We would go to Starbucks and McDonald's and sit and actually study together. It was fun, it was really motivating." Once a week, the CareerAdvance...

Our health care system is waking up to the fact that the health of individuals and families does not depend solely on good coverage and good medical care; it also requires us to address social and other factors that are major contributors to a person’s physical and mental well-being. That’s why more and more clinics are screening incoming patients for challenges in areas ranging from housing conditions, nutrition, access to transportation, and even their ability to afford utilities . It’s...

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Sesame Workshop share a common vision of giving all children—especially the most vulnerable among us—a strong and healthy start in life. We know that childhood experiences lay the foundation for children to grow into productive and successful adults, and promoting healthy behaviors and supporting families from the very beginning can help kids thrive. But it’s equally important to address challenges that can undermine their healthy development. That’s...

Like most people I’m still reeling from the horrible massacre of innocent people in Las Vegas. Once again, a man came prepared to kill and to die. And once again we argue with each other about why it happened and what we can do to prevent the next horrible event. We even argue about whether we should talk about what can be done or whether we should mourn the deaths and debate the causes later. I mourn for the families and friends of those who have died, but I also think we need to talk about...

ACEs, Adversity's Impact How early life experience is written into DNA | Moshe Szyf [17 min - TED Talks] Physical abuse and punishment impact children's academic performance Neighborhood affluence linked to positive birth outcomes Dutch children bereaved by domestic homicides 'more burdened than expected' Brain and Biology Child abuse affects brain wiring Bullying Anxiety and depression caused by childhood bullying decline over time Courts, Juvenile Justice, Corrections, and Probation...

It’s been a hard day on Sesame Street and Big Bird is feeling sad and angry. His friend Alan tells him it’s okay to have “big feelings” when something bad has happened, and he encourages him to calm down by imagining a safe place that he can go to. Soon, Big Bird is feeling better in his dreamlike cozy nest, feeling the warm sun on his feathers and smelling birdseed cookies baking in Granny Bird’s oven. The video is one of a series being released Friday by the creators of Sesame Street to...

New NHS data obtained by the Guardian reveals that the number of times a girl aged 17 or under has been admitted to hospital in England because of self-harm has jumped from 10,500 to more than 17,500 a year over the past decade - a rise of 68%. The jump among boys was much lower: 26%. "There is a growing crisis in children and young people's mental health, and in particular a gathering crisis in mental distress and depression among girls and young women," said Dr Bernadka Dubicka, the chair...

Big Bird and his " Sesame Street " buddies are taking on a new mission: helping kids learn to cope with stress and trauma. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit offshoot of the long-running children's program "Sesame Street," launched the powerful new initiative, which was designed with the help of psychologists, the same week that the nation was rocked by the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The initiative includes materials for parents, caregivers and social workers, as well as...

This is an email conversation I had with a person from Bakersfield. Sonia Hello, I would like to order a bumper sticker. How much are they? Me Thank you for writing, Sonia. They are free to individuals. Do you live in Bakersfield? Sonia Yes I do. I've seen the stickers on a few cars and thought they were a really neat idea. Me I have a few bumper stickers in stock and quite a few of the window lettering tips. Which tip do you want? Sonia I would like # 50. Parents raise kind, thoughtful...

Professional gambler Stephen Paddock committed the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States. He killed 58 people (so far) and injured more than 500. Right after the carnage, his brother Eric said “an asteroid fell from the sky” because his brother gave no indications “at all” that he was on this pathway. The FBI and an army of Nevada law enforcement professionals immediately began searching for a “motive." Everyone wants to find reason and logic in this heinous, unimaginable...