Economic Opportunity News
"'. . . He loved to take care of people. No matter who it was, a homeless person, he never turned anyone away.' A sandwich, a job, a place to stay, for Melman, Mort gave no less than the bond that created his wildly successful empire, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises."
"Nadeah Rasheed got an offer in 2008 that she could not refuse: find a stable job and the city would pay virtually all her rent. If everything went as planned, she and her two daughters would leave homelessness behind forever."
"Jones was one of 100 workers hired by the state Department of Human Resources last year to address growing delays in processing of food benefits and medical services for low-income Marylanders."
"'Let's pretend that someone's dropped out of high school,' he responds. 'They're working at low-income jobs, and they've got to the point where they know they need advanced training to make a good wage.'"
"Eligible individuals, state officials say, must be 14 to 21 years old and come from families whose household incomes fall below the poverty line, which is about $18,000 for a family of four."
"Gov. Deval Patrick is pledging $9 million in state and federal dollars to help provide thousands of summer jobs to low income teens across Massachusetts."
"The Boston Globe, Boston University, Partners HealthCare System Inc., and the City of Boston fund the program, which provides summer work for more than 650 teens, mostly from low-income areas."
"'People need to earn money, and this program is focusing on young people who come from low-income families and who don't have the kind of connections that middle-income youths have,' she said."
"The dollars specifically tie back to a federal allocation aimed at helping low-income people, so employees had to have a child under 18 living at home and a household income of no more than 200 percent of the poverty level. For a family of four that means an annual income of $44,100."
"In two months, Bob Muse no longer will lie down for the night inside a homeless shelter or under a tree. For the first time in a couple of years, he'll sleep on his own bed. For the first time in 39 years, he'll be in college."
"The event marked the 10th annual graduation ceremony for Pine Street Inn's job programs, which train unemployed, mostly homeless, individuals for careers in building maintenance, food preparation, and cafeteria operations."
"A homeless-services fair in Osceola County on Friday drew more than 1,000 people, many of whom live in crowded and unsafe conditions at area motels. The crowd began to gather early in the morning. By 10:30 a.m., the line wrapped around the building."
"...[California] employers can generally receive up to 100 percent of a worker's salary when they hire a person who has at least one minor child and is either in CalWorks the state's welfare program or has family income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level."
"The statewide program will include people between the ages of 14 and 24, while the Kansas City area program begins at age 16. Applicants must meet low-income guidelines to qualify."
"'The bond between these women runs deeper. They have all been homeless. They have a reason to get up now, they have something to get up for,' said Plates' sous chef, LaThomas Holmes, one of three paid staffers at the eatery."
"Private, public and nonprofit businesses can sign up to hire people. Participants' income must be below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. That's $2,428 per month for a family of two."
"The two veterans had been homeless. Now each has her own place. No roommates, no people yelling. Not big, not much more than a large single room, with a bed, small table, and bathroom. But there is a tiny kitchenette. And the rooms have a nice view of a small park."
"Growing up in hardscrabble Oakland, Sadé Harris had never tended a garden. But when the 24-year-old ended up at Alameda Point Collaborative, a nonprofit that serves the homeless, she decided to join the Ploughshares Nursery job-training program."
"For the most part, this class of women cleans houses, watches kids and waits tables. Anyone who has spent time doing any of those jobs knows two things: It's hard work, and the pay bites. And yet this is where most nonprofessional women stay, hovering near poverty..."
"[T]he Sunday Dinner Company offers a second chance to those whose lives have been disrupted by poverty and crime"
"How do you break the cycle of poverty and violence that destroys so many young lives in urban America?"
"The LITC in Georgia helps low-income working families and seniors afford basic needs like food, housing, transportation, clothing and other necessities. This is even more important now, that in the current economy, the costs of these necessities is increasing."
"The funding... will boost the $1.5 million the attorney general's office already committed to 16 programs through Project YES, or Youth Employment Solutions. The grants were open to municipalities, public school districts, and nonprofit groups that serve low-income... [youth]..."
"Camden's Tent City, a homeless encampment on an I-676 exit ramp that has become a source of fascination for reporters and donors - and a dilemma for government and social service agencies - prepared to shut down Wednesday."
"The failure to secure the money illustrates a broader challenge for the CBC. In the midst of the recession, black lawmakers and civil rights advocates have called for specific policies to aid African Americans and other low-income people."
Next »