Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

@invisiblepeople: RT @CBSNews “On the Scene with Shira” -Former Homeless Man Uses Web to Raise Awareness @invisiblepeople http://bit.ly/b6k3ih

@naehomelessness: News from this week, up on the blog. Our daily Friday News Round Up - http://bit.ly/bmBvgu

@pathpartners: RT @Ntl_Homeless: Interesting article about parental influence on giving: http://bit.ly/dysJLM Why do you give to homeless causes?

@GAiNUSA: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me…

@ginagoff: A group of C&S employees volunteers regularly to serve dinner at the community kitchen in our HQ community. I’ll be joining them nxt month.

@Hereslife: FACT: Life is tougher for homeless/poor youths. Don’t believe us? Read our latest article about the situation: http://dld.bz/tceb

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

The increasing number of homeless families and the problems facing the American education system have both been extensively discussed in the media, and on our blog.  Considered together, they raise another question: How are homeless children faring in school?

According to new federal data, nearly one million homeless students attended public schools from 2008-09, a 41% increase over the previous two years. An August 5 article by City Limits News describes the academic situation for many homeless youth in New York City.

According to the article, the number one challenge facing homeless youth is the high degree of mobility in their lives. Frequently switching schools poses the biggest learning obstacle for homeless youth, says Dr. John Buckner, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Children’s Hospital who has studied the effects of homelessness on children for over thirty years.

One public school teacher quoted in the article lamented how frequent moves often resulted in the  lack of a “paper trail” for many homeless students. She said,

“The children would move so much their records never actually caught up with them, so as a teacher I had to constantly try to figure out what each child knew. Many of these children had such spotty attendance it was nearly impossible to decide on promotion. Very often the children would be in Queens one day and next in the Bronx if an apartment was available. No thought or consideration was given to consistency in their education.”

According to Jennifer Pringle, director for the New York State Technical Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students (NYS-TEACHS), the stress caused by adjusting to shelter life and seeking a new home can have a ripple effect that impacts family relationships, academic performance and mental health.

The typical outcome? Homeless students miss school more often, have higher dropout rates, lower graduation rates, and are held back more often than students with permanent housing. Pringle says,

“It’s just incredibly difficult and stressful for kids. There’s no privacy, there’s no quiet space where kids can do their homework. And then the stress the parents are under in finding permanent housing and dealing with having just lost their housing. These kinds of emotional stresses that are on families are just incredible, and I think that manifests itself in many different ways on kids.”

Fortunately, the article offered hope for success. One daughter of a homeless mother who was interviewed for the article was on the honor roll, another was a “peer mediator.” A 2003 Buckner study proved that positive role models can help promote “resilience” in children facing difficult odds–i.e. the “emotional well-being and support systems necessary to succeed in school.” Only 29% of the homeless youth in the study had these characteristics, but the study at least provides a source of inspiration for homeless youth programs.

Accordingly, a recently published University of Colorado study of techniques used at a preventative care center for foster-care children found that mental health improved in children who received one-one-one mentoring. The study, which was conducted from July 2002 to January 2009 in two Colorado counties, found children benefited from mentoring in skills development in areas like emotion recognition, problem solving, anger management, healthy relationships, peer pressure and abuse prevention.

And according to Attorney General Eric Holder, at a May 6 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing:

“There is a direct correlation between schools that work, between mentoring efforts, between high levels of employment. All those things counter crime – are good crime fighting measures.”

All of this information corroborates the findings of a recent study we shared from the journal Molecular Psychiatry about the value of a parent’s love in promoting mental health and positive life outcomes. At Here’s Life, we believe that a loving environment with strong spirtual, emotional and intellectual support promotes positive life outcomes.  This is why we offer children guidance and fun at our S.A.Y. Yes! afterschool centers. Check them out here and be sure to get engaged with our many programs and ministry activities.

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

It’s an undeniable fact that parents have a profound effect on their children’s future successes.  They influence many of their worldviews and habits, while providing them with opportunities to learn and grow. We’ve blogged before about the disparities that exist between poor parents and those parents who have needed resources and capital.  Unlike parents who are materially successful themselves, the parents of children born into poverty often don’t have the resources, time or energy to counsel their children as intensely. Hence, poverty often continues through the generations. We recently blogged about this subject.

Yet there is always hope for the future. The U.S. Catholic article we shared promoted the work of St. Ann’s Infant and Maternity Home, a Catholic non-profit that was helping young, single mothers complete their degrees and find jobs.   However, the article never explicitly mentioned what research shows may be another key factor for the success of the woman emerging from this program and their children – faith.

In the past few years, research has suggested that religious youth often have many advantages over non-religious youth, including stronger bonds with their parents, higher self-esteem and more community involvement. These were the findings of the National Study of Youth & Religion, an intensive project led by Notre Dame professor of sociology Christian Smith.  The research was funded from 2001 through December 2010, and Smith has published the project’s findings in three books, including “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers” (2006, Oxford University Press), which sold 20,000 copies in 2009.  In reviewing “Soul Searching,” the New York Post wrote the following:

“Youth groups, role models, service activities and cultural rituals of religious institutions all seem to help youth lead more healthy, moral and happy lives. This book goes a long way toward explaining the extent of this phenomenon and which religions seem to be accomplishing these benefits most.”

Furthermore, the results of a September 2007 study, titled “The Role of Religious and Social Organizations in the Lives of Disadvantaged Youth,” strongly suggested that religious involvement has a stronger potential to offset the effects of poverty on youth from ”disadvantaged” families than involvement in any other institution. The study authors, economics professors from Tufts, Wisconsin-Madison and Harvard universities, defined “disadvantaged” by factors like family income, the parents’ levels of education, and “child characteristics including parental assessments of the child.”  The study monitored the impact of religion on more than 20,000 children 13 to 15 years after intial interviews were conducted on religious involvement. Their conclusion follows:

“Overall, we find strong evidence that youth with religiously active parents are less affected later in life by childhood disadvantage than youth whose parents did not frequently attend religious services.”

But the study authors were unsure whether these more positive outcomes (in particular, higher high school graduation rates and the decision to not smoke) resulted from religious organizations ”actively intervening in the lives of disadvantaged youth (through tutoring, mentoring, or financial assistance),” or simply “providing the youth with motivation, values, or attitudes that lead to better outcomes.”

In a commentary on the study, New York Times blogger Melissa Lafsky voiced some doubts about the influence of religion itself, mentioning other possible psychological and sociological factors: “Of course, a parent’s decision to practice a religion may coincide with other traits like self-discipline, community involvement, and mentoring skills, all of which will likely affect a child’s upbringing.”  While this is true, to reduce religious involvement to self-discipline may be missing something as well: God’s love. The church may also provide a loving community for children. We’ve blogged before about how a parent’s love can counteract the adverse health effects of poverty.

This is why organizations like Teen Mother Mother Choices International(TMCI), a Chicago-area nonprofit which has served teenage mothers since 1989, uses a Christian holistic model to minister to young women ”to create stable families, live independent of government assistance, and raise children to replicate that full, productive life.” The organization reports that no graduate of its program has gone on to depend on welfare.

At Here’s Life, we’ve seen God work in the inner-city in miraculous ways. Our adult and youth development programs use practical job-training and educational tools to cultivate success.  But, an essential ingredient in all of our ministry programs and outreaches is a hopeful heart, softened by the grace of God’s love and the powerful gospel message.

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

Each week, Here’s Life selects the top poverty and homelessness-focused Tweets! We hope you will follow these Tweeps and organizations and be sure to reply, RT and share them with your friends and family. We would love to connect with you, so please follow us on Twitter too! Here are this week’s top “Tweets of Hope!”

@ povertynews A Food Stamp Discount for Buying Produce? http://ow.ly/2snmM

@Ntl_Homeless “Constructing Futures” rehabs, re-employees and rehouses: http://bit.ly/b4ZqCK

@FoodDesert @Newsweek article – Food Insecurity on the Rise http://tinyurl.com/2fyzkoa

@policy4results High school dropouts get second chance at success http://ow.ly/2qigj Was this the original intent for charter school?

@Chris_Hodges No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. 1 Corinthians 13 #oneyearbible

@Mid_OHFoodbank Pantries struggling to keep up with record number of requests for food: http://bit.ly/alkgLz

@chad_veach LEADERS: important to know WHEN and WHAT to change! Otherwise, what use to work FOR you will start to work AGAINST you

@ceciliamcsteen Without risk, faith is impossible.

@rudycarrasco :: Homeless shelter’s new tough-love policy: Try to find a job or leave http://www.urbanonramps.com/?p=3393

@FaithInPractice “From now on, any definition of a successful life must include serving others.” George Bush

@aafb More communities should offer this to their members, it’s very enlightening. Via Yuma Community Food Bank: Poverty… http://fb.me/BAAERp6w

@HOPEtweets “People gain dignity by doing things themselves, and our job is to make it possible.” – @jnovogratz

@engagetony #backtoschool supplies (pens, paper, notebooks) 4 av HS student $230 – college student $354 http://tiny.cc/moyx6

@everystudent Go to http://apps.facebook.com/startingwithgod — and add this tab to your profile page. http://fb.me/FvZQUnvo

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

Each week, Here’s Life selects the top 10 poverty and homelessness-focused Tweets! We hope you will follow these Tweeps and organizations and be sure to reply, RT and share them with your friends and family. We would love to connect with you, so please follow us on Twitter too! We’re a little late getting these up, but here are last week’s top “Tweets of Hope!”

@VotingforKids This year, the number of children living in poverty will climb to 15.6 million, up more than 20 percent in four years http://huff.to/d8HNY5

@ccci Modern Day Evangelism — 5 Tips for Connecting Today’s World With Jesus http://bit.ly/bosgnX

@Chris_Hodges While knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 1 Corinthians 8:1 #oneyearbible

@ hardlynormal Obama honors CNN Hero who cooks meals for homeless people – CNN.com http://ow.ly/2p1oo

@jr_briggs Every day I write down 5 things I’m thankful for in a Gratitude Journal. Amazed at how such a little discipline makes such a huge difference

@chuckmanson Oklahoma Church Goes All Out to Help Kids With School Supplies http://ow.ly/18srPi

@policy4results In tough economy, even fewer employers eye felons to hire http://ow.ly/2ndVa

@ wvanderbloemen  #1stThought – God chose you long before you chose Him, and He’ll stay with you long after everyone else has left you.

@shrivercenter Unemployment Among Single Mothers, Women of Color at Highest Level Since Recession Began: http://bit.ly/aNPhfz

@Project5050 Matt is the product of a violently abusive home. He ran away when he was 13 to escape and ended up on the streets.

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

We’ve blogged before about the working homeless who live in shelters or motel rooms.  These people often do not come to mind when the subject of “homelessness” is brought up (they are also referred to as “the working poor”).  With the downswing of the economy, all Americans, but especially the poor, are facing more intense and complex strain.  Costs are increasing, opportunities are fewer and social mobility has become more difficult to achieve.  From those individuals who cannot afford basic living expenses to people in jeopardy of losing their homes, issues of poverty and homelessness are striking society more pointedly than they have in decades.

According to a July 11 Washington Post article (“Five myths about America’s homeless”), while the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated that 2 million people were homeless at some point in 2009, it labeled 112,000 “chronically homeless.”  Chronic homeless is best described as repeated instances of homelessness (or long periods of homelessness).  In his research, the author of the article, Dennis Culhane, professor of social policy at the University of Pennsylvania, found that the most common duration of homelessness is one to two days. Furthermore, half of the people who enter shelters leave within 30 days and never return.  One wonders how the economic recession and the nation’s battle to emerge from it will impact the numbers of individuals who find themselves temporarily homeless.

And then there are others – members of the middle and upper classes who find themselves unemployed or underemployed; many of these individuals own homes or property that they can no longer afford.  According to a July 27 article by Bloomberg News Service, home ownership has hit the lowest levels in a decade.  The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that only 66.9 percent of households actually own their residence, the lowest percentage since 1999.

Meanwhile, foreclosures are rampant. On July 15, RealtyTrac Inc., a California- based data company, reported that a record 269,962 U.S. homes were seized in the second quarter.  The report projected that one million homes may be in foreclosure by the year’s end.  According to Patrick Newport, an economist with IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts, homelessness is the natural consequence.  Newport says,

“There are a lot of people losing their homes and either moving in with family or renting places to live… Foreclosures are still going up.”

In a July 29 follow-up to this article, Bloomberg noted that high unemployment, and an increase in discouraged job-seekers, has led to increased foreclosure filings in many cities.  Seventy-five percent of metropolitan areas saw notices of default, auction or bank seizure rise this year, according to RealtyTrac, Inc. The rate more than doubled in Baltimore, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, the twenty highest foreclosure rates were seen in cities in Nevada, Florida, California and Arizona.  Among the working people and families now facing homelessness for the first time, there may be many older Americans.

According to a September 2009 survey by Experience Works, a nonprofit group that provides training and assistance to low-income older workers, last year 46 percent of older (age 55+) low-income workers needed to find jobs to avoid losing their homes or apartments. AARP magazine reported on the study and emphasized the fact that the recession had made the job search even more difficult for older workers.  In fact, the study found that the average time a low-income, unemployed older worker spent looking for work was 52 weeks—more than double the rate for all unemployed workers.

In 2009, over 800,000 older Americans, aged 55 and above, lost their jobs. Yet, with insufficient unemployment benefits and savings, most embarked on a struggle to find minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet. According to Experience Works, the average targeted retirement age of the 2,000 workers surveyed was 72 years.  However, 90 percent of respondents aged 76 or older planned to continue working in the next five years.

Now, with jobs becoming scarcer in the private sector, many of the suffering older Americans quoted in this article may now be facing foreclosure—and homelessness—even more immanently.  Check out our website to see how Here’s Life is working to place Americans in jobs and to get them back on track with WorkNet , Holistic Hardware, and compassionate product distributions throughout the year.

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

What do you remember about the first day of school each fall?  Were you wearing new shoes? Were you eager to see your friends? Were you a little nervous? You probably had a clean notebook and some newly sharpened pencils in your backpack.

In the inner city, the first day of school may be a sad reminder of what you don’t have. New shoes or school supplies are too expensive for most inner-city families focused on trying to keep food on the table.

But each year, Here’s Life Inner City provides PowerPacks for distribution by inner-city churches. These backpacks are stuffed with fresh school supplies and Christian materials designed perfectly for school-aged children.

Zach’s story is a perfect example of how the packs can meet an immediate need and also link children and their families to the church for more long-term nurture.

A local church had given the principal of the neighborhood school PowerPack vouchers. When he became aware of a child in particular need, he offered the family a voucher. Zach’s mom, Cassie, called the church to follow up on the voucher she’d received from the principal, and two folks from the church delivered the PowerPack to their home. While there, they talked at length to Cassie, encouraging her and sharing God’s love with her.

It wasn’t long before Cassie and her family were welcomed and enfolded into the church, grateful for their new community of faith. And Zach no longer had to carry his homework to school in a tattered plastic bag.

The needs of inner-city children are great, and this month you can help at-risk kids be better equipped for school. A PowerPack can bring hope, dignity, and a connection that can lead to new life in Christ. A gift of $59 from you will provide PowerPacks for two children, $88.50 provides for three children, $147.50 will provide for five children.

Click here to give now! Thank you so much!

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.

Each week, Here’s Life selects the top 10 poverty and homelessness-focused Tweets! We hope you will follow these Tweeps and organizations and be sure to reply, RT and share them with your friends and family. We would love to connect with you, so please follow us on Twitter too! Here are this week’s top “Tweets of Hope!”

@FaithInPractice Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

@policy4results Study shows growing price gap between healthy and junk foods http://ow.ly/2kpu4 via @TwinCitiesLISC @FoodNavigatorUS @policylink

@Project5050 The biggest thing I’ve learned to get used to, is how people look at me. They stare when I carry a change of clothes into the gas station

@FaithWalker55 God is the God of Second Chances…

@2020schools Miracles to mirages. “The sound of bubbles bursting: Student gains on state test vanished” http://tinyurl.com/28wn6kf

@PastorTullian The gospel tells us that those who end up getting better are those who realize their standing w/ God does not depend on them getting better.

@hardlynormal The Thank You I Will Never Forget | haRdLy NOrMal http://bit.ly/cYUZOn

@povertynews Summer Must-Read for Kids? Any Book: http://ow.ly/2kQRW

@dmquinn @HeresLife “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.” (Proverbs 19:17 ESV)

@DavidgCurry Ever been tempted to give up on someone? Here’s how to deal with it: http://dld.bz/pP3S

Here’s Life Inner City does not endorse the opinions presented in the documents, web sites, etc. we link to, nor do we endorse the organizations to whom we may refer/link to. All material is presented on this blog for the purposes of education and igniting discussion.