Author: Mariah Craven

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Photo Credit: Editor B via Creative Commons

In today’s rundown: Solutions for the high cost of child care.  |  Promising new legislation that will invest in community colleges.  |  The impact of women’s philanthropy.

— For some local parents, the cost of quality child care can account for up to 60 percent of their annual incomes.  While subsidies do exist to help offset the costs, they’re often not enough.  Hyesook Chung, executive director of D.C. Action for Children talks about options.  Click here to listen to what she has to say.

— President Obama spoke to students at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria where Jill Biden teaches English.  The president was there to discuss new legislation that will revamp the federal student loan program and invest billions of dollars into community colleges around the country.  Click here for details.

— The Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner Borromeo Housing Inc. is featured in this video story about women’s philanthropy and its impact worldwide.  Borromeo Housing operates Elizabeth House, the program featured in the piece.  Elizabeth House is an education-first residential program for homeless adolescent mothers.

Got something to say?  Leave a comment below.  Or join us at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

Photo credit: Editor B via Creative Commons

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

DefeatPovertyDC LogoIn today’s rundown: A rising poverty rate has a negative impact on the entire District.  |  Funding for people with AIDS is held up in Prince George’s County.  |  One blogger feels that TANF doesn’t meet the needs of victims of domestic violence.  |  Was Nancy Pelosi the reason health-care reform was passed?

— A column in today’s Washington Post illustrates the current need for Defeat Poverty DC.  The Women’s Foundation is part of Defeat Poverty DC, a coalition of organizations that will focus the 2010 election season on the damaging effects of poverty in D.C.  Click here for more.

— According to a Washington Post editorial, having a woman Speaker of the House was the reason health-care reform was passed.  Click here to find out why.

— A bureaucratic contract review process is holding up federal funds in Prince George’s County, forcing some medical clinics and nonprofits to delay or cancel services for people with AIDS.  Click here for more info.

— A Change.org blogger points out the weaknesses of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) when it comes to supporting victims of domestic violence and calls for better resources to enable women to leave violent situations.  Click here to read more.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Metro_PhotoIn today’s rundown: Another proposed increase in Metro fares could disproportionately affect the riders who earn the least and depend the most on public transportation.  | Virginia lost more jobs in February than any other state.  Maryland was not far behind.

— A proposal to increase fares again on the Metro would disproportionately affect commuters who depend on bus transportation and are least able to pay, according to some riders.  Metro data has found that bus riders earn less than train riders and are more dependent on Metro’s services.  Click here for details on the data.  Riders will be able to voice their opinions at public hearings throughout the metro area.  Click here for the schedule.

— Virginia lost more jobs in February than any other state.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the commonwealth lost 32,600 positions last month.  Maryland was fifth, losing 13,800 jobs in February.  Overall, the District continues to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the country — 11.9 percent.  Click here for more details.

Got something to say?  Please leave a comment below or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

MySistersPlace_LogoIn today’s rundown: The District’s only confidential shelter for battered women is doubling its capacity.  |  The cost of housing a homeless family in D.C.  |  A local jobs summit will address unemployment among women veterans.

— D.C.’s only confidential shelter for battered women is expanding.  My Sister’s Place (a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner) is more than doubling its capacity.  Renovations are underway to add 45 emergency shelter beds.  Click here for more details.

— Housing a homeless family in a District shelter costs three times as much per month as the average Washington two-bedroom apartment rental, according to a new government study.  Click here for more on the study.

— Later today the U.S. Department of Labor is holding a jobs summit for women veterans at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington.  The summit is part of the department’s efforts to fight the 20 percent unemployment rate for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Click here for more.

Got something to say?  Leave a comment below.  Or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation!

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Nicky Goren Small headshotIn today’s rundown: The Women’s Foundation names a new president | Startling new statistics highlighted by Defeat Poverty DC | The Women’s Club at the White House

— Washington Area Women’s Foundation has named a new president.  Nicola (Nicky) Goren will lead The Women’s Foundation forward in its efforts to help lift low-income women and girls out of poverty.  Click here for more details.

— In an attempt to highlight the issue of poverty during the November elections, The Women’s Foundation and other organizations have formed Defeat Poverty DC, a coalition that will bring attention to facts like one in five District resident live below the poverty line, and the number of local residents on food stamps increased by 15 percent last year.  Click here to read a Washington Post story on these efforts.  Click here to listen to a WAMU story.

— A dinner with the president has turned into a monthly meeting for some of the White House’s women advisers.  The group first met with President Obama in November, when he wanted to know if he should be worried about the continued perception that his administration was a boys club.  Since then, the women have continued to meet once-a-month without the president.  Click here to find out who’s involved in these meetings, and how they feel about the administration.

Got something to say?  Leave a comment below, or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

DefeatPovertyDC LogoIn today’s rundown: The launch of a new effort to focus the 2010 election season on the damaging effects of poverty in D.C. | Why doctors are teaming up with attorneys to help low-income patients | A new look at housing affordability

— Today marked the launch of Defeat Poverty DC, a new coalition of residents and organizations (including The Women’s Foundation) working to bring greater focus during the 2010 election season and beyond to the damaging effects of poverty on the entire city.  Click here to learn more about Defeat Poverty DC.  Click here to read a preview of the launch in the Washington Post.

— More doctors nationwide are starting to partner up with attorneys to provide patients with legal help if they need it. Doctors and social workers say that medical care alone is not enough to address the health issues of the poor, which are often related to diet, living conditions and stress.  Click here for more details.

— The Center for Housing Policy has released a new study that takes a look at the costs of renting and owning homes in cities around the country. According to the study, “in some high-priced communities, people who provide the bulk of vital services… cannot afford to live in the communities they serve.”  The study also found that residents in moderately-priced communities still pay an excessive portion of their income for housing.  The study found that Bethesda was the 19th most expensive city to buy a home in last year.  Washington, D.C. was the sixth most expensive rental market.  Click here for more information.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

Hopkins CheckIn today’s rundown: A Grantee Partner receives a huge check as part of a workforce development project in Virginia | Maryland’s child support guidelines may be overhauled for the first time in two decades | “Are We There Yet?” — a look a gender discrimination at work

— Hopkins House — a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner — was recently awarded a giant check — both in size and amount.  The $250,000 check was presented by Rep. Jim Moran.  The money will fund Hopkins House’s Early Childhood Learning Institute, which will help 100 low-income adults earn a Child Development Associate credential and 31 credits toward a college degree.  Click here for more details.

— An overhaul of child support guidelines is on the jam-packed agenda of Maryland lawmakers, who have three weeks to wrap up the current legislative session.  If the bill is passed, it would be the first major change to the child support guidelines since 1989.  It would change the schedule used by courts to determine child support obligations and would be updated to reflect the realities of the current economy.  Many noncustodial parents would end up paying more.  Click here to read the details of the legislation.

— Three young, women journalists at Newsweek are taking a look at sexism in the workplace, comparing their experiences to those of a group of women who sued the magazine for gender discrimination in 1970.  Click here to find out what’s changed and what hasn’t.

Photo credit: Local Kicks

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region

Posted on by Mariah Craven

SenateIn today’s rundown: The health care bill and you; a call to help single moms at welfare hearings; a new report on why there are so few women in science and math careers; and a Women’s Foundation’s Grantee Partner is losing its executive director to retirement.

— What does the health care bill mean for you, specifically?  The Washington Post has a tool you can personalize to find out how you might be impacted.  Click here to learn more.

— Women’s advocacy groups say the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is failing and needs to be repaired.  At welfare hearings last week, those advocates called for lawmakers to help single mothers, in particular.  Click here for more.

— A new report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math says that although women have made gains in those subject matters, stereotypes and cultural bias still impede their success.  Click here to read more about the report, titled “Why So Few?”

— After 26 years of serving as the executive director of The Child & Family Network Centers, Barbara Fox Mason is retiring.  The Child & Family Network Centers — a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner — was founded in 1984 by Barbara and a group of women living in a housing project in Virginia.  Since then, it has become an award-winning agency serving more than 200 disadvantaged children every year.

Got something to say?  Please comment below, or join the conversation online at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region.

Posted on by Mariah Craven

— The number of new AIDS cases and AIDS-related deaths have dropped in D.C. for the first time in years.  Despite the decrease, the infection rate remains high with more than three percent of District residents older than 12 living with HIV or AIDS.  D.C. Appleseed — a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner — is mentioned in the article.  Click here to read more.

— Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat, interim co-president and vice president of programs for The Women’s Foundation, and Nicole Cozier, The Women’s Foundation’s philanthropic education officer, were interviewed by Philanthropy Journal for an article about insuring nonprofits against the recession.  They talked about The Women’s Foundation’s efforts to help Prince George’s Child Resource Center conduct a risk assessment and remain productive during the economic downturn.  Click here to read more.

— As Mautner Project: The National Lesbian Health Organization — a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner — celebrates turning 20, Metro Weekly sits down with Executive Director Leslie Calman to learn more about Mautner and find out how Leslie got involved.  Click here to read the interview.

— A group of young adults in Montgomery County is taking on teen pregnancy in the Latino community.  Their public service announcements will be featured on the Spanish-language network Univision.  To find out what message they’re spreading, click here.

Got something to say?  Please leave a comment below.  Or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

The Daily Rundown — The Latest News Affecting Women & Girls in Our Region.

Posted on by Mariah Craven

— As the impact of the recession continues to be felt, local nonprofits are seeing a growing number of employers skipping out on workers’ wages.  Immigrants in construction, restaurant and janitorial work are most often underpaid.  Casa of Maryland (a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner) says even well-intentioned employers aren’t paying up when their construction projects run out of money.  The D.C. Employment Justice Center — another Grantee Partner — is currently representing dozens of workers who say they’re owed money.  Click here to read more.

— A new report from D.C. Hunger Solutions (a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner) and Social Compact notes disturbing trends when it comes to district residents and access to grocery stores.  When Healthy Food is Out of Reach found a significant grocery gap that leaves many neighborhoods without access to full-service grocers and healthy food options.  For example, Ward 3 has a grocery store for every 7,300 people, while Ward 8 — the ward with the lowest average income — has one grocery store for every 23,000 people.  The report also says that half of local grocery stores do not accept WIC vouchers.

Got something to say?  Leave a comment below, or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.