Social Issues
Covering topics such as homelessness, immigration, racial justice, transgender rights and women’s rights.
Mary Otts-Rubenstein, who has her own child with disabilities, is helping migrant families with medically complex children enroll in Chicago’s Public Schools. But it doesn’t get easier once the kids are enrolled because the system is overwhelmed.
The warrior mentality is perpetuated from generation to generation. An ex-cop’s thoughtful new book suggests pathways for reform.
One of the hallmarks of effective homeless response is coordinated effort. Mayors met in Los Angeles, the nation's homeless capital, to figure out how they can work together to reduce the entrenched problem.
The Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission is able to examine the conduct of officers and issue discipline, regardless of whether or not they are found at fault by their peers. The discipline can be anything from retraining to decertification.
Latinos accounted for more than half of U.S. population growth in the last two decades. Understanding of this community hasn’t kept pace, but a new resource from the Latino Policy and Politics Institute could help change that.
States are passing new laws to combat retail theft, though government data doesn’t show that it is actually increasing. None of the new laws are likely to reduce crime and could disproportionately impact marginalized groups.
Many states, including Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, are spending millions of federal, state and private dollars to update outdoor recreation infrastructure to make it more accessible for people with disabilities.
After Gov. Greg Abbott signs the legislation, state and local police will be allowed to enforce a new state crime, illegal entry from a foreign nation, and allows state judges to order migrants back to the country of entry.
Getting everybody housed requires multiple systems to work together, tapping the collective power of state, local and federal policymakers supported by the faith community, the business sector and philanthropy.
Heat and flood warnings mixed with mounting political pressure make life for the city’s unhoused population especially challenging. Earlier this year, a grand jury found the city’s homelessness solutions ineffective.
Federal officials say 16 states have shortchanged their Black land grant colleges by billions of dollars. Equitable funding would benefit not only students at these vital institutions but their states’ economies as well.
Democrat Andy Beshear wins re-election in a state that otherwise elects only Republicans to statewide office, the particular challenges facing Black women mayors and other election fallout.
The Black Economic Prosperity Dashboard includes data on population, health, education, economic well-being and business ownership that can be used to better address racial wealth gaps in the state.
The program is for residents who struggled to provide documents for federal IDs, including homeless people, immigrants or victims of domestic abuse and was approved in 2016. A committee will discuss the issue on Wednesday.
Police stations have long served as entry points for Chicagoans in need of social services. As the city tries to maneuver the influx of thousands of migrants, some homeless residents are also using the city’s police stations as shelters.
Lack of human connection is bad for your health. Responding to an advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General that a loneliness epidemic is affecting half of all Americans, San Antonio has been pushing out resources to help build bonds between community members.
