Poverty and Class

A Black parenting program is federally approved but underfunded, as strict evidence rules and bureaucracy block access to prevention dollars meant to reduce foster care disparities.

Adult literacy challenges deepen health inequities, limit opportunity and are linked to incarceration. Even so, efforts to boost literacy remain underfunded and underreported.

An entire gambling ecosystem operates with virtually no federal guardrails, and a generation is growing up with casinos on their phones.

Deep research, human-centered reporting and "maniacal" organization helped a reporter tell a pivotal story about thwarted change in the child welfare system.

In Nevada, homelessness rarely alone leads to child removal, but rising housing instability increasingly delays reunification and compounds other risks, highlighting gaps in affordable housing and prevention resources.

Clark County’s family shelters, created from former motels, are keeping unhoused families together, diverting thousands of children from foster care and saving millions by addressing housing as prevention.

In Washoe County, families who accept county-paid motel rooms when shelter beds run out are automatically referred to child welfare. Critics say the policy can deepen fear and stigma — and highlights how scarce affordable housing pushes families closer to CPS.

Rides to Care, run by the Detroit Health Department, has completed more than 20,000 rides since the program’s inception last year, officials say.

Without access to a car, transportation alternatives can be unaffordable or inconvenient.

In Detroit, lack of transportation leaves patients vulnerable, but new initiatives aim to bridge the gap.