Despite popular rhetoric and policy initiatives in support of consumer-friendly services and greater individual choice, many city residents with developmental disabilities still struggle with unemployment, segregation and services tailored to the broad-brush needs of the population, not to individual people. Will the latest state efforts to encourage person-centered planning open up valuable new alternatives?
Read MoreNew York's Family Court ensures neither fair representation nor timely decisions in cases involving the most cherished and personal aspect of our lives, the relationships between parents and their children. This winter, new state legislative mandates, the impact of the Nixzmary Brown case and new initiatives at the city's Administration for Children's Services have converged to put new pressures on this overstressed institution.
Read MoreOver the past year and half, the state legislature and Governor Pataki have modified New York’s Rockefeller Drug Laws. How effective have thosechanges been? Is further reform needed? What else could be done to improve the state’s drug policies, increase access to treatment for offenders and make alternatives to incarceration more meaningful and effective?
Read MoreStudents with too few credits, who have discipline problems or who lose interest in school often drop out or are placed in alternative programs. Not surprisingly, young people of color are most likely to leave school without a degree and end up in poverty – and sometimes in prison. How can the city’s schools better engage disconnected students?
Read MoreHIV infection rates have declined in other high-risk populations, yet new HIV and AIDS cases among black women and Latinas in New York State have more than tripled in the last 15 years. Women of color now account for 85 percent of women in the state living with HIV/AIDS. Nearly half of the females newly infected with HIV are teens and most of the rest are women aged 20 to 24.
Read MoreNew York City has begun to revamp sex education in the public schools, creating a new health curriculum as well as an HIV/AIDS education program. Are the city schools doing all they can to prepare young New Yorkers for safe sexual lives? What do parents, students and teachers think of the changes? How is our city’s experience in keeping with national trends while bucking others?
Read MoreThe stereotypes and statistics of single motherhood in low-income urban neighborhoods are familiar enough. But what is the reality of these young women's lives, and why do so many postpone marriage – or avoid it altogether – but not childbearing? Kathryn Edin, co-author of Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage, joins us to discuss her book.
Read MoreNew York City went from a dire fiscal crisis in 2002 to an estimated surplus of almost $2 billion this year. After years of austerity, higher revenues may spark demands for tax cuts and new spending. As the mayor prepares his Fiscal 2007 budget proposal, we consider how political leaders, business, labor and the nonprofit sector will respond.
Read MoreThe Bloomberg administration has overhauled its after school policies, consolidating all out of school time programs under the Department of Youth and Community Development and bringing new providers into the mix. The city aims to save money, expand services and improve access in underserved communities.
Read MoreIn this election year, why have some issues been politically charged while others remain off the agenda? Have the mayoral candidates offered meaningful visions of the future? What are the most pressing problems facing the next administration – and have the candidates offered valid solutions?
Read MoreMayor Bloomberg and the NYC Administration for Children's Services have announced a broad expansion and realignment of child care and early education programs. The new system aims to pull together disparate parts, simplify enrollment, improve accountability-and eventually increase dramatically the number of children taking part.
Read MoreThe Bloomberg administration has invested new dollars and creativity in preventing family homelessness. As the number of families in shelter begins to drop, what more can New York do to help families stay in their homes and out of crisis? In a new report, the Center for NYC Affairs proposes the city unify its many family support programs to institutionalize a neighborhood-based safety net.
Read MoreWith Medicaid expenses accounting for one-third of NYS's budget and still rising, there has been much debate about how to control costs while recognizing the vital importance of the Medicaid program. This explored the political feasibility of major reform of Medicaid, including the possibility of a State take-over of Medicaid spending, as well as long term care and other issues relevant to Medicaid-related spending.
Read MoreEvery morning, hundreds of recent immigrants converge on street corners throughout the city in search of work. The jobs can be dangerous, but the pay is not bad, and most laborers earn enough to support families back home. Who are New York's day laborers? What are their working conditions? Is New York unique?
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