The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) authored this report, which was developed as part of the National Workgroup on Integrating a Safety Net into Health Care Reform Implementation. As a result of the Workgroup, this report provides ten key issues that policymakers, who are concerned with the safety net, should consider in order to reach the health care reform’s goals for vulnerable populations.

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) released this report on the role of community health centers in providing health care. This report provides an overview of community health centers and other types of Federally Qualified Health Centers. Authors provide recommendations to help State policymakers to develop strategies to integrate health centers into State delivery systems.

In 2004, Casey Family Services underwent an organizational change to help establish permanency for children and youth with special needs in foster care called “Move to Greater Permanence” (MGP). This report details the planning, implementation, agency processes, and outcomes as a result of the organizational change. Authors provide lessons learned to help child welfare providers and human service organizations utilize when conducting similar organizational change.

This report was authored by the Brookings Institution and Urban Institute, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and First Focus. Authors review historical and current funding trends of 100 Federal programs, including TANF, Supplemental Security Income, Food Stamps, Section 8 Low-Income Housing Assistance and Low Income Home Energy Assistance, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program. Specifically, Federal expenditures totaled $3.5 trillion in 2010, of which 11 percent ($374 billion) was devoted to children.

The Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture released a report to Congress stating that limited access to affordable and nutritious food is considered a contributor to obesity and disease throughout the United States. The report examines access to food throughout the United States, characteristics and causes for access levels, and effects of limited access, and suggests recommendations for increased access to food throughout the United States. The report also provides a literature review, assessment of access to supermarkets and grocery stores, and an analysis of economic and health effects related to access levels.

One of every 45 American children, about 1.6 million children total, is homeless every year. This amounts to 4,400 homeless children per day and 30,000 homeless children per week. The National Center on Family Homelessness has updated its previous reports documenting child homelessness; this 2010 report outlines the definition of homelessness and provides each State’s ranking of child homelessness, child well-being, child’s risk of homelessness, and the State’s policy and planning efforts. Homelessness greatly affects children’s health, education levels, and education opportunities. After providing a profile of each State’s rankings, the report provides a call to action for the United States.

More than 100 million Americans do not have high-speed Internet services in their homes and a significant percentage of Americans still do not own or have access to a computer. On Wednesday, November 9, 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a new initiative and promising public/private partnership to assist many low-income Americans access the world-wide web. The Connect to Compete initiative will make available low-cost computers, free digital literacy training, and discounted broadband Internet access to low-income families impacted by the digital divide. The new initiative is part of the FCC's efforts to extend affordable broadband access to more communities and it is fully supported by $4 billion in in-kind donations from private partners. To qualify for the new initiative, families must qualify for free school lunches and have at least one child that participates in the National School Lunch Program. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is releasing funds for States, tribes, and territories through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) block grant. Designed to offset seasonal heating costs, the funds will help low-income families pay for other basic needs, such as food or medical costs. The funding is available for qualified families to help pay for the cost of heating their homes in the winter, but also to help pay for making homes more energy efficiency by helping families pay for insulation.

The National Resource Center for Tribes (NRC4Tribes), a member of the Children’s Bureau, Child Welfare Training and Technical Assistance Network, recently conducted a needs assessment of practices within Tribal child welfare among federally recognized American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribes. The report summarizes the need for specific technical assistance in five main areas within Tribal child welfare programs: (1) Tribal child welfare practice, (2) foster care and adoption, (3) the Indian Child Welfare Act, (4) legal and judicial, and (5) Tribal child welfare operations. Overall, the report recognized the need for a strengthened culturally-based Tribal Child Welfare infrastructure that provided increased communication between Tribes in order to share practices and knowledge as well as effective staff recruitment and training. The report also provides an overview of Tribal child welfare programs and a summary of the methods exercised in conducting the needs assessment.

On October 10, 2011, Sentier Research released its first report on a new monthly series that examines household income trends within the United States. This report researched household income trends within the context of the economic recovery from June 2009 to June 2011. In order to further analyze median household income each month, the report applies a Household Income Index (HII), which is tracked from January 2000 and will be evaluated through the Fall of 2012 when the U.S. Census Bureau releases its income and poverty report for 2011. Also included in the report is median household income data unique to demographic, economic and social groups, as well as a graph of the HII and the unemployment rate from January 2000 to June 2011.