Best Practices
February 2009
Each month we will post several articles that are current and relevant to the population we serve, and cover a variety of topics. A summary of the article will be provided, along with a website from which you can obtain a full copy of the article.
Housing
Linking Housing, Social Services and Family Well-Being: A Model for Reducing Welfare Dependency among the Hard To Employ,
Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Summary: This is a case study on a supportive housing development in Georgia. The author determines that securing adequate housing is a key component in achieving family well-being and a decent quality of life. The author examines existing literature on welfare-dependent households coping with substance abuse and mental health problems, and how the lack of affordable housing impacts their ability to achieve self-sufficiency.
The Cost of Homelessness: A perspective from the United States
Dennis P. Culhane
Summary: This paper discusses how researchers and others have analyzed the service histories of persons who have experienced homelessness, as well as their imputed costs. Many local homeless services planning organizations in the US have used this approach to demonstrate the high costs of chronic homelessness and the potential cost offsets associated with the placement of people in supported housing. The opportunities and limitations associated with these various approaches, including their potential applicability to other countries and service sectors are discussed.
NLCHP Urges Increased Funds to End Homelessness
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
Summary: The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP) and 15 other national homelessness advocacy groups urge President-Elect Barack Obama to take steps immediately upon becoming President to address the urgent crisis of homelessness in the United States. Since the initial joint letter from the homelessness advocacy groups in November, the economy has continued to struggle and cities all around the country are reporting surges in homelessness.
Employment
Senior Unemployment Rate Hits 31 Year High
The Urban Institute
Summary: The overall unemployment rate, now 7.2 percent, reached a 15-year high in December 2008. More than 11.1 million Americans were out of work last month, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009) data, and 3.8 million private-sector nonfarm jobs have disappeared since the current recession began in December 2007. Unlike most previous recessions, the current economic slowdown has substantially increased the unemployment rate for older Americans.
Hunger
Rising Food Prices Take a Bite Out Of Food Stamp Benefits
Economic Research Service
Summary: The food stamp program has used various mechanisms since its inception to adjust to the rising costs of food. Under the current mechanism being used, adjustments are only made every 16 months. The current method of adjustment results in a shortfall between the maximum food stamp benefit and the cost of a nutritionally adequate diet as specified by USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan.
Mental Health/Substance Abuse
Summary: An estimated 24.3 million people aged 18 years or older experienced serious psychological distress (SPD) in the past year – and only 44.6 percent of them received any kind of mental health services. The report provides a demographic breakdown of the types of SPD experienced and a breakdown on the types of mental health services received. It includes data from a representative sample of 45,000 civilian, non-institutionalized adults throughout the United States.
Summary: Include 51 new short reports providing key information about the level of substance abuse and mental health problems prevalent in the population 12 and older, for each state and the District of Columbia.
Children/Healthcare
Setting Income Thresholds in Medicaid/SCHIP: Which Children Should Be Eligible?
Urban Institute
Summary: As the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and broader health care reform efforts are considered, important policy questions include where eligibility thresholds should be set for public coverage and how much latitude states should have in setting their thresholds. One of the issues that received considerable attention during the 2007 SCHIP reauthorization debate was the income level at which subsidized public coverage should be available to children through Medicaid and SCHIP.
Unclaimed Children Revisited: The status of children’s mental health policy in the United States
National Center for Children In Poverty
Summary: This article poses this question for today’s children’s mental health system: to what extent is new knowledge regarding biological and social determinants of children’s mental health issues, new understandings of how children and their problems develop, and new ways of providing preventive and treatment services incorporated into the policy and practice frameworks governing children’s mental health? The article identifies best policy practices that support family- and youth-focused, research informed, developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically competent services and supports.
Economy
Biggest Bang for the Buck: Researchers Weigh Stimulus Proposals
Urban Institute
Summary: As an economic stimulus plan is discussed, Urban Institute researchers provide their insight about 20 topics including education, employment, housing, children, and nutrition. Each researcher provides a short report on key components they believe could have a significant impact on recovery.
Veterans
Responding to the Needs of Justice-Involved Combat Veterans with Service-Related Trauma and Mental Health Conditions
Policy Research Associates
Summary: This report summarizes a forum held to develop a community-based approach to meeting the mental health needs of combat veterans, particularly those who served in Iraq and then encountered the criminal justice system. It includes recommendations for screening and service engagement for these individuals.