Urban Institute: Race/Ethnicity/Gender

Foreclosures in the Nation's Capital 2009

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

This brief, a companion to the Housing in the Nation's Capital 2009 report, describes the impact of the foreclosure crisis on the Washington metropolitan region, examining the level and trends of foreclosures, outlining potential secondary effects for families and neighborhoods, and looking towards the future of the region's housing market. It concludes with policy implications in four areas: foreclosure prevention, neighborhood stabilization, recovery assistance for displaced households, and services for children in foreclosed homes.

Housing in the Nation's Capital 2009

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

This is the seventh in a series of annual reports about housing in the Washington metropolitan region. It assembles and analyzes the most current data on housing conditions in the District of Columbia and the surrounding suburbs. This year's report focuses on the impact of the foreclosure crisis on the region, examining the level and trends of foreclosures, outlining potential secondary effects for families and neighborhoods, and looking towards the future of the region's housing market. It concludes with policy implications in four areas: foreclosure prevention, neighborhood stabilization, recovery assistance for displaced households, and services for children in foreclosed homes.

Rising Tide of Foreclosures and Mortage Delinquencies Will Add Turmoil to Metro DC Housing Market and Families' Lives : Pressures Mount for Prime Loans and Minorities

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST

The metropolitan Washington housing market, just beginning to stabilize at midyear, will have to deal soon with tens of thousands of additional foreclosed homes thrown onto the market, an Urban Institute study forecasts.

Estimating the Cost of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

paffairs@urban.org ( Timothy Waidmann ) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

This analysis estimates cost burdens of racial and ethnic disparities in a select set of preventable diseases including diabetes, hypertension and stroke. Excess rates of these diseases among African Americans and Latinos relative to whites will cost the health care system $23.9 billion dollars in 2009. Medicare alone will spend an extra $15.6 billion, and private insurers will spend an extra $5.1 billion. Over the next decade, the total cost is approximately $337 billion. Left unchecked, these annual costs will more than double by 2050 as the representation of Latinos and African Americans among the elderly increases.

Transitioning In and Out of Poverty

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Slightly more than half of the U.S. population experiences poverty at some time before age 65. Roughly half of those who get out of poverty will become poor again within five years. Who is more likely to enter poverty? How long are people poor? And what events are associated with falling into and climbing out of poverty? This fact sheet summarizes key findings from the poverty dynamics literature to describe how, why, and when people move in and out of poverty.

Promoting Neighborhood Diversity: Benefits, Barriers, and Strategies

paffairs@urban.org ( Margery Austin Turner, Lynette A. Rawlings ) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Despite substantial progress since passage of the Fair Housing Act four decades ago, neighborhoods remain highly segregated by race and ethnicity. This paper summarizes existing research evidence on both the costs of segregation and the potential benefits of neighborhood diversity. It uses decennial census data to show that a growing share of US neighborhoods are racially and ethnically diverse, but that low-income African Americans in particular remain highly concentrated in predominantly minority neighborhoods. Because the dynamics that sustain segregation today are complex, strategies for overcoming them must address not only discrimination, but information gaps, affordability constraints, prejudice, and fear.

Vulnerable Youth and the Transition to Adulthood

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

This series examines youth vulnerability and risk-taking behaviors on several outcomes for young adults, using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 cohort. Notable results suggest youth follow one of four patterns in connecting to the labor market and school in the transition to adulthood: consistently-connected, later-connected, initially-connected, or never-connected. Second generation Latinos make a fairly smooth transition to young adulthood, but are less likely to engage in post-secondary schooling than whites. Youth from low-income families, distressed neighborhoods, and youth with poor mental health engage in relatively higher levels of adolescent risk behaviors and have relatively lower earnings and levels of connectedness in early adulthood.

Transition to Adulthood: African American Youth and Youth from Low-Income Working Families

paffairs@urban.org ( Marla McDaniel, Daniel Kuehn ) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

The fact sheets examine the transition to adulthood for two groups of youth using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 cohort. Low-income African Americans are compared to low-income white youth, and youth from low-income "high-work" families are compared to low-income youth from moderate-work and nonworking (i.e., low-work) families. Low-income African American youth are vulnerable to lower employment and earnings despite comparable levels of high school education and lower risk-taking behaviors. Low-income youth from high-work families show stronger connections to school or work compared to youth from low-work families, but have comparable employment and earnings during the transition to adulthood.

New Research Explores the Sometimes Rough Road to Adulthood

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Low-income African American youth engage in fewer risky behaviors than low-income white youth, a new Urban Institute analysis of federal data reveals. This research on young blacks is part of a collection of eight brief studies on vulnerable youth, risky behavior, and the transition to adulthood.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities Among Low-Income Families

paffairs@urban.org ( Margaret Simms, Karina Fortuny, Everett Henderson ) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Low-income status in the United States varies significantly by race and ethnicity. Of the more than 13.4 million families with children living on incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, 30 percent are Hispanic, 22 percent are black or African American, and 6 percent are other nonwhites. This fact sheet provides statistics on racial and ethnic differences in family structure, work effort, nativity or immigration status, earnings, and education.

Academic Perspectives on the Future of Public Housing : Before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity

paffairs@urban.org ( Susan J. Popkin ) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

Many policy makers and scholars regard the HOPE VI Program as one of the nation's most successful urban redevelopment programs (c.f. Katz 2009; Cisneros 2009). But despite its very real accomplishments, the HOPE VI program's record in meeting the needs of the original residents who endured the worst consequences of the failures of public housing is mixed. With its proposed "Choice Neighborhoods" initiative, the Obama administration has the opportunity to build on the experiences of nearly two decades of experience with HOPE VI. Incorporating intensive case management and permanent supportive housing for the most vulnerable into Choice Neighborhoods and any other comprehensive redevelopment efforts is one way to ensure that these initiatives truly meet the needs of all public housing families.

A Report on the First Year of the San Mateo County Adult Coverage Initiative and Systems Redesign for Adult Medicine Clinic Care

paffairs@urban.org ( Embry M. Howell, Sarah Benatar, Dana Hughes ) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

This report presents early findings of an evaluation of San Mateo County's Health System Redesign and Adult Coverage Initiative (ACE), an effort to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and care coordination among uninsured and underserved adults in the county. Enrollment in the ACE program has exceeded expectations, yet sustained financing for the program has yet to be identified. We have observed reforms in scheduling, team-based care, and the implementation of electronic medical records. However, we found significant barriers to access for primary care and specialty appointments. This analysis is the first of several ongoing evaluation reports by the Urban Institute and UCSF.

10 Young Scholars Named to the Urban Institute's Summer Academy

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST

Ten promising undergraduate researchers have been chosen for the 2009 Urban Institute Summer Academy for Public Policy Analysis and Research. The students, who are college juniors, will spend June and July attending policy seminars, honing their analytical skills, and writing policy briefs under the guidance of Institute mentors.

Residential Segregation and Low-Income Working Families

paffairs@urban.org ( Margery Austin Turner, Karina Fortuny ) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST

Historically, residential segregation constrained where minorities could live, contributing to disparities in education, employment, and wealth. Researchers interested in the well-being and future prospects of low-income working families have not yet explored how their residential patterns may vary across racial and ethnic lines or considered the implications of these patterns. Therefore, this paper explores differences in neighborhood characteristics among white, black, and Hispanic low-income working families. The findings suggest that policies aimed at reducing the persistent disadvantages facing minority low-income working families need to address the ways the neighborhoods in which minorities live may be compounding these disadvantages.

Los Angeles Healthy Kids Improves Access to Care and Health Status : Brief No. 26

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

The Los Angeles Healthy Kids program provides health insurance to low income children in the county who have no other source of coverage (including undocumented children and children above the income limits for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families).These findings from a longitudinal survey of parents of young children in the program indicate that access to medical and dental care for enrolled children increased dramatically over time, use of the emergency room went down, and parents perceived improvements in the health status of their children. This analysis is one piece of a broader Urban Institute evaluation of the program.

Job Differences by Race and Ethnicity in the Low-Skill Job Market : Brief No. 4

paffairs@urban.org ( Gregory Acs, Pamela J. Loprest ) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

This brief uses data from the 2007 Survey of Employers in the Low-Skill Labor Market to examine differences in the noncollege jobs held by workers of different races and ethnicities and the impact of these differences on wage rates.

A Guide to Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Data

paffairs@urban.org ( Kathryn L.S. Pettit, Audrey Droesch ) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST

The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) requires most lending institutions to report on home mortgage loan applications, including the application outcome, loan- and applicant-related information, and property location. Annual data collected through HMDA provide a unique set of files with information at the neighborhood level. This guide describes the HMDA original source data and the HMDA indicators available on DataPlace. The guide also illustrates how HMDA indicators can be used to shed light on such issues as neighborhood investment trends, changes in the racial and economic composition of home buyers, disparities in home loan access, and subprime lending.

Community Revitalization in the United States and the United Kingdom

paffairs@urban.org ( Harris Beider, Diane K. Levy, Susan J. Popkin ) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST

The flow of ideas between the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) includes approaches to housing policy, as the public sectors in both countries have turned toward the private sector to help provide affordable housing and support redevelopment activities. The Urban Institute and the Institute for Community Cohesion developed an innovative program of work to compare approaches to community revitalization, community cohesion and sustainable neighborhoods in cities across both countries. Ultimately, the purpose of the project is to influence policy and practice agendas in the UK and US by highlighting effective strategies for revitalizing communities and building community cohesion. This report describes the project, discusses contextual differences between the two countries that affect subsidized housing, and highlights lessons drawn from the exchanges that took place during the spring and summer of 2008.

Tailoring Assistance : How Antipoverty Policy Can Address Diverse Needs within the Poverty Population

paffairs@urban.org ( Margaret Simms ) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST

Commentary to Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity

It has been said that we are entering a new era of government policy. If so, it could be an opportune time to belatedly heed the call of Dr. Martin Luther King and revamp our policies toward the poor. Over the past decade we have moved from a set of policies that provided cash assistance (mostly inadequate) to people who were in need (by standards set by the government) to one in which those who can work are expected to do so. In the process, we have ignored the fact that the poor are not a homogenous group of people, all of whom can and will work if they have no other means of support. They are, in fact, quite diverse. Recognizing this diversity is a necessary prerequisite for developing effective antipoverty policies.

Read the full commentary on the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity web site.

Providing Maternity Care to the Underserved : A Comparative Case Study of Three Maternity Care Models Serving Women in Washington, D.C.

paffairs@urban.org ( Louise Palmer, Allison Cook, Brigette Courtot ) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST

This comparative case study describes the organization, delivery, and content of care of three maternity care models serving low-income women at risk of poor birth outcomes in Wards 5, 6, and 7 in Washington D.C. The first model, a birth center, provides prenatal care, birth services, postpartum follow-up, and infant and child health care. The second is a safety net clinic, which provides a variety of primary health care services, as well as prenatal care services. A not-for-profit teaching and research hospital represents a third option in which prenatal and postnatal care is provided through an on-site obstetric clinic.

Experts Debate How to Remedy the Thorny Tangle of Race and Public Housing

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST

Urban Institute researchers and a dozen contributors explore how public housing reform policies could overcome the persistent disadvantages facing black communities and black families and whether ignoring these disadvantages may undermine the long-term vision for public housing's transformation. Authors recount the history of racial segregation in public housing, highlight the consequences, and debate remedies.

Subprime Mortgage Lending in the District of Columbia : A Study for the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST

This report, commissioned by the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking, examines the extent of subprime lending in the District of Columbia and the resulting impacts on residents and neighborhoods. The study found that subprime lending was concentrated in predominantly African-American, moderate-income neighborhoods, areas that are now experiencing a sharp rise in home foreclosures. The report recommends a number of actions to protect the city's homeowners and neighborhoods, including stronger monitoring of mortgage lenders, better outreach and education for home owners and home buyers, and creation of a loan fund to help persons refinance out of bad loans.

The Chicago Family Case Management Demonstration : Developing a New Model for Serving "Hard to House" Public Housing Families

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST

The Chicago Family Case Management Demonstration is an innovative initiative designed to meet the challenges of serving the Chicago Housing Authority's (CHA) "hard to house"; residents. It involves a unique partnership of city agencies, service providers, researchers, and private foundations, all with a deep commitment to finding solutions for the most vulnerable families affected by the CHA's Plan for Transformation. The rigorous evaluation allows for continuous learning and mid-course corrections, and helped the team develop a validated model that other housing authorities can use. This report highlights the lessons learned during the first year implementation of the Demonstration.

Foreclosures in the District of Columbia : Testimony Before the Council of the District of Columbia, Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs

paffairs@urban.org ( Peter A. Tatian ) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST

This testimony discusses recent data, compiled by NeighborhoodInfo DC, on foreclosures in Washington, D.C. Foreclosures have almost doubled since 2005, and data for the first quarter of 2008 show that the problem continues to worsen. With additional adjustable-rate, subprime loans scheduled to reset over the next two years, the situation is especially serious for homeowners in wards and neighborhoods where foreclosures are concentrated.

Urban Institute's Summer Academy Welcomes Its First Class of Undergraduate Scholars

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST

Ten budding undergraduate researchers have been selected for the debut class of the Urban Institute Summer Academy for Public Policy Analysis and Research. The Summer Academy, established with support from the Ford Foundation, addresses the underrepresentation of minorities and people from distressed communities in public policy research. Academy students will take part in an intensive eight-week program that will help hone their analytical and research skills.

A Better Way to Deal With the Leadership Crisis

paffairs@urban.org ( Francie Ostrower ) — Fri, 30 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

Too few boards are doing a good job of helping nonprofit grops carry out their missions, explains Francie Ostrower in this Chronicle of Philanthropy commentary. They need to be more active in fund raising, monitoring programs, community relations, educating the public, and monitoring the board's own performance.

A Study of Closing Costs for FHA Mortgages

paffairs@urban.org ( Susan Woodward ) — Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

This report analyzes FHA borrower closing costs using data from 7,600 FHA-insured, 30-year fixed-rate home purchase loans. Total closing costs paid to mortgage originators are substantial, averaging just under $3,400. Borrowers in neighborhoods with more minorities and lower educational attainment consistently pay higher costs than others. Loans with simpler terms are less expensive. Borrowers who use "no-cost" loans and so can shop on interest rate alone pay $1,200 less than borrowers who pay some lender or broker fees in cash. This suggests that consumers have a tougher time comparing alternatives when trade-offs are involved and that mortgage loan markets are not fully transparent or competitive.

Children's Savings Accounts: Why Design Matters

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

One way to achieve an ownership society is to endow all children with savings accounts starting at birth. This report shows that specific design features of a children's savings account program will impact the distribution of wealth. For example, non-taxability of account earnings distributes significantly more benefits to higher-income groups than to lower-income groups. Also, because many families experience mobility over their lifetimes, a significant portion of benefits conditioned on low annual income will accrue to middle- and higher-income families. Regardless, these accounts could be important in getting children banked and teaching them the value of saving and compound interest.

Portraits of the Assets and Liabilities of Low-Income Families

paffairs@urban.org ( Adam Carasso, Signe-Mary McKernan ) — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

Nearly one quarter of low-income families do not have a checking or savings account, more than one-third do not own cars, 60 percent do not own a home, and 90 percent have no retirement account. In contrast, the typical middle-income family has checking or savings accounts, retirement accounts, owns a car and a home. This brief synthesizes current research on the assets and liabilities of low-income families into a variety of portraits and provides suggestions for future research and policy.

Financial Help among Family and Friends in Vulnerable Neighborhoods : Part 1: Who Gives?

paffairs@urban.org ( Lynette A. Rawlings, Kerstin Gentsch ) — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

Financial assistance from family and friends is an important resource for lower-income families dealing with difficult economic circumstances. This fact examines what percent of respondents in low-income neighborhoods gave financial help, either to family and friends or to other people they live with, in the last 12 months. The percentage of respondents who gave financial help is high 39 percent, with substantial variation within immigrant and U.S.-born respondent groups by race and ethnicity in the proportion that gave and where the assistance was sent

Financial Help among Family and Friends in Vulnerable Neighborhoods : Part 2: Who Receives?

paffairs@urban.org ( Lynette A. Rawlings, Kerstin Gentsch ) — Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

In the second fact we examine what percent of respondents in low-income neighborhoods received financial help in the last 12 months from families and friends or from other people they live with. Overall, 25 percent of respondents received financial help from families and friends. This figure differs substantially by nativity. Moreover, the patterns of receiving help from family and friends are fairly similar across race and ethnic groups for U.S.-born respondents, whereas the percent of immigrant respondents who received help from family and friends differed sizably among region of origin.

Boards of Midsize Nonprofits: Their Needs and Challenges

paffairs@urban.org ( Francie Ostrower ) — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

Nonprofit boards are receiving increased attention from policymakers, media, researchers and the public. Yet most research, policy proposals, and best practice guidelines have been oriented toward large organizations. This brief helps fill a major gap in our understanding by focusing on governance among midsize nonprofits, identifying certain problem areas, and suggesting strategies that those engaged with midsize nonprofits may find helpful in strengthening their boards. The discussion uses data on the subset of 1,862 midsize organizations in our Urban Institute National Survey of Nonprofit Governance, the first national representative study of nonprofit governance.

"Disturbing Levels of CEO Dissatisfaction With Board Performance" at Midsize Nonprofits, Study Finds

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EST

Most heads of midsize nonprofits give their trustees low marks for fundraising and monitoring board performance, an Urban Institute study of nonprofits with annual expenses between $500,000 and $5 million has found.

Building Evaluation Capacity

paffairs@urban.org ( Beatriz Chu Clewell, Patricia B. Campbell ) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

This two-guide set for evaluators and others interested in evaluation grew out of a National Science Foundation funded effort to improve cross project evaluations. Guide 1, Designing a Cross-Project Evaluation, focuses on evaluation design including identification and operationalization of program goals, building of logic models, and selection of indicators and appropriate measures for these indicators. Guide 2, Collecting and Using Data in Cross-Project Evaluation, lays out multiple issues involved in data collection, strengths and weaknesses of different data collection formats, and methods for ensuring data quality, confidentiality, and the protection of human subjects.

Determinants of Asset Building

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

This report provides a policy-oriented conceptual framework that has the potential to explain saving and asset accumulation across the entire population and to account for the low levels of saving and asset accumulation in the low-income population. The report also reviews empirical evidence that supports or challenges this framework.

The Effects of Immigration on the Employment Outcomes of Black Americans : Statement before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

paffairs@urban.org ( Harry Holzer ) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

While most evidence suggests that immigration has had a modest negative effect on black employment, especially for those without a high school diploma, changes in immigration law will probably not improve job prospects for young blacks, Senior Fellow Harry Holzer told the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He offered six suggestions for policymakers looking to improve outcomes for young African Americans, such as improving their early work experience and occupational training with high-quality career and technical education.

Discrimination and Economic Mobility

paffairs@urban.org ( Melissa Favreault ) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST

Although many researchers have documented lower levels of upward mobility amongst black families, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of discrimination from differences in (sometimes unobservable) characteristics that also contribute to variation in employment, income, health, housing, and wealth outcomes across groups. As a consequence, findings regarding the presence or absence of discrimination tend to be controversial. This review pulls together several strands of research on the subject, including the statistical analysis of survey data, audit studies comparing market outcomes for similarly qualified individuals who differ along racial lines, and public opinion polling data on discrimination. (Review 1 of 11.)

Do Better Neighborhoods for MTO Families Mean Better Schools?

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

One expected benefit of moving poor families from the concentrated poverty of some inner city neighborhoods to better, less poor neighborhoods, was that the children would attend better schools, with more resources and more advantaged peers who might be models for hard work and higher achievement. This brief looks at the schools MTO children attended after their move, how they did or did not differ from the schools in their pre-move neighborhoods, and what factors mattered to families choosing schools for their children.

School Segregation Under Color-Blind Jurisprudence: The Case of North Carolina

paffairs@urban.org ( Charles Clotfelter, Helen Ladd, Jacob Vigdor ) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

This paper uses administrative data for the public K-12 schools of North Carolina to measure racial segregation in the public schools of North Carolina. Using data for the 2005/06 school year, the authors update previous calculations that measure segregation in terms of unevenness in racial enrollment patterns both between schools and within schools. They find that classroom segregation generally increased between 2000/01 and 2005/06, continuing, albeit at a slightly slower rate, the trend observed over the preceding six years. Segregation increased sharply in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, which introduced a new choice plan in 2002. Over the same period, racial and economic disparities in teacher quality widened in that district.

Public School Choice and Integration Evidence from Durham, North Carolina

paffairs@urban.org ( Robert Bifulco, Helen Ladd, Stephen L. Ross ) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

This paper uses evidence from Durham, North Carolina to examine the impact of school choice on racial and class-based segregation across schools. The findings suggest that school choice increases segregation. Furthermore, the effects of choice on segregation by class are larger than the effects on segregation by race. These results are consistent with the theoretical argument-developed in sociology and economics literature-that the segregating choices of students from advantaged backgrounds are likely to outweigh any integrating choices by disadvantaged students.

Do Assets Change the Racial Profile of Poverty among Older Adults?

paffairs@urban.org ( Barbara Butrica ) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST

According to the federal government, elderly poverty rates among blacks are nearly triple and among Hispanics are more than double those of whites. Data from the 2004 Health and Retirement Study on adults age 65 and older, living alone or with only a spouse, show how assets, which are excluded from the official poverty measure, change elderly poverty overall and between racial/ethnic groups. Adding imputed housing rent and annuitized asset values to resources reduced overall poverty by 1.8 percentage points, but increased racial disparities because blacks and Hispanics have relatively little housing equity or financial assets.

The Balance Sheets of Low-Income Households : What We Know About Their Assets and Liabilities

paffairs@urban.org ( Adam Carasso, Signe-Mary McKernan ) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

This report synthesizes current research and other available information on the assets and liabilities of low-income households into a variety of portraits. These data allow practitioners and researchers to begin to form a comprehensive representation of the balance sheets of low-income households and sets the stage for future research and policy discussion around the finances of low-income households.

Margaret Simms Receives the Samuel Z. Westerfield Award

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

The National Economic Association is presenting the Samuel Z. Westerfield Award to Margaret Simms, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, on January 4, at the association's annual meeting in New Orleans. The award recognizes outstanding scholarly achievements of African-American economists in teaching, research, and public service.

Immigrant Integration in Low-income Urban Neighborhoods : Improving Economic Prospects and Strengthening Connections for Vulnerable Families

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

The paper explores the financial well-being and economic integration of immigrant groups compared with native-born minorities and whites in vulnerable urban neighborhoods. Among the main findings from the analysis is that immigrants and native minorities in the neighborhoods we examine face similar types of economic difficulties. However, after controlling for citizenship, English proficiency, educational attainment, and having a drivers license and a reliable car, many of the economic disadvantages disappear for immigrant groups, but not for native-born minorities. These findings suggest that even in tough neighborhoods, the potential for economic integration of immigrants is strong.

Are Children Accessing and Using Needed Mental Health Care Services?

paffairs@urban.org ( Louise Palmer, Brigette Courtot, Embry M. Howell ) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

This brief presents data on mental health coverage benefits and enrollees' access to and use of mental health services through the Healthy Kids program in San Mateo County, California. The prevalence of mental health conditions among enrollees is similar to national levels, but despite the generous mental health benefits offered under the program, only a small fraction of enrollees with mental health conditions receive care. Reasons why more children do not use mental health services are explored. The brief also shows that enrollees with mental health needs have higher use of other health services compared to all Healthy Kids members.

Racial Disparities and the New Federalism

paffairs@urban.org ( Margery Austin Turner, Marla McDaniel ) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST

The paper explores how shifts in both social welfare policies and economic conditions beginning in the mid-1990s altered the relative well-being of blacks compared to whitesbetween 1997 and 2002. It uses the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) to assess how the relative well-being of black families improved or disparities persisted. The findings suggest that some of the disparities between whites and blacks narrowed between 1997 and 2002, especially among people with low incomes. But gaps in income, child school outcomes, employment, assets, and welfare and other income supports, remained essentially unchanged over the period.

Five Questions for Marla McDaniel

paffairs@urban.org ( Marla McDaniel ) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST

Marla McDaniel is a research associate in the Labor, Human Services, and Population Center at the Urban Institute. Her research focuses on family resources, social policies, race, and their influence on child and adult health and well-being. She discusses findings from a new report written with Margery Austin Turner, "Racial Disparities and the New Federalism."

The Labor Market and Young Black Men: Updating Moynihan's Perspective

paffairs@urban.org ( Harry Holzer ) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST

In this paper I review Daniel Patrick Moynihan's views on employment and young black men in his 1965 report. I then update the evidence on their employment status, and review the causes and policy implications of these trends. Moynihan was extremely prescient in forecasting a "crisis...that would only grow worse." He understood that these trends involve both limits on labor market opportunities that these young men face as well as skill deficits and behavioral responses by the young men themselves. Policies that deal with a wide range of disadvantages and behaviors are needed to reverse these trends.

Busting the Myth that Poor, Urban Schools Can't Succeed

paffairs@urban.org ( The Urban Institute ) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EST

With the first bell of the new school year about to ring, a new book from the Urban Institute Press spotlights how urban schools serving low-income minority students can shine.

Access, Use, and Costs of Dental Services in the Healthy Kids Program

paffairs@urban.org ( Dana Hughes ) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EST

This brief presents data on dental coverage benefits and enrollee's access and use of dental services through the Healthy Kids program in San Mateo County, California, which offers subsidized health and dental insurance for children living below 400 percent of federal poverty who are ineligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families (California's SCHIP program). Healthy Kids dental coverage has led to use of dental services among a sizable portion of enrollees. Children seeking dental services were more costly for the program than other enrollees, and dental care costs accounted for a large proportion of the overall cost of their healthcare. While there is adequate service capacity to meet childrens dental needs in the county, renewed efforts to link enrollees with dental care are needed.