The Impact of Traumatic Stress
March 15, 2010: Among families experiencing homelessness, the prevalence of traumatic stress is extremely high. Trauma, in the forms of child abuse and neglect, domestic and/or community violence, and the trauma associated with poverty and the loss of home, safety, and sense of security, which many of these families have experienced, have a significant impact on the ways people think, feel, behave, relate to others, and cope. The National Center on Family Homelessness has created the Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit, which offers shelters and housing advocates concrete guidelines to modifiy pracitces and policies to ensure they are appropriately responding to the needs of families who have experienced trauma.

Special Report on Rhode Island Foreclosures
February 18, 2010: Housing Works RI has released a special report on housing in Rhode Island. HousingWorks RI examines the critical shortage of affordable homes for much of Rhode Island, which resulted in many Rhode Island homes becoming vulnerable to the foreclosure crisis currently being faced. The foreclosure crisis has highlighted the importance of having a full continuum of affordable homes as part of the states economic development strategy. Click here to view the report.

Housing and Food Insecurity
December 22, 2009: Rx for Hunger: Affordable Housing, a new report from Children's HealthWatch and Medical-Legal Partnership- Boston, shows that subsidized housing plays a vital role in protecting young children from food insecurity and the health risks of being underweight. On average, families with the lowest incomes spend more than 40% of their income on housing. However, research shows that these households provide better nutrition to their children when theya re able to secure housing assistance. This report offers key evidence that increased support for subsidized housing must be part of the strategy for ending child hunger.

Healthy Housing Presentation Now Available
November 13, 2009: View a presentation on Healthy Housing, the newest indicator in the 2009 Factbook, prepared by Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. Topics and data covered within the presentation include housing's impact on child health conditions such as asthma, lead poisoning, and unintentional injuries. Also covered is housing cost and accessibility. View the presentation here.

Family Mobility and Neighborhood Change
November 5, 2009: Residential mobility can reflect poitive changes in a family's circumstances or be a symptom of instability and insecuerity. Mobility may also change neighborhoods as a whole. To shed light on these challenges, this report uses a unique survey conducted for the Making Connections Initiative. The report introduces five stylized models of neighborhood performance: each has implications for low-income families' well-being and for community-change efforts. View Family Mobility and Neighborhood Change.

New HousingWorks RI Report on Housing Bond Funds
September 17, 2009: HousingWorks RI has issued a issue brief on how the housing bond funds are being spent. In the first two years, these funds have been used to create 560 affordable rental and ownership homes in 22 communities across the state. Access the brief here.

Providence City Ordinances Provide Some Protections to Families Impacted by Foreclosure
August 12, 2009: Providence now has two ordinances that provide some protections to Providence Families impacted by the foreclosure crisis. One ordinance protects homeowners affected by foreclosure and another gives tenants new rights. View the City of Providence Press Release regarding the ordinances here.

Toolkit Available for Renters in Foreclosure
August 6, 2009: The Protecting Tenants in Foreclosure Act was signed into law in May 2009. This law protects families from immediate eviction if the property they are renting is foreclosed on. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition has prepared a "Renters in Foreclosure Toolkit" containing useful tools for advocates and tenants. Access the tool kit here.

18.5 Million U.S. Households Spend More than Half their Income on Housing
July 27, 2009: Recent turmoil in U.S. mortgage and housing markets has affected millions of families, and the number of low-income families who pay a high proportion of thier income on housing is growing, as are the consequences for other parts of their budgets. Families that spend a high proportion of their income on housing have difficulty meeting their children's other needs for food, health care, and clothing, and often can not afford the transportaion they need to keep employment. Click to read 18.5 Million Households Pay More than Half their Income for Housing, Reducing Money Available for Other Necessitites by Malcolm Bush.

NAEHCY Statement on Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009.
June 5, 2009: The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) issued a statement on recently passed legislation (S.896 - Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009.) They describe legislative provisions that expand the definition of homelessness and provide additional protections to homeless children and youth but argue that the legislation did not go far enough in expanding HUD's definition of homelessness. Click here to view the NAEHCY statement.

President Signs Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
May 22, 2009: President Obama has signed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009, this legislation protects renters whose landlords fall into foreclosure from immediate eviction, provides additional funds for homeless services, allows communtities greater flexibility in helping prevent homelessness, and expands the definition of homelessness to include more children, youth and families. Read the press release from the Rhode Island Coalition For The Homeless.

New Summary of 2009 Housing and Homelessness Factbook Indicators Available
April 21, 2009: A compilation of Housing and Homelessness indicators and data from the 2009 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook is now available. The summary reports on trends related to Housing and Health, Cost of Rent, Homeless Children and Youth, and other indicators. View the Housing and Homelessness Summary here.

April 20, 2009 - In the article, "Children in Peril," Op-Ed Columnist Bob Herbert writes, "With so much attention focused on the banking system and arguments over bailouts, the plight of America’s children in this severe economic downturn is getting short shrift.Official statistics are not yet readily available, but there is little doubt that poverty and family homelessness are rising, that the quality of public education in many communities is deteriorating and that legions of children are losing access to health care as their parents join the vastly expanding ranks of the unemployed.

Annual Report on Low-Income Household Earnings and Rental Affordability Released
April 16, 2009- The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released its annual Out of Reach report. This report provides data for every state, metropolitan area, and county in the country on how much a household would have to earn to afford that area's Fair Market Rent (FMR). The report also provides local wage and income data for comparison purposes. The statistics in Out of Reach highlight the gap between what it costs to afford decent rental housing and what low-wage employment actually pays. Click here to access the report.

New Issue Brief on Homelessness in Rhode Island
April 7, 2009: HousingWorksRI released a new issue brief: "Homelessness in Rhode Island- Gains and Challenges." This brief describes the impact of the economic crisis and rise in foreclosures and homelessness in Rhode Island. The report looks at the trend in emergency shelter use from 1990 to 2008, highlights recent increases in homelessness among children and families, and urges support for two proven strategies, Housing First and the Neighborhood Opportunities Program.

Release of 2009 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook
April 6, 2009 - Rhode Island KIDS COUNT released its annual publication on the well-being of children and families in RI, the 2009 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook. The Factbook reports on 63 indicators of child well-being across five subjects: Family and Community, Economic Well-Being, Health, Safety, and Education.

Child Homelessness in Rhode Island
March 10, 2009 - The National Center on Family Homelessness released a new report, America’s Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness. Using data reported by schools in the 2005-2006 school year, the report offers state-by-state data on the status of homeless children. The release of the report which describes the plight of these children, profiles and ranks the states, and proposes solutions, also launches the Center's Campaign to End to Child Homelessness.  View the Rhode Island report and its two page summary.

Federal Low Income Housing Programs Weakened
February 24, 2009: Federal housing programs have proven effective in enabling millions of low-income families to obtain stable housing, however, reduced funding of federal low income housing programs have weakened these programs considerably, as the need for them contiues to rise. Federal spending on Housing Choice Vouchers, Public Housing, and Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance have all experienced cuts in funding. More than 8 million renter households paid more than half of their income for rent and basic utilities in 2007. A full report from CBPP entitled Decade of Neglect Has Weakened Federal Low-Income Housing Programs gives more information on low income housing costs.