July 2021

By Lisa Deadrick, Encinitas Advocate, July 18, 2021 The findings from a state report on child abuse and its health impacts confirm what many nonprofit organizations and government agencies have already been working toward: developing and providing services to support the physical and emotional health and well-being of young children and their families. In “Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health,” experts...

By Joaquin Palomino and Sara Tiano, The Imprint, July 19, 2021 California has banned the practice of sending foster youth and teens charged with crimes to faraway residential treatment programs, following an investigation by The Imprint and The San Francisco Chronicle into reports of violent abuse at some of these out-of-state campuses. The policy change, signed into law last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), commits $100 million over five years to create new programs closer to home for these...

From The Hannah Institute, July 2021 Led by Dr. Stefanie F. Smith, Chief Clinical Officer at Hanna Boys Center, this video will help you understand one way that trauma impacts the brain and explore activities that help heal our minds. We are thrilled to release this FREE resource for you. The Summit @ Home is all about getting you the information you need to help those who have experienced trauma, and giving you tools and take away activities you can apply to your work right away! We'll...

By Jeong Park, The Modesto Bee, July 17, 2021 California businesses hiring workers who are homeless can get up to $30,000 a year in tax credit starting 2022 under a budget bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday. Businesses must pay at least 120% of the state’s minimum wage to be eligible. Businesses must also get certification from a homeless service provider for each hire. Those eligible will qualify for the credit of $2,500 to $10,000 per employee hired per year, depending on hours...

Orange County’s cross-sector community resilience initiative, Orange County ACEs Connection , has officially joined the PACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities. The PACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities is a program of PACEs Connection that provides special tools and services for ACEs initiatives in towns, cities, and counties. It’s designed for initiatives that need efficient and sophisticated ways to measure their progress to becoming a trauma-informed community; that want...

By Jocelyn Gecker, The San Diego Union-Tribune, July 19, 2021 When classrooms in California reopen for the fall term, all 6.2 million public school students will have the option to eat school meals for free, regardless of their family’s income. The undertaking, made possible by an unexpected budget surplus, will be the largest free student lunch program in the country. School officials, lawmakers, anti-hunger organizations and parents are applauding it as a pioneering way to prevent the...

By Kathryn Stewart, Shauna Olsen, Lisa Tadlock, and Sue Grinnell, Northern California ACEs Collaborative, July 2021 Executive Summary Communities across California are impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, although regions are affected differently. This paper focuses on the six-county region in Northern California served by Public Health Institute's (PHI) Population Health Innovation Lab's (PHIL) Northern ACEs Collaborative (NAC) where exist some of the highest...

By Elizabeth Amon, The Imprint, July 16, 2021 In a historic move to support young adults raised by the government, a monthly check of up to $1,000 — with no restrictions and no strings attached — will be sent to thousands of California foster youth once they leave the state’s custody, guaranteeing them the first statewide universal basic income. California’s state Senate and Assembly unanimously passed the $35 million program on Thursday, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill...

A newly developed document titled “Utilizing Data to Improve Child Wellbeing Through Community Action” has just been released and can be found attached to this blog post. The purpose of this document is to identify best practices in utilizing data to monitor and evaluate child adversity, health, development, and wellbeing in order to build community support and create policy, systems, and environmental change. This resource was created in partnership by All Children Thrive - California and...

July 21st, 2-3:30pm ET/11am-12:30pm PT - Using Trauma-Informed and Faith-Based Approaches to Overcome Poverty Zoom Call-in Information Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/742183645 Meeting ID: 742 183 645 One tap mobile +19292056099,,742183645# US (New York) To start the call, we will be joined by a staff member in Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley's office (D-MA-07) to discuss the STRONG Support for Children Act, which was reintroduced last month. Dan and Jesse will also briefly discuss...

By Jesse Bedayn, Cal Matters, July 16, 2021 Universal basic income was championed by Martin Luther King Jr., promoted by Silicon Valley citizens as the “social vaccine for the 21st century” and endorsed by 2016 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, but it has never really caught on. Now its time may have come. On Thursday California lawmakers approved the nation’s first state-funded guaranteed income program. Once the bill is signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, cities and counties can apply for...

By Melissa Montalvo, Cal Matters, July 7, 2021 State-funding efforts to shelter unhoused residents in converted motels could be a game-changer for Motel Drive, an area of Fresno that city leaders say has long been overrun by drugs, human trafficking, and prostitution. Local city leaders say Project Homekey has been a success in Fresno, providing shelter for about 1,500 people over the past 18 months. Not only have the funds helped shelter the city’s unhoused residents, but they also provided...