Turning The 'Day Of Service' Into A Longer Commitment
This weekend, hundreds of thousands of people — including President Obama and his family — are participating in volunteer activities around the country. Saturday's National Day of Service kicks off the...
View ArticleStudy: Nearly Half In U.S. Lack Financial Safety Net
In his inaugural address, President Obama talked about a country where even "a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else." But in reality,...
View ArticleFixing Long Lines At The Polls May Be Harder Than You Think
Minutes after he was re-elected in November, President Obama vowed to fix the long lines that many voters faced at the polls. He mentioned the problem again in his inaugural address. And now, the...
View ArticlePresident's New Voting Commission Greeted With Skepticism
One of the more memorable moments in President Obama's State of the Union address this week was his introduction of an elderly woman sitting in the House gallery. The president said that Desiline...
View ArticleAdvocates Warn Sequester Could Mean Big Cuts For The Low-Income
Many programs affecting low-income Americans — like food stamps, Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families — are exempt from across-the-board spending cuts set to go into effect March 1.But...
View ArticleAging Homeless Face More Health Issues, Early Death
If aging is not for sissies, that's especially true if you're homeless. You can be on your feet for hours, or forced to sleep in the frigid cold or seriously ill with no place to go. But, increasingly,...
View ArticleHealth Problems Compound For Aging Homeless
Tony Lithgow and Andrea Mayer have been living under a highway overpass in downtown Baltimore since last year. He's 49 and has been homeless on and off for eight years. She's 51 and has been homeless...
View ArticleFree Tax Help Protects Low-Income Filers From Pricey Loans
As this year's tax deadline approaches, hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans are relying on free services to help them with their returns.Tax preparation fees — even a few hundred dollars —...
View ArticleObama Forms Presidential Commission To Study Voting Problems
President Obama has established a new bipartisan commission on election administration, something he promised to do in his Feb. 12 State of the Union address. He signed an executive order Thursday...
View ArticleChanges Help San Diego Homeless, But Long Road Remains Ahead
Two years ago, we reported on an ambitious campaign to end homelessness in downtown San Diego, a city with one of the largest homeless populations in the nation. The effort involved an unprecedented...
View ArticleSequester Puts Some Needing Housing Aid 'Back To Square One'
Congress decided last week to ease the effects of the across-the-board federal spending cuts on travelers upset over airport delays. But low-income Americans who rely on government housing aid are...
View ArticleAdvocates Struggle To Reach Growing Ranks Of Suburban Poor
Poverty has grown everywhere in the U.S. in recent years, but mostly in the suburbs.
View ArticleHouse, Senate Consider Cuts In Food Stamp Program
Both the House and Senate are considering farm bills that would cut spending on food stamps, one of the most expensive government programs. But people disagree on how much the changes would affect...
View Article'Please, No More Clothes': Okla. Asks For Monetary Donations
The tornado that devastated much of Moore, Okla., has drawn loads of donations from across the country: food, clothing, medical supplies, toys. Much of it is needed by the victims, but not...
View ArticleOvershadowed By Moore, Carney, Okla. Recovers From Twister
Moore, Okla., has gotten the lion's share of resources and attention following last week's tornado. A tornado hit Carney, Okla., last week too. No one died in Carney, but three dozen homes were damaged...
View ArticleCan Federal Funds Help Social Service Groups Work Smarter?
When President Obama first took office in 2009, he had an idea called the Social Innovation Fund."We're going to use this fund to find the most promising nonprofits in America," he said when announcing...
View ArticleVoting Rights Ruling By Supreme Court Draws Mixed Reactions
Transcript RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: As we've been hearing, the reaction to the court's decision was strong and immediate.DAVID GREENE, HOST: President Obama said he was deeply disappointed and he called...
View ArticleHoward Buffett Battles Hunger, Armed With Money And Science
Get Howard Buffett into the cab of a big ole' farm tractor and he's like a kid — albeit a 58-year-old, gray-haired one. He's especially excited when it comes to the tractor's elaborate GPS system,...
View ArticleTucson Food Bank Helps The Needy Grow Their Own Food
Food banks around the country face growing demand, despite improvements in the economy. Many families are still underemployed and struggling. So some food banks are looking for more permanent ways to...
View ArticleA College Kid, A Single Mom, And The Problem With The Poverty Line
The College KidRico Saccoccio is a junior at Fordham University in the Bronx. He's from a middle-class family in Connecticut and he spent the summer living at home with his parents, who cover about...
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