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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Author: townsend

Access to Assistance Centers – Minneapolis, MN

Hennepin County moves social services out into community, By Julie Siple, February 13, 2013, Minnesota Public Radio: “A $40 million project in Hennepin County will bring government help closer to the people who need it. For two decades, county residents seeking assistance with food, money or health care have gone to the county’s main financial assistance center in downtown Minneapolis. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people visit the building every month. Hennepin County has a five-year plan to close that center and move services closer to clients by building six regional hubs, the first of which has been up and running for about four months in Brooklyn Center…”

Families of Prisoners and Long-Distance Calling

FCC considers limiting costs of long-distance calls for families of prisoners in Ohio, By Stan Donaldson, February 12, 2013, Cleveland Plain Dealer: “The price of long-distance calls for the families of inmates inside Ohio prisons could be coming down this year. The Federal Communications Commission has been looking into the calls’ cost in part to make it easier for prisoners and their families to keep in contact and continue to forge family bonds — bonds experts say are needed to help inmates re-enter society when they are released…”

Charter Schools – Washington, DC

D.C. debates growth of charter schools, By Emma Brown, February 10, 2013, Washington Post: “It’s the latest sign that the District is on track to become a city where a majority of children are educated not in traditional public schools but in public charters: A California nonprofit group has proposed opening eight D.C. charter schools that would enroll more than 5,000 students by 2019. The proposal has stirred excitement among those who believe that Rocketship Education, which combines online learning and face-to-face instruction, can radically raise student achievement in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods…”