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‘Backpacks full of boulders': How one district is addressing the trauma undocumented children bring to school

Kavitha Cardoza

December 14, 2020 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Adelphi, Maryland

Prince George's County in Maryland ranks fourth in the country for the number of unaccompanied students with sponsors. Often, these students have experienced a lot of trauma by the time they arrive at school. School officials are using their budget to spend it on resources to help educators and undocumented students succeed academically by hiring trauma specialists, bilingual liaisons, and teacher aides. “The most important reason is it is morally, really spiritually, inappropriate to mistreat the children who come from these families and not give them equal opportunity.”

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Cleveland's historic Legal Aid Society surges with the pandemic

Grant Segall

December 01, 2020 |

The Land |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is helping low-income people facing legal hardships and civil issues obtain fair representation and access to services and aid. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the organization has struggled to keep pace with the need, but has still been able to provide services to nearly half of those who have requested and connect many of the others with partner organizations.

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‘Our goal is to empower students based on their talent – not the colour of their passports'

Louise Rasmussen

November 30, 2020 |

The Local |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Student Circus is an online platform which is demystifying the job application process for international students in the United Kindgom. The website was started by two international students who were having a hard time job searching, mainly because many employers didn't list whether they sponsored job visas or not. The service is offered for free to students from select universities.

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‘It's a conversation': Philly's alternative to landlord-tenant court is preventing eviction

Taylor Allen

November 24, 2020 |

WHYY |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia's mandatory Eviction Diversion program, started as a way to help landlords and tenants to cope with pandemic-related economic struggles, requires landlords to enter mediation with tenants who are behind on their rent. By skipping eviction court, the parties can work out repayment plans and tenants can gain access to rental-assistance programs. Mediated agreements avoid a legal judgment that would hurt a tenant's credit and make it difficult to find another place to live, while preventing evictions during the pandemic reduces homelessness.

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In recovering urban areas, homeownership makes all the difference

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

November 16, 2020 |

The Connecticut Mirror |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Connecticut

State programs that provide assistance with down payments have a significant impact on homeownership for economically disadvantaged communities. Homeownership not only increases generational wealth, it also makes neighborhoods safer.

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For families involved in Philly's child welfare system, this program is building a safety net

Steve Volk

November 12, 2020 |

Kensington Voice |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A pilot program within the child welfare system in Philadelphia is providing wraparound services for parents at risk of losing custody of their children. The multi-disciplinary services include an attorney, social workers, and a peer advocate in addition to services that help stabilize families such as housing, employment, and addiction treatment. Similar programs in New York City and Washington state show significant reductions of time spent by children in foster care and increased rates of reunification - saving money and reducing trauma.

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Door-to-door: Advocates canvass neighborhoods, informing tenants and trying to prevent evictions

Conor Morris

October 19, 2020 |

FreshWater Cleveland |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are using door-to-door campaigns to inform tenants about their rights if facing an eviction. Although evidence is limited about the success in preventing the evictions, some tenants have expressed that the outreach has helped them feel heard and many are more likely to show up in court.

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Billions in COVID Relief Has Gone to Farmers. Just Not Black or Family-Owned Farms in Appalachia.

Beth Ward

October 19, 2020 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kentucky

Several organizations — including the Kentucky Black Farmer Fund, Community Farm Alliance, and Black Soil: Our Better Nature — are working together to provide disaster relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic to Black farmers. They’ve been able to award 43 small farms with a one-time payment of up to $750, which was used to purchase equipment or personal protective equipment. That amount can only help them so much, but it’s a step in helping Black farmers receive federal aid, which they historically have been left out of.

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New York City's Right to Counsel law helps stem the epidemic of evictions, and provides a blueprint for Milwaukee

James E. Causey

October 16, 2020 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York's Universal Access to Counsel Law gives tenants who are facing economic hardship a right to free legal advice which increases the chance of winning their case in housing court. Landlords typically have legal representation in court but the overwhelming majority of defendants do not - leaving them at a distinct disadvantage and more likely to experience housing instability. The NY law has been a model for several cities with high eviction rates and can also serve as a blueprint to decrease high eviction numbers in Milwaukee. Of the tenants who utilized the legal services, 84% kept their housing.

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Equality of Opportunity

Sarah Aronson

October 13, 2020 |

Montana Free Press |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Crow Indian Reservation, United States, Montana

Legal challenges have protected Native voting rights since the 1980s, when districts diluting native votes were ruled unconstitutional and redrawn. In 2012, three tribes sued to increase access to registration and polling sites. The county settled, agreeing to open offices on two reservations two days a week. In 2018, tribal leaders challenged a law limiting the number of ballots someone could collect on behalf of others. A judge agreed that, by disproportionately suppressing Native votes, it was unconstitutional. The legal challenges increased voter turnout and helped elect more Native representatives.

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