Another product of the recession: more runaways

The New York Times has published a long, disturbing look at the growing number of runaway children in the U.S. It's a trend driven at least in part by the recession, according to the Times:

"Over the past two years, government officials and experts have seen an increasing number of children leave home for life on the streets, including many under 13. Foreclosures, layoffs, rising food and fuel prices and inadequate supplies of low-cost housing have stretched families to the extreme, and those pressures have trickled down to teenagers and preteens."

The Times says this article is the first in a two-part series.

One-third of nonprofits worried about closing

When times are tough, families often turn to nonprofit agencies for help. But up to one-third of the nonprofits in the Hartford region say the recession is putting such a squeeze on them that they worry it will force them to shut their doors in the coming year.

In a survey by the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut, one in three executives for nonprofits operating in the chapter's 40-town service area said they were either “concerned” or “very concerned” that they might close in the coming year, according to the Hartford Business Journal.

As the Journal puts it, the recession has dealt nonprofits "a double whammy": Demand for their services has soared, but funding from corporations, the government, and individuals is down. Two out of three survey respondents said their agencies will be affected by government budget cuts next year.

Jarmoc on children and the recession in HBJ

The Hartford Business Journal has published an op-ed article by Representative Karen Jarmoc of Enfield on the recession's effects on Connecticut children and on the Children in the Recession Task Force, which she co-chairs.

"We cannot turn back the realities thrust upon so many Connecticut families by the collapse of our economy," she writes. "What we can do is take action and work to turn the tide to decrease the number of children and families who fall into a lifetime of poverty."

Read the article on the HBJ website or download a PDF copy.

Recession prompts Congress to bump nutrition spending

Nutrition spending by the federal government, including spending on food stamps and school lunch programs, would rise by $6.6 billion under a bill approved Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The increase, for the fiscal year that began October 1, reflects the impact of the recession, according to the Reuters news agency.

Reuters reports that of the $82.8 billion in nutrition spending contained in the bill, child nutrition programs would get $16.9 billion, an increase of $1.9 billion from fiscal 2009. The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food program would get $7.25 billion, up $398 million.

The bill moves on to the Senate.

Children in the Recession Task Force holds first meeting

The Speaker's task force met for the first time on Tuesday, and there's lots of material from it. You'll find it on the Commission on Children's website, at www.cga.ct.gov/COC/taskforce_092909.htm. We'll be adding to it for the next few days, so check back!