Advocacy project: Families Living in Poverty

12/11/2019

Living in poverty can be a traumatic experience for children and their families. California's Surgeon General and pediatrician, Nadine Burke Harris outlines the physical and mental effects that trauma can have on children throughout their lives into adulthood in this Ted Talk

Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds acros...

12/10/2019

10 Policies to cut child poverty in half in 10 years:

1. Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
2. Expand Child Care Subsidies
3. Raise the Federal Minimum Wage
4. Implement the ‘WorkAdvance’ National Training/Employment Program
5. Expand SNAP
6. Grow the Housing Vouchers Program
7. Expand the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program
8. Create a Universal Child Allowance
9. Create a Child Support Assurance Program
10. Increase Immigrants’ Access to Safety Net Programs

For more detailed information on each, visit

A report by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine features 10 big policy areas that could cut the child poverty rate by up to 50%.

12/10/2019

"Why should a good education be exclusive to rich kids? Schools in low-income neighborhoods across the US, specifically in communities of color, lack resources that are standard at wealthier schools -- things like musical instruments, new books, healthy school lunches and soccer fields -- and this has a real impact on the potential of students. Kandice Sumner sees the disparity every day in her classroom in Boston. In this inspiring talk, she asks us to face facts -- and change them."

Why should a good education be exclusive to rich kids? Schools in low-income neighborhoods across the US, specifically in communities of color, lack resource...

12/10/2019

HSU Y.E.S House: Coming Soon Homelessness Network !!! Mission: "Homelessness Network is a program designed to offer assistance to homeless families in Humboldt County. The focus of attention is centered on the children to offer additional stimulus and educational exposure that may serve to peak their interests and nurture creativity and a love of learning...Volunteers work with children living at family shelter sites. They provide a variety of activities including reading books, acting out plays, art projects, and scientific experiments. Our goal is to encourage education, confidence, and leadership skills by introducing hands on exciting learning experiences." VOLUNTEER!!!!!

Contact them for more information: [email protected]

12/10/2019

Check out this document ! Child Data Snapshot- Humboldt County

12/10/2019

"The California Poverty Measure (CPM), a joint research effort by PPIC and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, is a more comprehensive approach to gauging poverty in California. It accounts for the cost of living and a range of family needs and resources, including social safety net benefits. According to the CPM, 17.8% of Californians (about 6.9 million) lacked enough resources to meet basic needs in 2017—about $32,500 per year for a family of four, nearly $7,600 higher than the official poverty line. Poverty was highest among children (19.3%) and lower among adults age 18–64 (17.1%) and those age 65 and older (18.5%). The overall poverty rate declined substantially in 2017, after two years with little improvement."

Nearly 20% of Californians lack enough resources to meet basic needs. Another one in five live very close to the poverty line.

12/10/2019

"Poverty can be described as “the state of one who has insufficient resources”. Poverty not only includes a lack of income, but also a lack of resources to ensure sustainable livelihood, such as food, clothing, clean water, and proper shelter. Poverty has many detrimental outcomes for children – hunger and malnutrition, ill health, limited or a lack of access to education and other basic services, just to name a few."(Understanding Child Poverty: Facts and Statistics)

12/10/2019

Want to donate toys or funds for children in need in Humboldt County? Visit

Welcome to the Humboldt and Trinity Counties Toys for Tots web application.This site is for school administrators and other organizations to provide information on families in need of toys.If you are new here, and you need to create an account to enter data, please register here.If you have already....

12/10/2019

Children living in poverty have an increase risk for mental illness due to prolonged and intense stress, which increases cortisol levels and consistently activates their "fight or flight" system. It is common for children to experience difficulties in self-regulation, creating meaningful relationships with peers, keeping their attention, and are more often impulsive (“Poverty and Child Health in the United States | American Academy of Pediatrics,” n.d.)

It is important to know that these are not intentional behaviors and important signs that care givers and child care professionals should look out for.

More information here:

Almost half of young children in the United States live in poverty or near poverty. The American Academy of Pediatrics is committed to reducing and ultimately eliminating child poverty in the United States. Poverty and related social determinants of health can lead to adverse health outcomes in chil...

12/10/2019

Legislature believes that focusing on the 7 areas of health, housing, workforce/education, early childhood, special populations like foster children, public assistance systems, and coordinating specifically anti-poverty services will change the poverty level in California for all children and families.

America’s most liberal state government has a far-reaching plan to do just that. But does it have the will to enact it?

12/10/2019

Typical middle-income American families spend 16% of all money toward their children on child care. That's about $12,980 annually spent on child care. For low-income families, finding affordable child care can be very challenging and can widen the gap of reduced household income.
(Source: https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/01/13/cost-raising-child )

Head Start and Early Head Start are free child care programs to families with low income who qualify. Early Head Start serves pregnant women and families with children 0-3 years old, while the Head Start program serves families with children 3-5 years old.

For more information on local services and enrollment, visit:

http://ncsheadstart.org/

“To nurture and empower the whole child and family, to enhance our quality of life, and create a more peaceful community.”

12/10/2019

What is the difference between poverty and deep poverty you might find yourself asking? Well, deep poverty is when income is 50% lower than the poverty threshold. With little to no resources as well. How is that livable? Learn more about what deep poverty looks like in California here at

As Californians are often reminded, the state is the fifth largest economy in the world and is currently enjoying a recovery from the Great Recession. However, with one of the highest child poverty rates in the country, California’s good fortune is not widely enjoyed. Under the Supplemental Povert...