May 2023

By Jennifer Jellison Holme, Erica Frankenberg, Joanna Sanchez, et al., Photo: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock, Housing Matters, May 10, 2023 Every year, the federal government distributes billions of dollars to subsidize housing for families with low incomes. These subsidies are distributed through several programs, including housing vouchers, public housing, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) for affordable housing developments. Though these subsidies have no direct connection to any...

From Sesame Workshop, May 3, 2023 Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street , today announced a new organization-wide focus on the emotional well-being of young children and their families. Responding to the growing mental health crisis for young children and building on decades of experience developing social-emotional learning content for families, the Workshop will address this critical need through a wide range of activities and engaging content...

In 2020 and 2021, Covid-19 was the third most common cause of death, federal records show, after heart disease and cancer.Credit...Isadora Kosofsky for The New York Times By Julie Bosman, The New York Times, May 11, 2023 Shannon Cummings, 53, has tried to push forward after her husband, Larry, a college professor, died of Covid-19 in March 2020. She flew from her home in Michigan to Southern California to attend a Harry Styles concert with family members and friends. Twice a week, she meets...

Candy-colored fentanyl pills seized by authorities in September 2022.(Pasadena Police Department) By Vanessa Arredondo, Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2023 Fentanyl-related deaths among children increased more than 30-fold between 2013 and 2021, illustrating the opioid crisis’ unrelenting impact across the United States, according to a study by the Yale School of Medicine. Between 1999 and 2021, 37.5% of all fatal pediatric opioid poisonings were caused by fentanyl, according to the study...

By Karen Johnson and Kelly Martin, Social Current, May 2, 2023 A mid our day-to-day work to partner with families and children, especially during an ongoing pandemic, it often is challenging to stay apprised of and incorporate the advancing knowledge, research, and evidence around brain science. However, brain science holds great promise in helping us to increase equity, support all families, and strengthen our workforce. The science is clear—adversity and toxic stress can change the brain’s...

By Laura Gallant, 5/11/23, https://positiveexperience.org/category/blog/ May is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and the HOPE framework is one of many ways to amplify the importance of lifelong mental health. The HOPE National Resource Center continues to share the HOPE framework around the country and globe to promote positive childhood experiences, which lead to improved mental health for all children. The HOPE framework works to identify family strengths and sources of positive...

Photograph: Noah Berger/AP © Provided by The Guardian To read more of Maanvi Singh's article, please click here. In early January, the small Central Valley community of Planada was one of the first towns engulfed by a wave of back-to-back storms that hit California this winter. Amid relentless rains, a creek that runs past the town broke through an ageing levee. Flood waters swamped the town and surrounding agricultural fields. About half the homes were damaged, and many remain in various...

By Helen Lewis, Photo: Eric Audras/Getty, The Atlantic, May 4, 2023 Sunny Bryant is only 9 years old—but already an old hand at testifying before lawmakers. The youngster from Houston was 4 when she first asked her mother, “Why did you make me a boy? I wanted to be a girl,” as she was being strapped into a car seat. Since then, Sunny and her mother have spoken at the Texas legislature at least five times, entering the political spotlight amid a nationwide surge in attempts to ban child...

By Laura Morton and Michelle Baker, Photo: muratdeniz/Getty Images, HR DIVE, May 2, 2023 Today’s teens face unprecedented challenges and change — a mix of residual grief and trauma from the pandemic, school shootings, hate speech, economic worries and more. It’s no secret that our young people are experiencing a mental health crisis. A recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 3 high school girls considered suicide in 2021. The same study found that...

By Sophie Austin, Photo: Sophie Austin/AP News, Associated Press, May 6, 2023 California’s reparations task force voted Saturday to approve recommendations on how the state may compensate and apologize to Black residents for generations of harm caused by discriminatory policies. The nine-member committee, which first convened nearly two years ago , gave final approval at a meeting in Oakland to a hefty list of proposals that now go to state lawmakers to consider for reparations legislation.

By Kimmy Yam, Image: Justine Goode/NBC News/Getty Images, NBC News, May 5, 2023 Twice a week, dozens of mostly Chinese immigrant older communities head to a tai chi class in South Brooklyn, New York, so they can flow along to the art form’s steady movements while dedicating a deep focus to every breath, every muscle. Tai chi classes may not match the quintessential image of mental health treatment, but behind the soft background music and fluid motion are moments for participants to quell...

By Hub Staff, Photo: Avi Gerver Photography/Johns Hopkins University, The Hub, May 3, 2023 Students from three Baltimore high schools recently spent a day developing and presenting ideas for how communities in cities such as Baltimore can become more resilient against the effects of climate change and how city residents can better cope with heat stress and other climate-related health threats. The day-long HackGood4 Baltimore hackathon, developed by the Johns Hopkins Office of Economic...