Pages tagged "News Article"
Democratic Senators Want To Provide More Lawyers To Help Immigrant Kids Avoid Deportation
By Esther Yu-Hsi Lee
2/12/16
At immigration court hearings, young children clutching teddy bears for comfort have been known to face off against trained government lawyers to prove that they deserve a chance to stay in the country. As with all immigrants appearing before judges, these children are not entitled to a public defender — and though some children are lucky enough to obtain pro bono lawyers, only about one-third are represented by counsel.
That’s why Democratic senators are hoping to fill the void in legal representation by introducing the “Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016,” a bill that aims to expand legal access for asylum-seeking immigrants and children in deportation proceedings.
“We know that having a competent attorney can make the difference between life and death,” Joanne Lin, American Civil Liberties Union legislative counsel, said in a press statement. “The ACLU urges Congress to swiftly pass this measure to ensure due process and fairness for children and families fleeing persecution and brutal violence.”
The bill would require the appointment ...
In Our View: Fight Now or Pay Later
Editorial Board
2/7/16
Homeless crisis has huge impact on kids, and timely action is necessary
There is a school of thought, one that has some merit, which suggests there is little that government can do to cure the plight of homelessness. That many people prefer to live on the streets. That many people are reaping the results of their own actions in their inability to secure and maintain housing.
There is much evidence, after all, that the best intentions of governments and a large increase in public spending have done little to mitigate what continues to be a growing problem. Yet those arguments are scuttled by the realization that many victims of the current homeless crisis are children — those who are the most vulnerable and those for whom the situation is creating lifelong issues.
According to a report released last week, the number of homeless schoolchildren has grown exponentially in Washington in recent years, triggered by the Great Recession ...
Where did you spend the night? Counting NJ's homeless
By Sergio Bichao
1/27/2016
Nonprofit organizations and government agencies will spend Wednesday asking people on the streets and in shelters where they spent the night before as part of a statewide Point-in-Time Count of the homeless population.
Last year, the count found 10,211 homeless men, women and children on a single night, a decrease of 14 percent from 2014. Nationally, the numbers fell by 2 percent.
Of those in the Garden State, 974 people were unsheltered and spending the night in cars ...
No child should ever be without a home
By Congressman Steve Stivers
12/30/2015
Recently, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. This report provides a “point-in-time” count of homeless Americans, an estimate which is based upon the numbers collected on one particular night in January.
The count includes homeless individuals living in shelters, and those identified by volunteers who survey places such as streets, parks, rail stations and all-night businesses where those who are homeless frequently seek shelter.
In 2015, HUD identified 128,000 homeless children under the age of 18 ...
Portman named 2015 Champion of Children
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) was recently named a 2015 Champion of Children by the First Focus Campaign for Children.
Portman was recognized for his leadership on issues important to the health and well-being of children including improving the foster care system and protecting vulnerable Ohio children from human traffickers...
Counting the homeless
By Noel King
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) releases data on homeless Americans each year, and those numbers are always open to debate. Bruce Lesley is the president of First Focus, which advocates for homeless families. He said HUD's definition is limited.
"They look at things like families who are staying in homeless shelters, families who are on the streets, parks, light-rail stations, tunnels, those kinds of things," Lesley said...
Homelessness a problem for more than a half-a-million Americans this holiday season
By Lewis Diuguid
It’s important as people head into the Thanksgiving Day holiday this week and the Christmas shopping season that follows to remember folks who are less fortunate.
’Tis the season...
Critics question HUD figures showing drop in number of Tennessee homeless
Federal officials say the number of Americans and Tennesseans who have experienced homelessness has dropped 11 percent since 2010, and they attribute the decline to President Barack Obama's Opening Doors initiative.
But critics nationally and in Chattanooga question the U.S. and Tennessee figures in the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's latest Annual Homeless Assessment Report...
New data show homelessness dropped early this year, HUD says, but problems persist
Washington Post
By Lisa Rein
New figures released by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Thursday show that 564,708 people were homeless on a night in January of this year, a 2 percent drop from 2014.
HUD officials said the decline, of a total of 11 percent since 2007, is an encouraging sign that the Obama administration is succeeding in its five-year-old goal of preventing and ending homelessness and ending what the government calls chronic homelessness by 2017...
Homelessness in America: HUD Reveals Strides, Setbacks with 2015 Homeless Count Data
By Morgan Zalot
The results of a 2015 count of homeless people across the United States revealed major strides in decreasing homelessness in America -- but also some persistent challenges facing certain vulnerable populations. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday released and discussed the new data on homelessness in America based on January 2015 point-in-time counts of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people...