Human Services
Covering topics such as affordable housing, food security and child services.
Local-government officials are sometimes overwhelmed by new and improved digital tools. But they need to be open to technology that can help residents and public employees deliver critical services.
People ages 15 to 24 account for more than half of people who are affected by sexually transmitted diseases in California and about 20 percent of California high schools’ students were sexually active in 2019.
To meet his goal of 500,000 new homes in the next decade, the New York City mayor has proposed new approaches to address the housing crisis, including creating incentives, single-room occupancies and more.
The Housing Choice Voucher program helps 2.3 million households pay rent. Biden has called for small increases to the program, while GOP leaders are eyeing cuts that will hit some states especially hard.
Black women in Michigan are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than in other states. A proposal would require the use of the PREM-OB scale and create a complaint system for obstetric racism.
A 2021 investigation revealed Chicago’s deeply flawed inspection system for identifying and responding to safety issues in residential buildings. Since the report was published, 53 more people have died in residential fires.
The state has signaled its support for allocating an additional $70 million to Gov. Tina Kotek’s initial request of $130 million in emergency funds to help move residents off the streets and keep them housed.
Proposed legislation would abolish less than minimum wages for people with disabilities by August 2025. Minnesota has the third highest number of workers earning subminimum wages in the nation.
Pandemic assistance to families at risk of food insecurity has ended. As a “hunger cliff” looms, programs in public libraries can fill gaps.
The California county is examining millions of documents to remove discriminatory language to adhere to a 2021 state law. So far only 19 property deeds have been modified. They came primarily from the 1940s and ‘50s.
A new report from the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University examines the phenomenon of wholesale real estate investors targeting vulnerable homeowners in poor neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
New federal funding presents opportunities to help families in affordable housing gain high-speed internet and all the benefits that come with it.
The gap between Black and white homeownership rates in 2022 was wider than it had been in 1960. Habitat for Humanity is leveraging a generous donation and government assistance to expand the number of homeowners in priority markets.
In an effort to revitalize the largely empty mall, the California county is looking to revitalize the retail space by adding up to 3,000 residential units, 425 hotel rooms and a surrounding 17-acre park.
To reverse the effects of redlining, new housing policies will soften rules to allow taller buildings and more backyard units in areas within 1 mile of mass transit. But critics say the changes won’t make a difference.
Five months after a federal court reaffirmed that voters with disabilities are entitled to receive help with their ballots, not all local Wisconsin election officials are clear about the rules on helping residents to vote.
