Income volatility challenges the functioning of the safety net provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food assistance programs for low-income families in time of need. Low-income families may be on a see-saw of income changes that make it difficult for program administrators to accurately target benefits and to define sensible…

Poverty rates are highest in the most urban and most rural areas of the United States, and are higher in nonmetropolitan than metropolitan areas. Yet, perhaps because only one-fifth of the nation's 35 million poor people live in nonmetropolitan areas, rural poverty has received less attention than urban poverty from both policymakers and…

This third annual report discusses recent progress and challenges that lie ahead for U.S. cities and metropolitan regions. Part 1 examines social and economic trends affecting U.S. cities and the potential for a city/suburb alliance to promote a common agenda that would address the challenges and seize the opportunities reflected in the trends.…

The extent and severity of poverty in Minnesota were studied, and the changes occurring over the 1980s were noted. Also studied were the factors affecting the probability that a Minnesota household will be in poverty. Data addressing these questions are from the Minnesota Public Use Micro Sample of the 1980 and 1990 censuses of the United States.…

Noting that persistent poverty, hunger, and food insecurity remain an important challenge in the United States, this report of the Food Research and Action Center details food and nutrition programs throughout the country. The report, designed for use by governments, advocates, religious organizations, schools, service providers, and non-profit…

To assess the status of hunger and homelessness in U.S. cities during the year 2000, the U.S. Conference of Mayors surveyed 25 major cities whose mayors were members of its Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness. The survey sought information and estimates from each city on emergency food supplies and services, the causes of hunger and…

This report seeks to expand the understanding of poverty and its causes and sets out actions to create to create a world free of poverty in all its dimensions. The report both builds on past thinking and strategy and substantially broadens and deepens what is judged to be necessary to meet the challenge of reducing poverty. It argues that major…

This report assesses hardship among children of immigrants nationwide and in states with large immigrant populations (California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington). Data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families show that hardship is greater for children of immigrants than for the children of…

In this comprehensive report, four distinct processes for reforming nine low-performing Title I schools in challenging high-poverty contexts are examined. These processes include: (1) a fundamentally grassroots, site-based model of reform; (2) locally mandated school reconstitution; (3) implementation of a proven national reform model, Success for…

One of a series planned by Child Trends to help inform the public debate surrounding the 2002 reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, this brief updates a statistical snapshot of working poor families with children that Child Trends published 2 years ago. Findings presented in the brief include the…

This study examined links between early adolescent exposure to entrepreneurial gang activity and later criminal justice, economic, and social outcomes, comparing the social and behavioral outcomes of young people with active gang involvement and their non-gang affiliated counterparts. Participants came from a concentrated poor, predominantly…

This paper examines the needs of children in grandparent care, using data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families. Information on the children was obtained from the adult in the household most knowledgeable about the child's education and health care. Most children in grandparent care live with much older caregivers and caregivers with…

This report consists of a collection of case studies from Latin America combining qualitative and quantitative research methods for the analysis of poverty within a social exclusion framework. The first chapter provides an overview of the differences between quantitative and qualitative methods, and the gains from using both types of methods in…

This report examines issues relating to sector-wide approaches (SWA) to education. It focuses on SWA's relevance to poverty-reduction targets and their general mode of operation. Through this analysis, it seeks to assist those involved with educational development, including providers and recipients of technical and financial support. The document…

The mission of the child support program is undergoing a basic shift from welfare cost recovery to helping parents support their children. However, the child support program's reimbursement policies have interfered with states' ability to implement policies to bolster family support. As states assess their capacity to improve their services to…