Recent war vets face risk of homelessness, By Gregg Zoroya, July 25, 2011, USA Today: ” More than 10,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are homeless or in programs aimed at keeping them off the streets, a number that has doubled three times since 2006, according to figures released by the Department of Veterans Affairs.The rise comes at a time when the total number of homeless veterans has declined from a peak of about 400,000 in 2004 to 135,000 today. “We’re seeing more and more (Iraq and Afghanistan veterans),” says Richard Thomas, a Volunteers of America case manager at a shelter in Los Angeles. “It’s just a bad time for them to return now and get out of the military.”…”
$1 million grant a lifeline for vets, By Adam Parker, July 28, 2011, Post and Courier: “George Krowska traveled to Myrtle Beach this spring after a relationship went sour. He had been staying in a Colorado shelter for a couple of months, the first time in his life the 62-year-old Army veteran was homeless. But in Myrtle Beach, he was abandoned, he said. Krowska has a heart blockage that qualifies him for disability benefits and requires a certain proximity to a VA hospital, so he hitchhiked to Charleston. At the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, he received treatment, learned about Crisis Ministries, the area’s homeless shelter and got a bus pass…”
VA embarks on national homeless prevention initiative, By Lidia Dinkova, July 27, 2011, Miami Harald: “The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has embarked on a national initiative that aims to financially support low-income veterans and their families. The funds will be distributed in the form of grants to non-profit organizations, which, in turn, will give the money to veterans. Six Florida organizations are recipients of these grants, including the Advocate Program and Carrfour Supportive Housing, both in South Florida…”
More parents seek state assistance amid cutbacks, By Tory N. Parrish, July 24, 2011, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: “New mother Kaylynn Banks enjoys the time she gets to spend with her baby. Banks’ maternity leave from her job as a full-time housekeeper ends in a week, and the single mother worries about the cost of providing day care for her daughter, Peyton, 5 weeks old. “I’m going to have to either make more money or my mom could watch her, or I don’t know,” said Banks, 20, of Braddock, who said she makes about $21,320 annually. She said she hadn’t explored all her options, including getting financial assistance from state or county programs…”
State cuts cost SMMUSD its toddler program, By Ashley Archibald, July 26, 2011, Santa Monica Daily Press: “SMMUSD HDQTRS – For months, as the governor and state legislators wrangled over budget deals, Californians were told that cuts would be borne by every age group and demographic to balance the state budget. Once again, Santa Monica is feeling the sting of the state’s fiscal knife. At a presentation before the Board of Education last Wednesday, Judy Abdo, Santa Monica’s former mayor and the school district’s child development services director, revealed unsettling news…”
National graduation rates likely to dip as states switch to more accurate calculation formula, By Associated Press, July 27, 2011, Washington Post: “KANSAS CITY, Mo. – States are bracing for plummeting high school graduation rates as districts nationwide dump flawed measurement formulas that often undercounted dropouts and produced inflated results.Education wonks long have suspected the statistics used by some people to determine how their neighborhood high school is faring – or even where to buy a house – can be figured using various formulas that produce wildly different results. Now, many states are facing a sobering reset: Some could see numbers fall by as many as 20 percentage points…”
Why Dropout Data Can Be So Unreliable, By Claudio Sanchez, July 28, 2011, National Public Radio: “Accurate dropout figures are very hard to find because most states don’t adequately collect or analyze the data. Part of the problem is that every state has had a different definition for dropout. In some states, for example, students who leave school aren’t counted as having dropped out if they enroll in adult education classes like night school. Many schools don’t count kids as dropouts if they enroll in a GED program. The U.S. Department of Education says GED recipients should be counted as dropouts but that rule isn’t uniformly applied…”
