News

Latest Coverage

Find the latest stories, research, and insights on policies, programs, and ideas shaping the national conversation on poverty and economic mobility.

In the News
Child and Youth Well-Being
2026
USDA Report Shows Nearly 50 Million Americans Facing Hunger
January 2, 2026

USDA Report Shows Nearly 50 Million Americans Facing Hunger

“The latest Household Food Security report released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) reveals that 47.9 million people lived in food-insecure households last year. These findings highlight a crisis that is set to deepen as

In the News
Child and Youth Well-Being
Economic Opportunity
Families
Homelessness
Housing
Ohio
2025
For Those Who Help The Poor, 2025 Goes Down As A Year Of Chaos
December 30, 2025

For Those Who Help The Poor, 2025 Goes Down As A Year Of Chaos

LOGAN, Ohio – Before dawn, in a cold, blustery drizzle, a line forms outside a small, squat building on an open stretch of road on the outskirts of town. “My heater quit working in my car,” Scott Skinner says good-naturedly to the next man in line. “Man, what kinda luck am I having.” The building is called “The Market” because it has a food pantry, but Skinner and the others are here to sign up for heating assistance. He’s been calling for a month to get an appointment with no luck, so he showed up an hour ago to snag […]

In the News
Health
Health disparities
Medicaid
Politics
Public Benefits
California
2025
Medicaid Plans Step Up Outreach Efforts Ahead of Coming Changes
December 26, 2025

Medicaid Plans Step Up Outreach Efforts Ahead of Coming Changes

In the News
K-12
2025
Kids' Share: Analyzing Federal Expenditures on Children
December 16, 2025

Kids' Share: Analyzing Federal Expenditures on Children

A new Urban Institute series looks comprehensively at trends in federal and state spending and tax expenditures on children—the kids’ share of public spending. Children can’t vote and they can’t lobby for public resources, but their well-being and development affect...

In the News
Child Tax Credit
Child and Youth Well-Being
Childcare
Families
Gender
Mississippi
2025
State Senate Group Vets Ideas For Improving Health of Women and Children in MS
December 12, 2025

State Senate Group Vets Ideas For Improving Health of Women and Children in MS

“Advocates and state agency directors pitched recommendations to Mississippi lawmakers Tuesday on how to prioritize legislative funds for the health and well-being of women, children and families during the upcoming legislative session.

In the News
Health
Health disparities
Politics
Public Benefits
Rural Areas
2025
Billions in Rural Health Care Funding Hinge on States Passing Trump-Backed Policies
December 8, 2025

Billions in Rural Health Care Funding Hinge on States Passing Trump-Backed Policies

“The Trump administration offered states a deal: pledge to enact White House-favored policies for a chance to win a bigger share of the $50 billion aimed at transforming the nation’s struggling rural health care systems.

In the News
Cities
Economic Opportunity
Entrepreneurs
Job Quality
Pathways to Employment
2025
Can Opportunity Zones Ever Meet Their Poverty-Fighting Promise?
December 5, 2025

Can Opportunity Zones Ever Meet Their Poverty-Fighting Promise?

“Douglas MacArthur famously told us that “old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” When it comes to urban reform schemes, that adage is about half right. They don’t die, but they don’t fade away either. They just change their names.

In the News
Families
Health
Health disparities
Medicaid
Medical debt
2025
Americans Are Buckling Under Medical Bills And It Could Get Worse
December 2, 2025

Americans Are Buckling Under Medical Bills And It Could Get Worse

“Charities that help people cover their medical bills say they’re seeing an alarming increase in requests for help.

In the News
Cities
Families
Health
Health disparities
Medicaid
2025
When Medicaid Cuts Hit, Urban Hospitals Could Be Hit Hardest
November 25, 2025

When Medicaid Cuts Hit, Urban Hospitals Could Be Hit Hardest

In the News
Cities
Economic Opportunity
Homelessness
Housing
Job Quality
2025
When The Employed Are Pushed Into Homelessness
November 24, 2025

When The Employed Are Pushed Into Homelessness

“In Atlanta, journalist Brian Goldstone introduces us to the intersection of Memorial Drive and Candler Road – the threshold of two neighborhoods. On one side: a liberal arts college and cafés. “And you cross over, and it’s dialysis centers, it’s liquor stores, it’s payday lenders,” he said. “Other areas of Atlanta are booming, but this area sort of stayed stuck in this period of decline. … The poor are out here on these peripheral areas.”

In the News
Child and Youth Well-Being
Gender
Health
Period poverty
Public Benefits
2025
Reps. Meng, Maloy Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Curb Period Poverty
November 21, 2025

Reps. Meng, Maloy Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Curb Period Poverty

In the News
Cities
Economic Opportunity
Entrepreneurs
Housing
Poverty Measurement
California
2025
Poverty Spikes in The Land of The Tech Billionaires
November 20, 2025

Poverty Spikes in The Land of The Tech Billionaires

“SAN FRANCISCO — It takes Tazo Stuart-Riascos 28,000 steps per day to make ends meet in one of America’s most unaffordable places.