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Minneapolis Star TribuneBy Bruce LesleyYes, progress on child abuse and neglect will require real investments (“Better child protection is going to cost,” May 12). But reform in Washington could accelerate progress, by focusing on prevention. Federal funding shortchanges prevention efforts that help parents manage mental health, substance abuse, financial distress, and other abuse and neglect risk factors. Today, the federal government pays $4 for foster care for every $1 on prevention. And federal foster care funding is insufficient, covering less than half of eligible kids. Continued underfunding of prevention will only drain this already-shallow funding pool.Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.,...

St. Louis Post-DispatchBy Bruce LesleyYou rightly observed (“Sleep safer," May 11) that Missouri’s Legislature acted this month to protect kids from one danger, while increasing their vulnerability to another: child abuse and neglect. But Washington also has work to do, and National Foster Care Month is the time to do it.Financial distress, unmet mental health needs, substance abuse problems and other risk factors contribute to abuse and neglect. By cutting supports for low-income families, the Legislature increased the risks. This shortsighted decision will have fiscal as well as terrible human consequences...Read more

Wichita EagleBy Bruce LesleyIt’s encouraging that Wichita is making progress on homelessness (“Yearly count finds 11% fewer homeless in city,” May 6 Eagle), but the numbers may not be as encouraging as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wants us to believe.Nearly a million homeless children lead transient lives – hotel one night, a friend’s couch the next. That includes more than 9,300 children attending Kansas schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The roof over their heads isn’t theirs, and they may lose it tomorrow. In every way that matters, they’re homeless...Read more

Philadelphia InquirerWith high caseloads, foster family shortfalls, and flat funding, it's no surprise that Philadelphia's child-welfare agency seems strained ("DHS tells Council: We're dealing with more cases," April 30). But an outdated federal funding formula doesn't help.Federal funding covers less than half of foster children. Worse, it shortchanges prevention efforts that help parents manage mental health, substance abuse, and other risk factors.Reform legislation in Congress would ensure that federal funds cover all foster children for a limited time, creating an incentive to find kids permanent homes...Read more

The Wichita EagleBy Bruce LesleyIt’s encouraging that Wichita is making progress on homelessness (“Yearly count finds 11% fewer homeless in city,” May 6 Eagle), but the numbers may not be as encouraging as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wants us to believe.Nearly a million homeless children lead transient lives – hotel one night, a friend’s couch the next. That includes more than 9,300 children attending Kansas schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The roof over their heads isn’t theirs, and they may lose it tomorrow. In every way that matters, they’re homeless...

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