The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. For the week ending 8/20/2010: A look at a small nonprofit facing tough times and the impact on one community.  Plus, Wisconsin becomes the latest state to use Medicaid funds for free contraception.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

·The Orlando Sentinel interviews Debra Thomas, who, once a homeless single mother, now runs a nonprofit to help others facing tough times and struggles to meet demand in the current economic climate.

·As part of the federal healthcare overhaul, Wisconsin is pushing to expand a controversial program that uses federal Medicaid funds to provide free contraception to low-income women, according to the Wall Street Journal.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. This week: The story of a homeless shelter resident who became a volunteer.  Plus, how cuts to preschool funding hurt low-income, single working mothers.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

· The Clarion-Ledger reports that several contestants vying for the title of Miss Mississippi chose homelessness advocacy as part of their platform, including Julie Amelia Falgout, who was homeless herself after Hurricane Katrina ravaged her home in 2005.

· The children and women who are residents of a Fort Worth homeless shelter conducted a fundraiser last week to raise food and donations for stray pets, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

·In a Chicago Tribune article, Stephanie Hooker recalls a hard life on the streets before she was admitted into Deborah’s Place, where she now volunteers as an organizer with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to help others find housing.

· The St. Louis Post-Dispatch covers the latest set of budget proposals that will cause many districts to cut preschool funding for all but special-needs children, a move that will surely hurt low-income, single working mothers.

· Shelter Health Services, a free clinic that serves homeless women and children, is struggling to find volunteer doctors, as told by Mark Price of the Charlotte Observer.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. This week: The pregnancy device that could help reduce maternal mortality…. And the story of one D.C. family that needed shelter on a weekend — but had to wait until Monday morning.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

· A new low-tech pregnancy device might help birth attendants reduce maternal mortality, as reported in the Washington Post.

· The Daily Times interviews 80-year-old Mary Davis, who requested local help to fix her dilapidated house with a partially collapsed roof since she is too poor to pay for the repairs herself.

· Columnist Petula Dvorak of the Washington Post discusses the story of Brigette Roberts and her family, who were turned away from a DC City Shelter over the weekend and forced to wait until Monday to apply for refuge.

· Rosa Bracero, a Brooklyn teen who initially was unable to take a final exam because her family was going through a seven hour intake process at a homeless shelter, finally graduated from the High School for Civil Rights last week, according to the Daily News.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. This week: Why women are paid less each year than men….Plus, one city’s health department pinpoints the reasons behind maternal deaths.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty. Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

· The Associated Press publishes research by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota’s Center on Women and Public Policy that finds that, on average, Minnesota women are paid $11,000 less each year than men with the same jobs, regardless of the occupation.

· A week after Alaskan Gov. Sean Parnell vetoed expanded funding for Denali KidCare, the state health care program for low-income children and pregnant women, the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services says that the program funded 664 “medically necessary” abortions, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

· A New York Times article reveals that more mothers die during pregnancy or soon after in New York than in almost every other state, a statistic that many social scientists attribute to poverty and lack of insurance.

· The Associated Press reports that a Californian mammogram program for low-income women has failed to report its work to California legislators for more than a decade.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. This week: Why several single mothers can no longer afford childcare…. Plus, how the “Melanie’s Law” funding may not be enough to help low-income women.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

· The New York Times profiles several single mothers who, due to recent budget cuts, can no longer afford childcare at work and now stay home, relying on social services to support their family.

· Although Congress recently passed “Melanie’s Law,” which appropriates funds for education and research into post partum depression, this funding may not be enough to help low-income women who often lack access to services for the condition, according to the Chicago Tribune.

· The Boston Globe interviews several young girls who are a part of Girls Inc. of Lynn, a service club whose program attracts girls ages 6 to 18 from mostly low-income minority families.

· The Washington Times columnist Cheryl Wetzstein argues that a recent study conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts shows that the damage divorce does to poorer children’s future economic mobility is even greater than the impact suffered from having only one parent.

· After 20 years of providing services to low-income pregnant women and babies in Whatcom County, Mother Baby Center is closing its doors due to a reduction of state funding, as reported in the Bellingham Herald.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. This week: A local writer argues that health care legislation is bad for women….Plus, extreme poverty rates can lead to a trend of premature births.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with the Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

· In an op-ed in the Washington Times, Janice Shaw Crouse argues that the recently passed health care legislation is bad for women.

· The Associated Press reports that Puerto Rico struggles with a high premature birth rate, which is attributed to a high level of poverty.

· According to an opinion piece by Jennifer Marshall in the Sacramento Bee, the collapse of marriage has led to a high rate of children who are raised by a single mother, a major contributing factor to childhood poverty.

· More than 300 homeless and formerly homeless mothers and their families filled a Capital University hall in Ohio on Mother’s Day to enjoy a brunch, receive books for their children, and have a family portrait taken, as reported in the Columbus Dispatch.

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity team