In today’s rundown: The problem often associated with developing countries that has become a homegrown issue.  |  Why the federal government should make more efforts to improve flex time for employees.

— ABC News highlights the fact that child sex trafficking is a growing concern in the United States.  Two Women’s Foundation Grantee Partners — The Rebecca Project for Human Rights and Fair Fund — are featured in the piece which tells the stories of two girls who were forced into prostitution.  Click here for more.

— Washington Post columnist Joe Davidson says the federal government is falling short in efforts to help federal employees “develop a good balance between work and personal lives.”  Davidson specifically referenced a congressional hearing on the need for better flexible work arrangements for government employees.  Click here to read the entire column.

In today’s rundown: The number of homeless in the region has declined.  |  CASA de Maryland plans acts of civil disobedience to protest the new immigration law in Arizona.  |  Foster parents are desperately needed in our region.

— It appears that the National Capital Region’s homeless population has declined in the past year.  Preliminary results of a recent survey by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments show that the area’s homeless population decreased by 1.7 percent between 2009 and 2010.  During that time, however, the District saw a 5 percent increase.  This year, the survey counted 11,774 homeless people.  Click here for more details.

— CASA de Maryland, a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner, is planning a demonstration outside the White House this weekend to protest the new Arizona anti-illegal immigration law.  Many worry that the law will lead to racial profiling.  Organizers say they will engage in acts of civil disobedience on Saturday.  Click here to read more.

— Child welfare agencies in our region are struggling to find foster homes for teens and children with complicated medical needs and siblings.  They’re urging people to consider serving as foster parents.  There are about 4,500 children in our area who are in foster care.  Click here for more.

In today’s rundown: Disturbing discrepancies found in minority foreclosures.  |  A more comprehensive plan is needed to lower the rate of HIV/AIDS in the suburbs.  |  The benefits women will receive from the new health care reform legislation.

— A new report out today shows that minority homeowners in the Washington region are more likely to be in foreclosure even if they have credit scores and loan sizes similar to their white counterparts.  Click here to read more about the National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s report.

— While much of the discussion and research on HIV/AIDS in our area is focused on Washington, D.C., a new study shows that the disease is also a major health problem in the suburbs, which need a better prevention plan and more testing efforts.  Click here for details.

— We’ve been hearing about health care reform for a long time now, but what’s in it for us women?  Click here for a comprehensive breakdown.

In today’s rundown: Gender relations and the prayer hall.  Boobquake 2010.  And local students join job hunters.

— A group of local Muslim activists gathered over the weekend for a town hall meeting on gender relations.  At the Islamic Center in Washington they debated whether women and men should worship in the same prayer hall.  Click here to listen to their opinions.

— A local blogger is encouraging women to dress in their most “immodest outfits” and gather in Dupont Circle at Noon today to protest a Shiite cleric’s claim that women who do not dress modestly cause — among other things — earthquakes.  The gathering is being called “Boobquake.”

— As the school year winds down, Washington, D.C. students are hunting for summer jobs; but it’s estimated that at least half of D.C. kids are unemployed.  Click here to find out how the city is helping some kids out.

In today’s rundown: Figuring out the D.C. budget and its impact on residents, agencies and organizations.  |  Up to one-fourth of all U.S. non-profits could lose their tax exempt status next month.  |  A Grantee Partner is profiled for the way it’s using social media to reach supporters.

— The DC Fiscal Policy Institute has released its budget toolkit for the 2011 fiscal year. The toolkit helps users figure out what’s in the D.C. Council’s budget and shows year-to-year funding changes for city agencies as well as a schedule of budget hearings. Click here to check it out.

— Next month, about a quarter of U.S. nonprofits will lose their tax exemptions because of a provision buried in a 2006 federal bill aimed at pension reform.  The law required all nonprofits to file tax forms beginning in 2007.  Prior to that, only nonprofits with revenues of $25,000 or higher had to file.  The new law also directed the IRS to revoke tax exemptions for organizations that failed to file for three years.  Click here to read why this is being called “an unholy mess.”

— “All Things Considered” profiled Grantee Partner Northern Virginia Family Services in a story about the challenges nonprofits face when they integrate social media into the ways in which they reach supporters.  Click here for the story.