A new issue brief from the Immigration Initiative at Harvard University explores the impact of toxic stress caused by family separation and child detention. In addition to offering insights on the science of toxic stress and what research has shown to result from childhood experiences of toxic stress, the brief also offers policy makers andRead More

A new report released by MDRC explores research findings from their evaluation of Learn and Earn to Achieve Potential (LEAP)™, an initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. LEAP is underway in 10 sites and aims to increase employment and educational opportunities for young people facing some of the greatest challenges on the path toRead More

An Urban Institute report reviews findings from an evaluation of Opportunity Works, a three-year collective impact initiative led by Jobs for the Future and based on their Back on Track framework which helps young people access postsecondary and career pathways. Opportunity Works was found to have a positive impact on college enrollment and involvement inRead More

Amanda Shabowich, Fellow for the Youth Transition Funders Group in the Economic Well-Being Working Group, recently developed a survival guide for young people to support them in navigating professional spaces. Amanda states “While there’s no roadmap or official guidebook for navigating professional spaces as Opportunity Youth, it’s definitely an ongoing conversation as more spaces welcomeRead More

Hundreds of resources are available to help foundations get started on the path to encouraging racial equity. So why does organizational change continue to move slowly? On April 23, join the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR) Live! as three prominent foundation leaders share their organizations’ efforts to advance racial equity—inherently tied to diversity and inclusion—throughRead More

As a part of the New York Times Magazine The Future of Work series, Matthew Desmond examines the importance of a living wage, and what happens to people and families when they don’t have the work or wages they need to get by. Read the article here.

On August 1, Chapin Hall released Missed Opportunities: Counting Youth Experiencing Homelessness in America. This fourth Research-to-Impact brief, part of the Voices of Youth Count initiative, presents lessons learned from conducting point-in-time counts of youth experiencing homelessness in 22 diverse counties across the United States. The report finds that although effective youth counts require extensiveRead More

FCWG member Casey Trupin recently authored an article for the American Bar Association, 20 Years of Lawyers Advocating for and with Youth Experiencing Homelessness, focused on the problem of youth homelessness and the role of attorneys, the legal system and advocacy in addressing it. He reviews the last twenty years of advocacy on behalf ofRead More

The Hechinger Report looks at how Broome Street Charter Academy, in New York City, is partnering with the Door — a well known community-based organization working with opportunity youth– to meet the educational and life needs of students experiencing homelessness.  

Even once students who are homeless reach college, their financial challenges follow. The numbers of college students experiencing homelessness and financial hardship is on the rise. A recent report from the Wisconsin HOPE lab found that one-third of community college students are hungry and 14 percent are homeless. Too often, students experiencing homelessness struggle to meet their basicRead More