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The news media meet the poor
JOURNALISM BY ED WASSERMAN. Miami Herald 3.16.09

The vicious cycle.
Posted by Kat Greene. Updated 5.02.08 at 10:00 a.m.

Why we think the world needs this site.
Posted by Kat Greene. Updated 3.29.08 at 10:00 a.m.

Our Mission

Providing resources for a noble pursuit

Edward Wasserman
 
Welcome to OnPoverty.org, the online meeting place for journalists who cover issues of poverty and class in the United States.

As you can see, it's a news-driven Web site, which finds and links to print, broadcast and online coverage that journalists in the field need to know about.

But it's meant to be more than that.

We want to create a place where professionals can talk with one another about covering poverty -- the obstacles and opportunities.

Read more!


Paul Bachmuth, his wife, Amanda, and their children at home in The Woodlands, Tex., in October photo by Michael Stravato (the New York Times)


Unemployment Anxiety Affects Children
Community colleges across the nation are scheduling more early morning and late night classes to accommodate students who are jobless or have been motivated to return to school by the recession. Recent high school graduates are also turning to community colleges due to the high costs of four-year institutions. Nearly every state is dealing with large influxes of students in community colleges, partly because of financial cuts to higher-education budgets.

MULTIMEDIA: WITH NO JOB, A FAMILY STRUGGLES


JMRaschilla1110.jpg
table via the washington post)



Record numbers of Americans struggle to get food
Last year, nearly 50 million Americans, or one person out of every six, struggled to get food. This is the highest number of people who are finding difficulty in affording food since the government has been keeping track. A Department of Agriculture report blamed the flagging economy. The numbers indicate that access to dependable sources of adequate amounts of food is deteriorating, especially among families with children. 

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homeless veteranS

New fund will help Colorado homeless vets find housing

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless will announce the establishment of a new Homeless Veterans Housing Fund to support the 1,800 homeless veterans on the streets of Denver. The money will help them find housing quickly and access support services, including treatment for war-related trauma. The coalition’s president believes the fund will help the coalition reach its goal of serving double the number of veterans served last year. 

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homless services

Ohio restaurant caters to homeless

My Brother’s Place, a Toledo restaurant, is serving lunch again after an eight-year break. In addition to serving weekday lunches to downtown workers, My Brother’s Place provides meals to the needy and homeless, jobs and job training to the unemployed and homeless on Monday evenings. This is the third incarnation of My Brother’s Place. The restaurant has hired three full-time and six part-time employees, and is working with job-training agencies to teach people a trade.

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homeless families

Homelessness Moves Wisconsin Families from Suburbs to Cities

In today’s dire economy, more suburban Wisconsin families are finding themselves on the streets, victims of random chance and bad timing.  With nowhere else to go, they are leaving comfortable communities outside Milwaukee and making their way downtown, hoping to take advantage of services offered there.  Homeless shelters turn away dozens—up to 100—people a day.  “Homelessness doesn’t discriminate,” a shelter director said.  “There is no face to homelessness.”

WATCH VIDEO HERE

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Featured

A NEEDY WOMAN SITS FOR A HAIRCUT AT CRISTIANO CORA. PHOTO BY Ozier Muhammad (The New York Times)

New York salon helps unemployed style their futures
11/09/2009 SUSAN DOMINUS THE NEW YORK TIMES
As a public service to job-seekers, Cristiano Cora studio, a high-end hair salon that normally charges $300 a cut, promised free haircuts to anyone who brought proof of unemployment. Some of the unemployed who visited the salon had not gotten a professional haircut in years. They said they hope to refurbish their images in hopes of getting an interview and landing a job.

MULTIMEDIA:KIND CUTS FOR THE JOBLESS

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RESEARCH
poverty-action.org Yale group supports research, action in poverty. Called Innovations for Poverty Action, Yale's brainchild conducts research and advises both partisan and non-partisan organizations on poverty issues. More in Research!

Urban.org
Nonpartisan project focuses on social and economic research. The Urban Institute regularly releases studies covering education, welfare, health care, housing and more. More in Research!

Shepherd.wlu.edu
W&L program cross-trains students in poverty, liberal arts. The Shepherd Program, headed by Harlan Beckley, left, encourages service and reflection with academic study. More in Research!

On Poverty.Org is organized by students at washington and lee university in Lexington, VA.
Supervisor: Prof. Ed Wasserman. WEBMASTERs: BREA PHILLIPS, VALAREE TANG. Site Editors: BREA PHILLIPS, VALAREE TANG.
Marketing DIrectors: Abby SteinBock, Betsy Chaplin. Technology Supervisors: Michael Todd, Nicole Mooradian. Technology Team: James Dick, Ilgiz Soubanov

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