Healthy Growth & Development in Child Welfare

HUD Announces Allocation of FUP Funding

On April 26, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a notice of $30 million in Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers. The announcement combines 2017 funding that had not been released, with additional FY 2018 FUP funding. FUP vouchers are for families that lack of adequate housing and that lack of housing is

Child Welfare League Legislative Agenda

Part of the CWLA National Conference includes the release of CWLA 2018 legislative agenda and supporting materials on the reauthorization of the JJDPA, preservation of SSBG, preserving the ACA and Medicaid, the dangers of block grants, but the main talking points for Capitol Hill will focus on greater funding through the Title IV-B programs to

CWLA Conference Set For This Week

The CWLA National Conference starts this week. The opening takes place on Thursday, April 26, but there will be a preview event for state advocates and CWLA members going to Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon, April 25, the National Advocacy Leaders Convening. The Wednesday session includes a discussion with Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau

Los Angeles County Talks ACA, Family First and Waivers

On Tuesday, April 17 the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors sponsored a briefing on Capitol Hill. The briefing, “The Path Forward on the Affordable Care Act, Child Welfare and Title IV-E Waivers, included remarks by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) and Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA). The event was moderated by

HELP Readies CARA Update And Vote Tuesday

Last week Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018. In their release they indicated that they introduced bipartisan legislation to address the urgent opioid crisis and said the Committee will markup (debate and vote on) the legislation on Tuesday, April 24. The joint statement said

New Research Estimates Cost of Child Poverty at Over One Trillion Dollars

A new study released through the Journal of Social Work estimates the cost of U.S. child poverty totals more than $1 trillion a year. The research, Estimating the Economic Cost of Childhood Poverty in the United States, indicates that these costs are concentrated around loss of economic productivity, increased crime and health care costs, and

HELP Readies CARA Update After Last Week’s Hearings

Shaquita Ogletree Last Wednesday, April 11, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on additional legislation to deal with opioids. The legislation, The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, has been called by some a second version of the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). The Committee released a discussion draft. The focus of

Anti-Poverty Group CPAG Offers Agenda To Lift Families and Children

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has released a report, Our Kids, Our Future: Solutions to Child Poverty in the U.S that provides a collection of over 20 papers that provide recommendations to significantly reduce child poverty and improve child well-being. CPAG is made up of more than two dozen national organizations including the Child

Child Care Advocates Celebrate Big Increase

On Wednesday, April 11, child care advocates celebrated the biggest increase in child care funding history. The FY 2018 deal enacted last month increased annually appropriated child care funds by $2.3 billion raising the total to $5.2 billion for FY 2018. Advocates heard from long time Capitol Hill champions including Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) the

Combatting Food Insecurity

Shaquita Ogletree On Tuesday, April 10, the Greater Boston Food Bank and Children’s Health Watch hosted a briefing to discuss the financial cost of food insecurity and hunger. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), co-chair of the Bipartisan Hunger Caucus, has championed the health-related cause of hunger and food insecurity and called for his colleagues to focus

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