Happy new year. Now that the holidays are over, Moving Up USA is back in full swing with regular postings. It looks like 2009 should be a busy year for those of us who are interested in social mobility. This month we will swear in a new president who has vowed to create jobs, improve education, and take a new look at work-family balance. In fact, president-elect Obama is currently meeting with members of Congress, to promote his economic recovery package. (More on that later this week)

Today, however, let’s focus on some good news from Vermont. As of January 1, the Green Mountain State will no longer give “food stamps” but instead will enroll families in the “3Squares VT” program - think three square meals a day. This is much more than a name change. The new program will:

• Raise the eligibility ceiling from 130 percent of the federal poverty level to 185 percent of the federal poverty level, making more families and individuals able to qualify for the benefit;
• Remove the asset test so that families are no no longer discouraged from saving for college and retirement; and will
• Automatically enroll those who qualify for 3Squares VT in other programs such as free school and day care meals, and discount phone services.

Often people do not participate in food stamps because of the stigma it creates. According to Renee Richardson, director of the new program, raising the income limit will increase eligibility and reduce this stigma:

“That’s still lower income, but when you take away the onus of being the poorest of the poor, people realize, ‘This is for me!’”

Not only will this help more Vermont families in this economic crisis, but Vermont leaders believe that the new program can stimulate the state’s economy. 3Squares VT — and other state food stamp programs — are paid for completely with federal dollars. The governor’s office estimates that the expansion will bring an extra $12 million per year in food assistance and could infuse up to $22 million into the states economy.

Congressional leaders and President-elect Obama have said they want to include up to $200 billion in the Economic Recovery Package to assist revenue-strapped states. As states decide what to do with this money, they should consider follwoing Vermont’s lead.

Jane Black, of the Washington Post, reports that food stamp use is expected to exceed 30 million this month - a number higher than the historic increase after Hurricane Katrina.

Any doubt that the next stimulus package should include increased food stamp benefits should now be erased.

“We soon will have the most food stamps recipients in the history of our country,” said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, a D.C.-based anti-hunger policy organization. “If the economic forecasts come true, we’re likely to see the most hunger that we’ve seen since the 1981 recession and maybe since the 1960s, when these programs were established.”

Earlier this month Obama’s new Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel said:

“Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste….They are opportunities to do big things.”

When Congress returns to session, they should heed their former colleague’s advice and think big on ending domestic hunger.

Since Thursday is Thanksgiving, it seems particularly fitting to stick with a hunger theme this week. Today’s Baltimore Examiner, brought good news for families in Maryland. Governor Martin O’Malley has partnered with Share Our Strength, a non-profit organization based in Washington DC, to give children in his state greater access to nutritious meals.

More than 184,000 children go hungry in Maryland. This new partnership will invest $4.5 million existing federal dollars to fill this nutrition gap.

The goals of the new program are to significantly increase participation in the four basic nutrition programs: school breakfasts, lunches, the summer food service program when school is out, and the child and adult care food program, which operates through licensed child-care centers.

Yesterday, I wrote about our most recent “Memo to the Next President” on ending childhood hunger. One of the five policy recommendations includes the formation of creative partnerships between government, non-profit and religious groups. Maryland is already leading the way and can serve as a model for the entire country.

On a side note, I enjoyed reading this part of the article:

O’Malley was at a Democratic Leadership Council conference in Nashville in 2007 when he first heard about the plans for the new program. He took out his BlackBerry and immediately text messaged Debbie Shore, co-founder of Share Our Strength, based in Washington, to say he wanted Maryland to be first. Shore and O’Malley worked together in the 1984 presidential campaign of former Sen. Gary Hart.

The conference mentioned is our annual National Conversation, which brings together elected officials from all over the country to brainstorm and share ideas. It’s always rewarding to see ideas move into action.

As promised on Friday, our latest “Memo to the Next President” is by Joel Berg and Tom Freedman on ending domestic childhood hunger.  36 million Americans, including 12 million children have been classified as food insecure.  But even though these numbers are startling and depressing, we can fix it. How do we bring the troops home from Iraq? What is the best way to reduce green house emissions? Those are hard questions. How do we end childhood hunger? We have the tools and know-how to do that. Berg and Friedman note:

This is no quixotic venture. It can be accomplished by reforming existing programs and with some new spending, most of which would go into the expansion of school meals and food stamp benefits targeted at children.

They outline a five part plan to help President-elect Obama meet his goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015.

Step 1: Provide all children with a free school breakfast. Most low-income students are eligible for free- or reduce-priced school breakfast but do not take advantage of it because of stigma and availability. Adopting a universal school breakfast policy will feed more low-income children and produce positive effects throughout the entire school. Furthermore, it can save schools time and money through reduced paperwork and bureaucracy.

Step 2: Improve program accountability and efficiency. The application process for food and nutrition programs is too complex. Berg and Friedman argue that the Obama administration should combine the food stamp program with other nutrition programs to:

This will create administrative efficiencies, widen eligibility, and boost participation.

Step 3: Support Working Families. Berg and Friedman argue that we can’t end childhood hunger without making sure parents earn a decent wage. Therefore, we should expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and index the minimum wage to inflation.

Step 4: Reward Best Practices in the States. Provide bonuses to states that are particularly successful and innovative in reducing hunger.

Step 5: Provide Real Ammo for the Armies of Compassion. Berg and Friedman believe the government must form creative partnerships with non profit and religious groups to not only feed more people, but help break the cycle of poverty.

Read the entire memo here.

One of PPI’s dear friends and well known anti-hunger warrior, Joel Berg, has released a timely new book in which he offers a blueprint to end domestic hunger. In All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America, Joel suggests how President-elect Obama and the new Congress can immediately offer relief to the millions of Americans who have been forced to join the lines at soup kitchens and food pantries in urban, rural and even suburban communities across the country.

Joel has an extensive background in hunger issues, working for the Clinton Administration in the Department of Agriculture and as executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. And for those who know him, his passion for the issue is unparalleled. Therefore, it was no surprise to read this review:

With the biting wit of Supersize Me and the passion of a lifelong activist, Joel Berg has his eye on the growing number of people who are forced to wait in the nation’s modern breadlines. All You Can Eat reveals that hunger is a problem as American as apple pie and shows what it is like when your income is not enough to cover rising housing and living costs and put food on the table at the same time. Berg takes to task politicians who remain inactive; the media, which ignores hunger except during holidays and hurricanes; and the food industry, which makes fattening, artery-clogging fast food more accessible to the nation’s poor than healthy fare. He even chides organic food gurus such as Michael Pollan and Alice Waters for claiming that the recent increases in food costs are a positive development at the same time as low-income American are unable to afford enough healthy food.

If you are in the DC area, you should stop by Joel’s two book events on Monday:

DC Central Kitchen
10:00 am   425 2nd Street NW

Busboys and Poets
6:30 pm   1025 5th Street NW

Also, stay tuned for a “Memo to the Next President” that he co-authored with Tom Freedman on how the new Obama Administration can take steps to end domestic child hunger.

Today, the US Department of Agriculture released a report showing that 11.1 percent (13 million households) struggled to provide food for themselves and their families at some point during 2007. Of the 13 million food insecure households, 4.7 million had very low food security meaning:

the food intake of some household members was reduced and their normal eating patterns disrupted because of the household’s food insecurity.

In other words, 4.7 million households went hungry at some point during the year - a population that has steadily grown over the last decade.

The number of hungry children also risen. During 2007, 691,000 children faced low food security, an increase of 60 percent since 2000.

Unfortunately these numbers understate the actual amount of hunger today, because they were taken before this year’s sharp economic downturn.

Democratic lawmakers have pushed for a second stimulus package that includes more money for food stamps.  The chances of passing the bill during this lame duck session are slim, but let’s hope today’s news will spur them to action.

Today’s post in the “What Works Wednesday” series focuses on universal school breakfast.

Numerous studies have shown the importance of a balanced breakfast. Children who skip breakfast and experience hunger are more likely to have slower memory recall, score lower on math and cognitive tests, and exhibit behavioral and emotional problems. So it makes sense then, that kids who eat breakfast have improved cognitive function, attention and memory, score better on math and vocabulary tests and are more likely to participate in classroom activities.

Children from low-income families are most likely to skip breakfast, which serves to exacerbate the achievement gap. Even though low-income students are eligible for free breakfast, many do not participate because of accessibility (not every school offers free breakfast) and because of the stigma associated with accepting government provided meals. According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):

Only 44 children eat federally-funded free or reduced price school breakfasts for every 100 who receive free or reduced price school lunch.

However, school districts that provide universal breakfast have a much higher breakfast participation rate. Portland, Oregon has a 98 percent participation rate. Newark, New Jersey serves breakfast to 94 percent of their students. Both school systems have universal free breakfast that is served in the classroom.

Schools that serve universal breakfast have fewer behavior problems and students that are more focused and ready to learn. But there are also other financial benefits. First, a universal policy eliminates bureaucracy and reduces paperwork, saving districts time and money. Also, as the U.S Conference of Mayors notes:

The good news is that school breakfast is a low-cost intervention. When schools reach 80 percent participation, the program pays for itself. And more importantly, school breakfast brings in significant federal dollars into cities and towns that are facing shrinking budgets and severe state cutbacks. With schools under pressure to find innovative and inexpensive ways to demonstrate high performance, it only makes sense for schools to take full advantage of this program.

Universal breakfast not only ensures that every child, regardless of his or her socioeconomic status, starts each day with a nutritious meal, but it also frees up family discretionary income. As the economy continues to sour and pocketbooks tighten, this is a policy everyone can get behind.

In the second part of the Veterans Day series, let’s take a look at the complicated maze returning service members must complete in order to get medical care. More than 30,000 troops have been wounded in action in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - a figure than some think has been underestimated. This mass of people returning from war has oversaturated the military and veterans’ health care systems, leaving many wounded soldiers to receive inadequate care or fall through the cracks altogether.

Currently, 1.8 million veterans lack health insurance due to changes in VA eligibility rules. Almost 400,000 veterans are waiting on their disability claims to be processed, and 83,000 have been waiting for six months or more.

Not only have some service members experienced delayed care from the DOD and the VA systems, but those making the transition from the military to the VA have found themselves lost in the maze of complicated paperwork. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) notes:

The military and the VA have separate health care systems and separate disability benefits systems, each with an exceptionally complicated and confusing bureaucracy.

The problem is so severe that the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, often described as “the investigative arm of Congress,” listed “better health care for service members” among its list of thirteen top priorities for the next administration:

While improvement efforts have started, identifying and treating service members for specific combat-related health conditions, providing timely and accessible disability services, and addressing continuity of care issues are critical challenges facing our nation and will require sustained attention, systematic oversight by the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA), and sufficient resources.

Veterans and their families should have every opportunity to move up the social mobility ladder. Yet, with out the critical first step of medical care and rehabilitation, achieving the American Dream becomes much harder.

Tomorrow, on Veterans Day, we as a nation will unite to honor the men and women who have served in America’s armed forces. Unfortunately, many of our soldiers and their families do not get the supports they deserve for so bravely serving our country. At the same time, long deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have put a greater strain on military personnel and their families alike.

This week I will focus on issues facing Veterans and their families, specifically the problems that often put roadblocks in the way of social mobility. Up first: mental health care.

It is estimated that 1.5 million veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Check out some of these statistics from this report by the IAVA:

• Multiple tours and shorter times between deployments increase the likelihood of combat stress by 50 percent.
• 27 percent of soldiers report that they are currently planning a divorce.
• Two-thirds of veterans report they have family adjustment problems.
• Increased deployments have lead to an increase in child abuse.
• 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were treated at the VA for substance abuse problems.
• The suicide rate for active duty soldiers is at the highest level in 26 years.

While one in three Iraq veterans will face sever psychological injury only about half will seek medical care. One reason is in the military, and society at large, mental illness still caries a stigma. On Saturday the AP reported:

Despite efforts to reduce the stigma of getting treatment, officials say they fear generals and other senior leaders remain unwilling to go for help, much less talk about it, partly because they fear it will hurt chances for promotion.

That reluctance is also worrisome because it sends the wrong signal to younger officers and perpetuates the problem leaders are working to reverse.

But reluctance among service members is not the only reason. The systems in place to catch and treat mental health issues are failing:

Instead of screening returning troops through a face-to-face interview with a mental health professional, the DOD relies on an ineffective system of paperwork to conduct mental health evaluations. There are significant disincentives for troops to fill out the forms accurately, and those who indicate they need care do not consistently get referrals. In addition, access to mental health care is in short supply. According to the Pentagon’s Task Force on Mental Health, the military’s “current complement of mental health professionals is woefully inadequate.” Moreover, 90 percent of military psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers reported no formal training or supervision in the recommended PTSD therapies.

Effective treatment is also scarce for veterans who have left the military….The veterans’ mental health system is simply overwhelmed by the influx; waiting lists now render mental health and substance abuse care “virtually inaccessible” at some clinics, according to the VA’s own experts. The VA has exacerbated the shortage by consistently underestimating the number of new veterans who would need care, and by failing to spend millions earmarked by Congress for mental health treatment.

President-elect Obama has pledged to improve mental health care for service members and their families. The new administration has an ever growing list of challenges to tackle in January, but this is one that mustn’t be overlooked. President Obama should use his bully pulpit to reduce the stigma that still clings to mental illness. He should also work with mental health care providers across the nation and ask them to donate their time and services to helping our wounded troops.

When writing about social mobility and the problems facing low-income families, the news is often bad. With the economy in the pits, it would be easy to throw our hands in the air and accept defeat. But we can’t tire and must not forget that there are good people on the ground and in government who work every day to make life better for all Americans. So today I am going to start a new series of posts called “What Works Wednesdays.” Every Wednesday I will put the bad news aside and focus on proven programs that help families across the country.

Today, let’s take a look at the proven Nurse-Family Partnerships program that pairs registered nurses with low-income, first-time mothers to foster positive health and development behaviors between the mother and her baby. According to their website:

It is during a first pregnancy that the best chance exists to promote and teach positive health and development behaviors between a mother and her baby.

This 30-year model has a proven track of success. One study of mothers and babies who participated in the program found that when the children reached 15 there was a:

• 48% reduction in child abuse and neglect
• 59% reduction in arrests
• 90% reduction in adjudications as PINS (person in need of supervision) for incorrigible behavior

The program also:

• Improves prenatal health;
• Decreases the likelihood of childhood injuries;
• Decreases the number subsequent pregnancies;
• Increases the intervals between births;
• Increases maternal employment; and
• Improves school readiness for children born to mothers with low psychological resources

Many reputable, bi-partisan policy organizations have praised the Nurse-Family Partnership program and called for its expansion, including The Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation and the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy.

Additionally, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have pledged to, “expand the highly-successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all 570,000 low-income, first-time mothers each year.”