The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin will host a virtual seminar on October 15, 2020 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. CT. The seminar will discuss metrics, covering financial well-being, secure and stable housing, family stability, health, supportive communities, education, and work, that embody the comprehensive definition of economic and social mobility developed by the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty. Urban Institute’s Greg Acs will lead the seminar’s discussion.

This dataset, updated annually since 2011, represents a holistic perspective of opportunity to suggest that one’s ability to thrive is not limited to economic circumstances. It also includes educational, health-related, and overall community conditions and resources that a person will encounter. The Opportunity Index covers data on these four dimensions and presents a composite measure that weighs Economic, Education, Health, and Community factors for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The index ranks each of the jurisdictions in descending order of levels of overall opportunity. Data is also assessed at an overall level for nearly 2,000 counties (approximately 95 percent of the entire U.S. population). In addition, the study indicators include data broken down by gender and race/ethnicity at an overall level. A technical supplement explains the methodology behind the rankings.

Zero to Three will convene its annual conference on October 5-8, 2020 as a virtual event. The conference will include sessions highlighting the latest research on early life adversity, early childhood programs, and supports for child well-being. Participants are eligible to earn CEUs. There is a fee to attend the event, and registration is required.

Income inequality has grown over the last decade, along with changes in the safety net, demographics, and income reporting. In this working paper released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau, trends in material hardship are examined in seven categories: food, health, housing, bill paying, fear of crime, neighborhood problems, and the lack of consumer goods. Data for this study was pulled from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) for the period covering 1992 to 2011. The data suggests that income volatility is a real challenge for many households and that declines in hardship were present among the lowest income groups surveyed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will host a hybrid event (with both in-person and virtual presentations) on October 13-14, 2020 in St. Louis, Missouri that brings together SNAP E & T stakeholders nationwide to share best practices for increasing employment among SNAP households. The deadline to register is September 30, 2020.

This blogpost covers how the comprehensive Child First program has implemented home visits during the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing telehealth technology via phones or videoconferencing to provide treatment and deliver services. Key questions raised in the blogpost provide insight on telehealth accommodations made by home visiting teams working with families with limited technology or privacy concerns and how families have responded to these telehealth connections. The blogpost is drawn from interviews with Child First staff in 10 programs in Connecticut, North Carolina, and Florida.

This issue brief from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) addresses opioid misuse and opioid use disorder in the U.S. Hispanic and Latino population. The brief presents various challenges these communities face including discrimination and trauma, intergenerational substance abuse, language barriers, and other sociocultural factors associated with accessing prevention and treatment and recovery services.

The 20th Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS 2020), sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, will now be held virtually on October 13-15 and October 19-22, 2020. Panels will cover TANF Programs, Policies, and Populations; Employment and Mobility in the Labor Market; Youth Well-Being and the Transition to Adulthood; Strengthening Families, Fatherhood, Marriages, and Relationships; Evaluating Social Programs, Building Evidence, and Using Data; and Approaches to Alleviate Poverty and Expand Opportunity. Future information with registration details will be posted.

This report notes the relationship between living in poverty and the likelihood of incarceration, homelessness, becoming a single parent, or failing to complete high school. The report also highlights how poverty and its stress affect brain development as well as the capacity for problem solving and goal setting. The report includes important research developments that point to how brain science might be used to support the capacity of individuals to navigate poverty and related stress for personal mobility.

This fact sheet, as part of the Administration for Children and Families Resource Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services, introduces the concept of “executive function” and discusses the concept’s applicability and importance to human services programs. There is also a synthesis of how relevant interventions and approaches foster executive function skills.

(See also Resources on "self-care" or "self-regulation" in the Resource Library)