PathWays PA Policy Blog

A recent U.S. Census Bureau report, Living Arrangements of Children:2009 , explores the changes in living arrangements for children in the United States over the last several decades, and the ways in which these living arrangements affect the well-being and development of these children. The most notable change detailed in the report was the large increase in the percentage of children living with at least one grandparent. Since 1991, there has been a drastic 64% increase in the number of children living in the same household as a grandparent, rising from 4.7 million in 1991 to 7.8 million in 2009. According to the report, grandparents often play an important role in taking care of the children in the household, although households containing a grandparent did have a slightly smaller chance of being in poverty (22% versus 20%) than those that contained no grandparents.

(From our friends at edtrust.org) Nearly 10 million college students who depend on Pell need your help … RIGHT NOW Today is Save Pell Day — a day devoted to online activism to save the Pell Grant program. Pell is on the chopping block in the debt ceiling/deficit reduction negotiations. Students need you to stand up for them…TODAY We all must tell Washington that the Pell is a vital part of our nation’s education ecosystem. Cutting Pell would damage the lives of hard-working college students and our nation’s economic future. It only takes 2 minutes. Find out how.

FEDERAL POLICY UPDATES HELP PRESERVE FUNDING FOR ANTI-HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS Next Tuesday, July 26, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-H) Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to vote on its draft FY 2012 funding bill. This is the first proposal from Congress on funding levels for key programs targeted toward people experiencing homelessness and we need YOUR help to make sure it's as good as possible. Specifically, we need to make sure that this bill includes $135 million for Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Programs and $75 million for the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. What You Can Do: NOTE: Congressional office phone numbers can be found by dialing the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121. Click here for more information on contacting your Member of Congress. Find out if your representative is on the Labor-H appropriations subcommittee. Click here to see a list of committee members. If so, call your repre...

In the last session of the General Assembly a number of bills were put forward that would limit a women’s access to an abortion. These bills put women’s health at risk by limiting access and her choice. For instance, one of the proposed laws would not allow a women purchasing insurance through the state exchanges that will be available in 2012 to have that insurance include coverage for an abortion. This limits coverage for even medically necessary abortions. Another bill would add to the already strict restrictions and regulations that medical centers providing abortions face. The new regulations would require facilities to either make costly changes, therefore increasing the cost of their services, or to close their doors. Many people throughout the state are upset about these bills and have come together to let their legislators know their feelings. Join people across PA in telling the Legislature to stop the attacks on women’s health in Pennsylvania! Follow the Ca...

( From our friends at the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania ) More than 700 individuals and 500 families are known to be homeless in Delaware County, according to the recent point in time survey. 8,500 people applied for HEMAP in 2010 meaning they were seeking help with a foreclosure. There are 1/4 as many apartments that are both affordable and available for every 100 renters with incomes of about $20,000 a year or less (±$11/hour, FT) Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Cashiers, Child Care Workers and Preschool Teachers, Waiters and Waitresses, Home Health Aides and Pharmacy Techs. At the same time, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Public Housing/Housing Choice vouchers, CDBG, HOME and many other housing programs can and are making a difference to the most vulnerable people in the community. And these programs create jobs and help the local economy. Please join The Housing Alliance on Monday, July 26th at 1:00 p.m. to discuss on-going advocacy activities and strategy in Delawar...

A new site – Generocity.org – aims to empower local non-profits with news, networking and easy fundraising tools. The site, which is still in its beta stages, bills itself as “Inspiration’s hometown.” For it’s news section, it focuses on the beneficial work non-profits are doing in the community, sorting by focus area. So for those who want to find out what’s happening within the worlds of advocacy & civil rights, animal welfare, arts & culture, education, the environment, health & recreation or social services, they’ll be able to have a clearinghouse for much of the work being done in the Delaware Valley. The site goes about funding in much the same way as Kickstarter – a goal is posed, and funds are raised through pledges of microdonations, and it’s all done on a project-basis. Popular current projects include a spay and neuter program, a soccer scholarship for under-priveleged children, a diabetes walk and the Mural Arts Program. In addition to these capacity b...

For young children living in low-income families, there are a number of risk factors that increase the likelihood that the child will experience poor outcomes in their health, education and development throughout their lifetime. The National Center for Children in Poverty has developed a new tool to calculate how common each of these risk factors are within each state. The Young Child Risk Calculator allows you to enter your desired state, age range, and income level, and then choose from seven different risk factors(including having a large family, being the child of a single parent or a teen mom, and living in a household with no English speakers) to calculate the percentage of the population that falls into that category. You can choose one or more factors to compare the different risks within a state. This tool could aid legislators in identifying the largest communities of at-risk low-income youth in Pennsylvania.