Human Services
Covering topics such as affordable housing, food security and child services.
More than one-third of U.S. households are renters and the average national rent increased 18 percent between 2017 and 2022. Housing advocates and legislatures are working to provide renters more protections.
Nationally, heat was the underlying or contributing cause of about 1,670 deaths last year, making it the highest heat-related death rate in at least two decades. Substance use, the housing crisis and an aging population contribute to the problem.
At the end of the month, some $24 billion in government aid for child-care providers will run out, threatening the spots for 3.2 million children. The upheaval may force parents, especially women, to reduce work hours.
A new report identified thousands of properties nationwide as physically suitable buildings to be converted into apartments, including more than 50 in Dallas-Fort Worth. But the typical conversion is only financially feasible in six cities.
Demand for nonprofit services is on the rise, and legislators are paying more attention to ways they can support the sector.
The Livingston Parish School Board has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and Instagram, claiming the platforms are so addictive they have created a mental health crisis among the district’s students.
Proposed legislation would give Atlanta Public Schools ownership of a 1.5-acre building parcel in exchange for a two-acre vacant property so that the city can develop housing and services for homeless residents.
State legislators have passed more than 700 new laws and a variety of notable or controversial laws will take effect this week, including policies surrounding transgender athletes, chaplains in schools and a tampon tax.
Houston has created a real system to address homelessness, aligning city, county and nonprofit efforts. That innovative program is now under threat, due to changes in leadership and funding.
Experts worry that curfews disproportionately target young people of color.
Baltimore County assigned 133 students to its Virtual Learning Program as a means of punishment, which experts say is opposite of what students facing discipline need to keep them engaged and enrolled.
About 3.3 million state residents live in an area considered to be a food desert by USDA guidelines. Nationally, 17.4 percent of the population has limited access to affordable and nutritious food.
Federal pandemic aid that supported thousands of child-care providers will end soon, leading to downsizings and closures. There are innovative ways for states, local governments and businesses to mitigate the blow to working families and employers.
Local governments are considering rent control initiatives to protect struggling tenants, but some analysts say restrictions only exacerbate the housing crunch and others have questioned if the true beneficiaries are actually low-income renters.
Boston has a new tax incentive program to help developers convert downtown office space to housing. Conversions remain relatively rare, but more cities are looking at ways to push them forward.
It offers significant cost, efficiency and sustainability benefits, but its widespread use is hampered by a patchwork of state and local regulations. Regulatory consistency could help builders deliver the housing we need.
