Urban Institute: Washington D.C. Region

Bringing Promise to Washington, DC : The DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

The U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhood Initiative is one of the Obama administration's major antipoverty initiatives and a core strategy of the White House's Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. It is intended to improve educational outcomes by creating a continuum of school readiness, academic services, and family and community support for children from early childhood through college. The DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI) received one of the U.S. Department of Education's 21 Promise Neighborhood planning grants in October 2010. This policy brief summarizes DCPNI's planning year and how DCPNI intends to improve the educational outcomes of youth in the years to come.

DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative: Needs Assessment and Segmentation Analysis

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 EST

In October 2010, the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI) became one of 21 recipients of a US Department of Education Promise Neighborhood planning grant. The Urban Institute partnered with DCPNI to act as the data analyst and local evaluator of this ambitious initiative. The Needs Assessment and Segmentation Analysis are intended to provide a timely understanding of the needs of the community and to inform the continuum of strategies developed by DCPNI and their workgroups.

Supportive Housing for the Disabled Reentry Population : The District of Columbia Frequent Users Service Enhancement Pilot Program

paffairs@urban.org ( Jocelyn Fontaine, Douglas Gilchrist-Scott, Aaron Horvath ) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

Using qualitative and quantitative data, this report discusses the history, performance, and progress of the District of Columbia Frequent Users Service Enhancement Pilot Program, implemented by the Corporation for Supportive Housing. As a supportive housing reentry program focused on disabled individuals with histories of homelessness and incarceration, the program intended to provide housing and coordinate services for 50 "frequent users" leaving the city jail. Over the first year of operations, the program successfully identified and targeted more than a dozen frequent users and linked them to supportive housing through effective cross-system coordination. Policy implications of the evaluation findings are discussed.

Implementation Evaluation of the District of Columbia Put Families First Program: Final Report

paffairs@urban.org ( Joshua Markman, Akiva Liberman, Jocelyn Fontaine ) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

The goal of this evaluation was to understand the planning, implementation, and execution of the Put Families First program as it is administered by Functional Family Therapy (FFT) in the District of Columbia (D.C.). The primary question is whether FFT has been implemented with high fidelity and quality, and whether there are local factors or circumstances that either facilitate or interfere with its reliable implementation. The current implementation evaluation shows promise for the effective implementation of FFT for youth at risk of out-of-home placement in D.C. For those who do complete the program, implementation is generally close to program benchmarks and showing improvement.

Changes in Prince George's County: 2000 through 2010

paffairs@urban.org ( Jennifer Comey, Graham MacDonald, Zach McDade ) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST

NeighborhoodInfo DC, an Urban Institute project, has amassed a data warehouse measuring the health and vitality of Washington, DC neighborhoods. This fact sheet is the first publication in our effort to extend our analysis to the council districts in Prince George's County, Maryland. The following information summarizes selected population and socioeconomic changes in Prince George's County between 2000 and 2010 using the latest tract-level 2010 U.S. Census population data and the 20052009 American Community Survey. We provide countywide averages, as well as the individual changes in the countys nine districts.

Evaluating the Use of Public Surveillance Cameras for Crime Control and Prevention - A Summary

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

A growing number of cities are using surveillance cameras to reduce crime, but little research exists to determine whether theyre worth the cost. With jurisdictions across the country tightening their belts, public safety resources are scarceand policymakers need to know which potential investments are likely to bear fruit. This research brief summarizes the Urban Institute's series documenting three cities use of public surveillance cameras and how they impacted crime in their neighborhoods.

Using Public Surveillance Systems for Crime Control and Prevention: A Practical Guide for Law Enforcement and Their Municipal Partners

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

This publication is designed to guide city administrators, law enforcement agencies, and their municipal partners inimplementing and employing public surveillance systems in a manner that will have the greatest impact on public safety. It details the various aspects of a system that are integral inyielding a cost-beneficial impact on crime, including budgetary considerations, camera types and locations, how best to monitor cameras, and the role that video footage plays in investigations and prosecutions. It also highlights the most prominent lessons learned in an effort to guide city administrators and jurisdictions that are currently investing in cameras for public safety purposes, as well as to inform those that are contemplating doing so.

Evaluating the Use of Public Surveillance Cameras for Crime Control and Prevention

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

This report summarizes the results of an evaluation ofpublic surveillance systems in Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., examining how systems in each of these jurisdictions were selected and implemented and assessing the degree to which they achieved their intended crime prevention impact. The study also explored whether surveillance cameras displaced crime or yielded a diffusion of benefits to areas just beyond the cameras reach, and included a cost-benefit analysis component in two of the three study sites. Findings indicate that in places where cameras were sufficiently concentrated and routinely monitored by trained staff, the impact on crime was significant and cost-beneficial, with no evidence of crime displacement.

Surveillance Cameras Cost-Effective Tools for Cutting Crime, 3-Year Study Concludes

paffairs@urban.org ( Urban Institute ) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EST

Between 2007 and 2010, researchers from the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center studied public surveillance systems in Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., to measure the extent of their use, their effects on crime, their other benefits, and their costs. While results varied by area, surveillance systems in Baltimore and Chicago produced more than enough benefits to justify their costs. No cost-benefit analysis was conducted in Washington, D.C., because the cameras didn't show a statistically significant impact on crime there.

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor - Summer 2011

paffairs@urban.org ( Leah Hendey, Rebecca Grace, Zach McDade, Peter A. Tatian ) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor and its accompanying County Profiles are co-published quarterly by NeighborhoodInfo DC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The Monitor gives a snapshot of the impact of foreclosures on the region, as well as broader sales market trends. The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area continued to experience historically high rates of foreclosure and mortgage delinquency through the first quarter of 2011, while shares of delinquent loans continued to fall slowly. The region's housing market seems to have bottomed-out, but continuing economic worries could result in a sluggish recovery.

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor: Technical Appendix, August 2011

paffairs@urban.org ( Kathryn L.S. Pettit, Zach McDade, Leah Hendey ) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor is a quarterly publication co-published by NeighborhoodInfo DC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.The Monitor gives a snapshot of the current impact of foreclosures on the region, as well as the broader sales market context.The technical appendix describes the geography of the data and the methodology used to adjust the data and produce the indicators from the LPS Applied Analytics data on mortgage performance.

Movin' Out: Crime and HUD's HOPE VI Initiative

paffairs@urban.org ( Meagan Cahill, Samantha S. Lowry, P. Mitchell Downey ) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EST

This research evaluated the impact on crime of the closing, redevelopment, and subsequent reopening of three public housing developments in Milwaukee, Wis., and Washington, D.C., under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s HOPE VI initiative. We found a clear indication in all three sites that crime dropped at some point during redevelopment and we generally observed a diffusion of benefits from the redeveloped sites outward. The findings suggest that large-scale public housing redevelopment initiatives like HOPE VI can create a diffusion of benefits to nearby areas, which may also experience reductions in crime levels.

Statement on Housing Foreclosures in the District of Columbia : Before the Council of the District of Columbia, Public Oversight Roundtable on Government Home Foreclosure Prevention Programs

paffairs@urban.org ( Peter A. Tatian ) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST

In this testimony before members of the D.C. City Council, Peter Tatian, senior researcher in the Urban Institute's Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center and director of NeighborhoodInfo DC, presents recent data showing that, although foreclosure activity has slowed in recent months, many D.C. homeowners are still having difficulty paying their mortgages, which puts them at risk of foreclosure down the road. These data suggest that the city should continue to take steps to protect homeowners, renters, and neighborhoods from the negative impacts of foreclosures.

A Rent Control Report for the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Peter A. Tatian, Ashley Williams ) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST

This report summarizes the work of NeighborhoodInfo DC in compiling a list of residential properties potentially subject to rent control regulation in the District of Columbia under the D.C. Rent Stabilization Program. Despite its importance, at present there is no definitive list or database of properties subject to rent control. The report provides a basic overview of rent control in D.C., methods for compiling the database, basic characteristics of those properties and owners, and the limitations. Based on this work, our initial estimate is that there are currently 4,818 properties with 79,145 housing units potentially subject to rent control regulation in the city.

Where Kids Go: The Foreclosure Crisis and Mobility In Washington, D.C.

paffairs@urban.org ( Jennifer Comey, Michel Grosz ) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EST

The ripple effects of the foreclosure crisis have created increased instability for children and families. In this brief we focus on two such sources of instability in the lives of public school students in Washington, D.C.: moving homes and switching schools. We find high rates of residential and school mobility for students in general, and even higher rates associated with students who lived in buildings that entered the foreclosure process. These mobile students tended to stay in the same neighborhood or move to areas that were similarly poor and high-crime. In this policy brief, we make a series of low-cost recommendations to school districts and nonprofit housing counseling agencies in order to minimize the harm of additional instability on children.

State of Washington, D.C.'s Neighborhoods, 2010

paffairs@urban.org ( Jennifer Comey, Chris Narducci, Peter A. Tatian ) — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 EST

The District of Columbia has undergone many demographic and economic shifts over the past decade. While high rates of home foreclosures and unemployment persist, sustained population growth and development of neighborhoods continue to change the face of the city. This report is an update of the Urban Institutes 2008 neighborhood report prepared for the D.C. Office of Planning. It provides a comparative analysis of the following: demographics; jobs and income; housing; education; health; family, youth, and seniors; safety and security; and the natural and built environment and transportation (new to the 2010 report).

Strategic Plan for a Collaborative Neighborhood-Based Crime Prevention Initiative

Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:00 EST

A promising approach to reducing and preventing crime at the neighborhood level involves addressing both immediate and long-term risk factors for crime. This strategic plan outlines a collaborative Neighborhood-Based Crime Prevention Initiative (NCPI) that combines law enforcement-led crime suppression activities with human and social service efforts to address longer-term risk factors for crime. This plan focuses on the initiative's structure, and data and administrative requirements. Objectives, associated suppression and prevention activities, and performance measures are related to initiative goals and measurable crime outcomes. This sets the stage for an initiative that could be monitored and ultimately evaluated.

Public School Choice in the District of Columbia: A Descriptive Analysis

paffairs@urban.org ( Umut Ozek ) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

Increasing parental choice has been a leading theme of recent education policy intended to enhance the academic achievement of low-performing students in the United States. These policies aim to "level the playing field" in access to high-quality education for disadvantaged students who cannot otherwise afford higher-quality schooling options. Public school choice programs in D.C. are successful; disadvantaged students are able to attend higher-performing schools than their neighborhood public schools, even with prolonged commutes. Overall, the findings provide evidence that the relatively advantaged students are taking advantage of public school choice programs. However, choice exacerbates student quality disparities between low- and high-poverty schools, casting some doubt on the benefits of such programs.

The District of Columbia Mayor's Focused Improvement Area Initiative: A Review of Past Practice

paffairs@urban.org ( Jocelyn Fontaine, Joshua Markman ) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

In partnership with local agencies, the DC Mayor launched the Focused Improvement Area Initiative in select high-crime areas. The Initiative aimed to reduce crime and increase the quality of life in at-risk communities by combining community policing with human and social services delivery. This report reviews the Initiative's past efforts based on stakeholder interviews, programmatic materials, administrative records, and field observations. While many aspects of the Initiative were implemented as designed, it was not designed in such a way as to ensure sustained interagency, collaborative efforts focused on measuring and addressing outcomes. The report concludes with considerations for next steps.

Using Lessons from Recent Innovations to Create a Holistic Approach to Intervening with Juveniles : Testimony before the Council of the District of Columbia Committee on Human Services

paffairs@urban.org ( John Roman ) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

Innovative practices - such as the Reclaiming Futures initiative, drug courts, and Project HOPE - can be used to better serve juveniles involved with the justice system and to improve public safety, the Urban Institute's John Roman told a committee of the District of Columbia's city council.

Serious Adolescent Offenders, Placements, and Outcomes : Testimony before the Council of the District of Columbia Committee on Human Services

paffairs@urban.org ( Akiva Liberman ) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST

To understand better how youth in juvenile justice are doing under alternative policies and placements, improved access to data from all relevant agencies is needed, concluded Akiva Liberman at a hearing of a District of Columbia city council committee. Liberman is a senior adviser at the D.C. Crime Policy Institute.

The District of Columbia Mayor's Focused Improvement Area Initiative: Review of the Literature Relevant to Collaborative Crime Reduction

paffairs@urban.org ( Jesse Jannetta, Megan Denver, Additional Authors ) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

This document presents the results of a literature review on approaches to reducing crime and improving neighborhoods that were intended to produce community-level impacts, involved multiple approaches, and were carried out by cross-agency partnerships. The review included efforts focused solely on reducing or preventing crime as well as efforts with broader goals concerning improving neighborhood or resident well-being. The first section covers programmatic elements of initiatives: the strategies, interventions, and activities that successful efforts have employed. The second section covers process and structural elements, with subsections devoted to interagency collaboration, community engagement, and sustainability.

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor, Winter 2011

paffairs@urban.org ( Leah Hendey, Rebecca Grace, Zach McDade, Peter A. Tatian ) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor and its accompanying County Profiles are co-published quarterly by NeighborhoodInfo DC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.The Monitor gives a snapshot of the impact of foreclosures on the region, as well as broader sales market trends.The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area continued to experience historically high rates of foreclosure and mortgage delinquency through 2010. The housing market appears to have stabilized in many parts of the region over the past year.

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor: Technical Appendix, March 2011

paffairs@urban.org ( Kathryn L.S. Pettit, Zach McDade, Leah Hendey ) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor is a quarterly publication co-published by NeighborhoodInfo DC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The Monitor gives a snapshot of the current impact of foreclosures on the region, as well as the broader sales market context. The technical appendix describes the geography of the data and the methodology used to adjust the data and produce the indicators from the LPS Applied Analytics data on mortgage performance.

Kiosk Supervision for the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Jesse Jannetta, Robin Halberstadt ) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

This brief discusses the capabilities of kiosk supervision technology, how kiosk supervision fits within a broader risk reduction supervision strategy, challenges of kiosk implementation, and empirical evidence regarding kiosk supervision impacts. It draws upon and summarizes findings from a simulation analysis designed to identify a set of low-risk offenders supervised by CSOSA who posed the same risk whether supervised via kiosk supervision or through in-person reporting to community supervision officers. It concludes with recommendations for implementation of a kiosk supervision system in the District of Columbia.

Nonprofit-Government Contracting in the Nation's Capital: Challenges and Opportunities

paffairs@urban.org ( Erwin de Leon ) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST

Findings from the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropys National Survey of Nonprofit-Government Contracting and Grants show that a majority of human service organizations in Washington, D.C. are struggling due in part to challenges posed by working with the government in providing programs and services to District residents. At a forum of nonprofit leaders and government representatives, participants confirmed the studys findings, shed light on issues unique to the city, and proposed initial recommendations to address some contracting challenges.

Public School Choice and Student Achievement in the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Austin Nichols, Umut Ozek ) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

This study examines the multi-faceted public school choice environment in the District of Columbia and the effects of alternative public schools on the achievement levels of students who exercise this type of school choice. The results indicate that students who attend out-of-boundary public schools and charter schools significantly outperform similar students who attend in-boundary public schools in both reading and math tests. We rely on instrumental variables framework to disentangle the underlying reasons behind this achievement gap and find that the observed differences are likely due to the positive effects of alternative public schools.

Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor: Technical Appendix - April 2010

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor is a quarterly publication co-published by NeighborhoodInfo DC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.The Monitor gives a snapshot of the current impact of foreclosures on the region, as well as the broader sales market context.The technical appendix describes the methodology used to adjust the data and produce the indicators from the LPS Applied Analytics data on mortgage performance.

Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor: Technical Appendix - Revised - January, 2011

paffairs@urban.org ( Kathryn L.S. Pettit, Zach McDade, Leah Hendey ) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor is a quarterly publication co-published by NeighborhoodInfo DC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.The Monitor gives a snapshot of the current impact of foreclosures on the region, as well as the broader sales market context.The technical appendix describes the methodology used to adjust the data and produce the indicators from the LPS Applied Analytics data on mortgage performance.

Housing Production Needs for the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Margery Austin Turner ) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

Policymakers who are developing city housing strategies need solid estimates of the level of production required to accommodate anticipated growth. This Housing in the Nation's Capital Brief provides estimates of the number of new housing units needed between 2005 and 2020, under alternative assumptions about the mix of households that can be attracted to live in the city. Commissioned by the Fannie Mae Foundation, the brief supported the work of the District of Columbia's Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force by providing reliable estimates of the scale of production that would be required to support the city's aspirations for growth.

Every Kid Counts in the District of Columbia: 17th Annual Fact Book 2010

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

The 17th annual Fact Book is a comprehensive data source for indicators of child well-being in the District of Columbia. It tracks the progression of child well-being over time, as well as differences in child well-being across wards and races/ethnicities. It is organized to reflect the six citywide goals for children and youth in DC: children are ready for school; children and youth succeed in school; children and youth are healthy and practice healthy behaviors; children and youth engage in meaningful activities; children and youth live in healthy, stable, and supportive families; and all youth make a successful transition to adulthood.

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor - Fall 2010

paffairs@urban.org ( Leah Hendey, Zach McDade ) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EST

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor and its accompanying County Profiles are co-published quarterly by NeighborhoodInfo DC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.The Monitor gives a snapshot of the impact of foreclosures on the region, as well as broader sales market trends.Although 126,400 households were at least 30 days late on their mortgage payments or in foreclosure in September 2010, the regional foreclosure rate decreased 0.5 percentage points from a year ago to 2.3%. In the sales market, prices have stabilized in 2010, but the sales volume declined 15% in the past year to 4,900 sales.

Small Number of Blocks Account for Lots of Crime in DC

paffairs@urban.org ( Meagan Cahill, John Roman ) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EST

This brief looks at crime at the Census block level. Most crime is concentrated in a relatively small number of blocks in the Districtin any given year, more than one-quarter of the crimes occur in just five percent of the blocks. The largest clusters of high crime blocks are found in the center of the city and on the eastern edge of the city, in the Third, Sixth, and Seventh Police Districts.

Rising Foreclosures Overwhelm Washington, D.C. Area Counseling Organizations; : Results from a survey of housing counseling and legal service organizations.

paffairs@urban.org ( Leah Hendey ) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EST

This report discusses the results from surveys of housing counseling and legal service organizations and interviews with social service organizations in the Washington D.C. area. These organizations are working hard to help households in the region cope with the foreclosure crisis. Current counseling capacity is only sufficient to assist a small proportion of households who are behind on their mortgage payments or in foreclosure. In order to fully meet the needs of troubled homeowners and renters, funding for foreclosure prevention counseling needs to be increased and diversified. Improving relationships with servicers is essential to achieving better outcomes for counseled homeowners.

Motor Vehicle Thefts in the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Meagan Cahill, John Roman ) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EST

Over the past 50 years, nationwide rates of motor vehicle thefts rose slowly and steadily to a peak in 1990 and then declined to a low in 2009. Rates in Washington, D.C. were higher and more volatile, averaging three to four times the national rate for two decades. Recently, however, rates in D.C. dropped to their lowest level in 25 years. While the Sixth Police District (6D) had the highest rates and counts of motor vehicle theft over the study period, the Seventh Police District (7D) had the largest percentage increase. Hot spots in 6D were located along major thoroughfares.

Smallest Victims of the Foreclosure Crisis: Children in the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Jennifer Comey, Michel Grosz ) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

As foreclosures have been sweeping the nation in the past few years, the effect of the crisis on children tends to be overlooked. In this brief, the first of two, we discuss foreclosure trends as they relate to public school students living in Washington, D.C. between 2003 and 2008. In particular, we describe the demographic makeup of the students affected, the type of housing and neighborhoods in which they live, and the schools they attend. We conclude with recommendations for both the housing and education sectors in mitigating this crisis as the number of foreclosures continues to rise.

D.C. Out-of-School Time Programs Tackle Outcome Measures

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST

Funders and nonprofit leaders are increasingly looking for information that demonstrates the achievements of community-based programs. In this results-oriented environment, the Urban Institute, The Center for What Works, and the D.C. Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation worked together to create a pilot program that developed and tested a series of outcome measures for out-of-school time (OST) programs. This brief describes the process followed and the results achieved. The pilot demonstrated that OST providers are eager to learn how to better manage their programs, keep young people engaged, and demonstrate their accomplishments. The challenge is to expand this work to all OST programs in the District and beyond.

Violence Prevention in Schools: A Case Study of the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EST

This report is based on research conducted by the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center on the violence prevention activities taking place at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School during the 2008-2009 school year. Based on an assessment of the school's violence prevention approach using qualitative and quantitative data from stakeholder interviews, field observations, programmatic records, and surveys with students and faculty, this report includes: a logic model of the school's violence prevention approach; detailed information on each of the violence prevention activities within the violence prevention approach and how they compare to national best practices; student and faculty perceptions of the school climate and the violence prevention approach; and recommendations to the school administrators on how to strengthen their violence prevention approach based on the assessment findings. The report concludes with brief remarks on next steps in school violence prevention research.

Violence Prevention at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EST

This summary brief is based on research conducted by the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center on the violence prevention activities taking place at the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School during the 2008-2009 school year. Researchers from the Justice Policy Center conducted an assessment of the school's violence prevention activities using qualitative and quantitative data from stakeholder interviews, programmatic records, and surveys with students and faculty. This brief provides an overview of Thurgood Marshall Academy's violence prevention approach; a more detailed report on the full assessment will follow in Summer 2010.

Homicides in the District of Columbia by Police District, 2001 - 2009

paffairs@urban.org ( Joshua Markman, John Roman ) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EST

This brief examines homicides in the District of Columbia over the period 2001 2009, both citywide and by police district. The analysis found that homicides declined more than 70 percent between 1991 and 2009, and 20 percent between 2008 and 2009. District-level analyses found that in all Districts but District 4, homicide rates dropped from 2006 2009. District 4 saw a small increase in its homicide rate. Homicides were also found to be relatively rare in District 1, 2, and 3. The full brief provides more in-depth findings on the changes in homicide rates in other Districts.

The Integration of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland : A Look at Children of Immigrants and Their Families in Maryland

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EST

Organizations face increasing pressures to improve, and document, their performance. Good performance management systematically identifies desired ends, selects reasonable indicators of progress through means to those ends, and promotes continuous improvement over time. Key preconditions include assessing organizational measurement-readiness and overcoming inertiaand fearamong middle managers and front-line staff. To succeed, performance measurement must be seen as helping people do their jobs better, not creating new chains for yanking. Nurses and their employers have far to go to figure out how best to organize their caregiving and their administrative supports so as to improve quality and safety while constraining costs. Journal of Nursing Regulation 1(2):60 (July 2010); Marr, Bernard. Managing and Delivering Performance. Elsevier Ltd, 2009.

State of Latinos in the District of Columbia

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EST

The Latino population has been steadily increasing in the District of Columbia, and the city's Latino population has many unique and important qualities that distinguish it from other racial and ethnic groups. This report describes the current state of the Latino population in the District of Columbia and paints a picture of the opportunities and challenges Latinos face today. In this report, we describe how Latinos are faring in three domains: population and demographics, housing and neighborhood change, and economics and the workforce. We use the most recent data available to compare Latinos with non-Latinos living in the District and to describe trends over time. To supplement the available data, this study also draws on qualitative findings from interviews with officials, community leaders, and service providers to determine how the national recession is affecting Latinos in the District of Columbia.

Female D.C. Code Felons: Unique Challenges in Prison and at Home : By the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Nancy G. La Vigne ) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST

Female prisoners returning home face reentry challenges with fewer skills and more deficits than men, and those differences are manifested in higher rates of relapse and recidivism. Nancy La Vigne encouraged a House subcommittee to consider measures to ensure that female D.C. Code violators are housed in prisons close to their homes. Doing so will enhance the women's ability to maintain contact with their children, a critical factor in successful reintegration, and help them link to substance abuse treatment and mental health services.

Rolf Pendall Becomes the Director of the Urban Institute's Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center

paffairs@urban.org ( Urban Institute ) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST

Rolf Pendall, an expert on land use controls and the former director of graduate studies in city and regional planning at Cornell University, joined the Urban Institute today as the director of the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center.

Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor - Spring 2010

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EST

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area Foreclosure Monitor is a quarterly publication co-published by NeighborhoodInfo DC and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The Monitor gives a snapshot of the impact of foreclosures on the region, as well as broader sales market trends. Almost 149,000 households were at least 30 days late on their mortgage payments, with almost one-quarter of those already in foreclosure. While foreclosures remain a serious problem, the sales market showed signs of improvement by December 2009. The sales volume was up from the year before, and the median sales price rose 6.6% in one year to $315,000.

Housing D.C. Code Felons Far Away from Home: Effects on Crime, Recidivism, and Reentry : Before the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia

paffairs@urban.org ( Nancy G. La Vigne ) — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:00:00 EST

Successfully reintegrating prisoners into society hinges on connecting them to jobs, housing, substance abuse treatment, faith-based institutions, and other resources, Nancy La Vigne told a U.S. House subcommittee. Reaching that goal is made more difficult by the long distances that often separate incarcerated men and women from their families and communities. District of Columbia felons are typically incarcerated over a hundred miles from their families, potential employers, and postrelease services. As much as 20 percent are housed more than 500 miles from their homes.

Health Insurance Coverage in the District of Columbia: Estimates from the 2009 DC Health Insurance Survey

paffairs@urban.org ( Barbara A. Ormond, Ashley Palmer, Lokendra Phadera ) — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 EST

This chartbook presents results from a survey of insurance status and options in the District of Columbia, conducted with 4,717 households in fall 2009. Only 6.2% of residents report being currently uninsured, among the lowest rates nationally. Somewhat more, 10.2%, report having been uninsured at some time during the year. Employer-sponsored insurance was the most common source of coverage for non-elderly adults. Among children, public coverage was nearly as important as employer-sponsored coverage. Only about 10% of publicly insured children have the option of employer-sponsored insurance. Among employed adults with public coverage, about half work in firms that offer coverage.

2009 District of Columbia Health Insurance Survey: Methodology Report

Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 EST

This report describes the methods used to conduct the 2009 DC Health Insurance Survey, which collected information on insurance status and options in the District of Columbia. Data collection strategy, survey design, data processing, weights and response rate are among the discussed details. It also discusses the dual sample frame design strategy used to capture information on landline households as well as cell phone-only households.

Health Insurance Coverage in the District of Columbia: A Profile of the Insured, 2009

paffairs@urban.org ( Barbara A. Ormond, Ashley Palmer, Lokendra Phadera ) — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 EST

This issue brief presents findings from the 2009 District of Columbia Health Insurance Survey conducted August to November 2009. It compares the characteristics of nonelderly DC residents with employer-sponsored insurance and to those with public insurance coverage. We consider type of insurance across gender, race, income, ward of residence, and health and disability status. For workers, we look at work status (full-time vs part-time) and type of firm.

Uninsurance in the District of Columbia: A Profile of the Uninsured, 2009

paffairs@urban.org ( Barbara A. Ormond, Ashley Palmer, Lokendra Phadera ) — Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 EST

This issue brief presents findings from the 2009 District of Columbia Health Insurance Survey conducted August to November 2009. It presents a profile of nonelderly adult residents in DC who reported that they were uninsured looking at gender, race and ethnicity, income, length of residence in DC, ward of residence, and employment status. It also presents the reasons that residents gave for not having health coverage.