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In Baltimore, parents owe hundreds of millions in child support. Here's how other states have made changes for the better.

Yvonne Wenger

March 09, 2020 |

The Baltimore Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Maryland

Maryland's punitive child-support policies, which have piled $233 million in largely uncollectable debt on the state's poorest residents and destabilized families and neighborhoods, could be improved by adopting reforms other states have used to increase payment compliance. In Colorado, for example, more support payments have meant healthier families and communities, after the state stopped offsetting welfare payments by whatever child support had been paid. Other states have stopped revoking driver's licenses and work permits as a non-payment penalty, in order to make steady employment more attainable.

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Jacksonville Organization Attacks Violence, Blight With Holistic Approach

Claire Goforth

February 27, 2020 |

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jacksonville, Florida

After the residential real estate market collapsed a decade ago, a developer that had been revitalizing an impoverished Jacksonville neighborhood with single-family homes pivoted to a broader approach to reducing crime and blight. Progress has been difficult, and violence in the neighborhood remains high. But, by building larger complexes and offering an array of services and interventions, Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation is achieving slow but steady social change.

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Poor credit is a barrier to affordable housing. Lending circles are a tool for those in poverty

Nicole Hayden

February 14, 2020 |

Desert Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Coachella Valley, California

Lift to Rise, a Coachella Valley nonprofit that pushes for housing and poverty policy change, launched a local lending circle program aimed at serving minority residents break the cycle of poverty. Partnered with San Francisco-based Mission Asset Fund, the lending circle helps those with poor credit or no credit at all to build up a spending history, have access to loans, create a savings account, improve their score, and more. Since 2008, Mission Asset Fund has partnered with more than 50 organizations across the U.S. to provide lending circles to more than 9,000 clients.

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Meet Pakistan's Barefoot Entrepreneurs

Adeel Ahmed

February 13, 2020 |

Pioneers Post |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Sindh

Pakistan's poorest citizens, who previously panhandled for their basic needs, were launched onto an entrepreneurial path by the Heritage Foundation Pakistan. Eight impoverished communities have been trained in the craft of glazed tile work and terracotta art to lift the participants out of poverty. The program also created a market of interdependence, so the villages can purchase goods from one another, freeing them from relying on cities for their livelihood.

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Graffiti-removal company hires only homeless or formerly incarcerated workers

Terri Akman

February 11, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Powered by a workforce made up exclusively of the formerly incarcerated and people experiencing homelessness, Philadelphia start-up company Graffiti Removal Experts gets paid to clean up signs of blight while giving people an employment opportunity they otherwise might lack. Besides cleaning up graffiti, the team removes stickers and fixes broken glass throughout Center City and surrounding neighborhoods. The company’s clients include neighborhood associations, property managers, and individual businesses who pay monthly or one-time fees that turn into $20-per-hour wages for the company’s employees.

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How Fines and Fees Reform Became a Priority for Cities Across the Country

Emma Coleman

February 06, 2020 |

Route Fifty |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

From North Carolina to California, states and cities are taking a new approach to fines and fees – people are having their charges dismissed, warrants for minor offenses cleared, and many municipalities are actually saving money by spending less on collections. With a system that was built because it provided cities and states with revenue, there has been a realization that it disproportionately targets communities of color and often keeps people stuck in cycles of debt. With this national awakening, resources and networks are being created so other places can implement the same change.

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As Seattle Seeks to Tax Amazon (Again), What Can It Learn From California?

Gregory Scruggs

January 24, 2020 |

Next City |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

In 2018, a per-employee tax levied on Amazon and other Seattle businesses making over $20 million a year was struck down by council members with unfavorable polling. In 2020, that same referendum is being brought back to life with renewed support. This article compares Seattle's past failures to San Francisco's current success in implementing a tax inspired by Seattle's. The processes differ in many areas, and this article considers what would happen if Seattle now followed someone else's lead.

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'Fixing this takes more than arrest': Riverside County forgives warrants, fines to help homeless

Nicole Hayden

December 27, 2019 |

Desert Sun |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Indio, California

In Indio, California, the Community Outreach Resource Program (CORP) partners law enforcement with social supportive services as a way of holistically working with people experiencing homelessness, mental health issues, or drug abuse. The collaboration partners select officers, mental health professionals, transition and homeless shelters, detox centers, affordable housing, caseworkers, amongst other services, to make sure that those enrolling in the program have the highest probability of sustained success.

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Seattle program makes homes affordable in a pricey market. Is it a model for Charlotte?

Lauren Lindstrom

December 10, 2019 |

The Charlotte Observer |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

The Homestead Community Land Trust offers affordable home ownership in Seattle and the rest of King County, Washington, ensuring that there is always permanently affordable homes available. This opens up homeowner opportunities for those who have historically been excluded and serves as a stem in the tide of gentrification. This article includes personal testimony from people who live in the housing, and already the program has reduced buyers' costs by 30%.

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The US city giving away free money

Sophie Long

December 09, 2019 |

BBC |

Broadcast TV Programs |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Stockton, California

The city of Stockton, California is providing several low-income residents with $500 per month to pilot the effects of a "Universal Basic Income." So far, pilot participants report feeling less stressed about money, have been able to pay off small amounts of debt, and can afford extra groceries with the additional monthly income.

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