Pam Fessler

Can Federal Funds Help Social Service Groups Work Smarter?

Pam Fessler — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:20:00 +0000

When President Obama first took office in 2009, he had an idea called the Social Innovation Fund.

"We're going to use this fund to find the most promising nonprofits in America," he said when announcing the plan. "We'll examine their data and rigorously evaluate their outcomes.

Overshadowed By Moore, Carney, Okla. Recovers From Twister

Pam Fessler — Mon, 27 May 2013 08:47:00 +0000

Moore, Okla., has gotten the lion's share of resources and attention following last week's tornado. A tornado hit Carney, Okla., last week too. No one died in Carney, but three dozen homes were damaged or destroyed — a big blow to a tiny town.

'Please, No More Clothes': Okla. Asks For Monetary Donations

Pam Fessler — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:55:00 +0000

The tornado that devastated much of Moore, Okla., has drawn loads of donations from across the country: food, clothing, medical supplies, toys. Much of it is needed by the victims, but not everything.

After every disaster, relief groups usually ask for one thing: money. But writing a check or texting a donation isn't always that satisfying for those who want so desperately to help.

Advocates Struggle To Reach Growing Ranks Of Suburban Poor

Pam Fessler — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:07:00 +0000
Poverty has grown everywhere in the U.S. in recent years, but mostly in the suburbs.

Sequester Puts Some Needing Housing Aid 'Back To Square One'

Pam Fessler — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:56:00 +0000
Congress decided last week to ease the effects of the across-the-board federal spending cuts on travelers upset over airport delays. But low-income Americans who rely on government housing aid are still feeling the pain.
Housing authorities across the country have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with the cuts known as sequestration.

Changes Help San Diego Homeless, But Long Road Remains Ahead

Pam Fessler — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:46:00 +0000
Two years ago, we reported on an ambitious campaign to end homelessness in downtown San Diego, a city with one of the largest homeless populations in the nation. The effort involved an unprecedented coalition of business leaders, community groups and government agencies.
At the time, some advocates for the homeless — after years of seeing other, failed efforts to get people off city streets — were skeptical that the campaign would amount to much.

Obama Forms Presidential Commission To Study Voting Problems

Pam Fessler — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:54:00 +0000
President Obama has established a new bipartisan commission on election administration, something he promised to do in his Feb. 12 State of the Union address. He signed an executive order Thursday making it official.
The Presidential Commission on Election Administration is being headed by two longtime Washington attorneys, Bob Bauer and Ben Ginsberg. Bauer was general counsel to the president's re-election campaign and is also Obama's former White House counsel.

Free Tax Help Protects Low-Income Filers From Pricey Loans

Pam Fessler — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:15:00 +0000
As this year's tax deadline approaches, hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans are relying on free services to help them with their returns.
Tax preparation fees — even a few hundred dollars — can be a burden for those living on the margins. And taxpayers desperate for cash can fall prey to high-cost loan offers that eat into their refunds
At the free tax-preparation site at the main library in Washington, D.C., about 30 taxpayers wait for help from volunteers.
Millicent Gamble is hoping for a big refund this year.

Health Problems Compound For Aging Homeless

Pam Fessler — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:23:00 +0000
Tony Lithgow and Andrea Mayer have been living under a highway overpass in downtown Baltimore since last year. He's 49 and has been homeless on and off for eight years. She's 51 and has been homeless for 10 years.
Living on the streets has clearly taken a toll on the couple, both physically and mentally. While they're standing at a corner waiting for a free city bus to take them to a soup kitchen, Tony shouts at a passenger staring at them from a car stopped at the light.
"We're homeless!" he calls out to the man.
Andrea tries to get him to stop, but Tony is on a roll.

Aging Homeless Face More Health Issues, Early Death

Pam Fessler — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:24:00 +0000
If aging is not for sissies, that's especially true if you're homeless. You can be on your feet for hours, or forced to sleep in the frigid cold or seriously ill with no place to go. But, increasingly, the nation's homeless population is getting older. By some estimates, more than half of single homeless adults are 47 or older.
And there's growing alarm about what this means — both for the aging homeless and for those who have to foot the bill.

Advocates Warn Sequester Could Mean Big Cuts For The Low-Income

Pam Fessler — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 23:14:00 +0000
Many programs affecting low-income Americans — like food stamps, Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families — are exempt from across-the-board spending cuts set to go into effect March 1.
But many other programs are not, and that has service providers scrambling to figure out how the budget stalemate in Washington might affect those who rely on government aid.
Kathy Yowell is sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of her living room, waiting for her daily delivery from Meals on Wheels of Takoma Park, Md.

President's New Voting Commission Greeted With Skepticism

Pam Fessler — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:33:00 +0000
One of the more memorable moments in President Obama's State of the Union address this week was his introduction of an elderly woman sitting in the House gallery. The president said that Desiline Victor had to wait three hours last year to vote in North Miami.
"Hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line to support her," Obama said. "[Because] Desiline is 102 years old. And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read, 'I Voted.' "
But Obama's plan to fix the problem — setting up a presidential commission — hasn't gotten many cheers.

Fixing Long Lines At The Polls May Be Harder Than You Think

Pam Fessler — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:45:00 +0000
Minutes after he was re-elected in November, President Obama vowed to fix the long lines that many voters faced at the polls. He mentioned the problem again in his inaugural address. And now, the president is expected to raise it once more in the State of the Union address on Tuesday — this time with some possible solutions.
When Obama made his initial vow after midnight on election night, some Miami polling places had just closed — after voters stood in line for six, seven, even eight hours to cast ballots.

Study: Nearly Half In U.S. Lack Financial Safety Net

Pam Fessler — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 06:42:00 +0000
In his inaugural address, President Obama talked about a country where even "a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else." But in reality, that's not always the case.

Turning The 'Day Of Service' Into A Longer Commitment

Pam Fessler — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:38:00 +0000
This weekend, hundreds of thousands of people — including President Obama and his family — are participating in volunteer activities around the country. Saturday's National Day of Service kicks off the president's second inauguration and honors the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday.
As budgets tighten and personal schedules fill, nonprofits are looking for new ways to attract extra helpers, and organizers for the national event hope it will lead to a permanent boost in volunteerism.
Willingness To Give Back
Volunteers, by their very nature, are an upbeat crowd.

The 'Second Disaster': Making Good Intentions Useful

Pam Fessler — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:33:00 +0000
Among the donations that poured into the American Red Cross building after the earthquake in Haiti three years ago was a box of Frisbees. In a flood of well-intentioned but unneeded donations, this box stuck out to Meghan O'Hara, who oversees in-kind donations for the organization.
O'Hara says someone clearly wanted to help — the person mailed the box from Germany — but all she could think was, "Wow.

Thanks, But No Thanks: When Post-Disaster Donations Overwhelm

Pam Fessler — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:11:00 +0000
Newtown, Conn., was so inundated with teddy bears and other donations after last month's school shootings that it asked people to please stop sending gifts. Relief groups in New York and New Jersey are still trying to figure out what to do with piles of clothes and other items sent there after Superstorm Sandy.
It happens in every disaster: People want to help, but they often donate things that turn out to be more of a burden.

'Giving Tuesday': The Start Of A Holiday Tradition?

Pam Fessler — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:16:00 +0000
First, there was the post-Thanksgiving sales spectacle Black Friday and then the online version, Cyber Monday.

Want To Help Sandy Victims? Send Cash, Not Clothes

Pam Fessler — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:25:00 +0000
Whenever there's a disaster, people want to give, and Hurricane Sandy is no exception. According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, U.S. charities collected more than $174 million in donations as of Nov. 9 to help respond to the storm.
But it's not only money that has been pouring in.

Storm-Battered Food Banks Struggle To Help The Hungry

Pam Fessler — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:11:00 +0000
Food banks in New York and New Jersey were already hard-pressed to meet the demands of families struggling with a bad economy. Add to that a natural disaster and the upcoming holidays, and they're looking at a whole new set of challenges.
Preparation did help some organizations. Five days before Superstorm Sandy hit the Jersey Shore, the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties got its new generator up and running. Thank goodness for that, says Executive Director Carlos Rodriguez.
"Our freezer was full of turkeys.

Fixing Long Election Lines May Be Easier Said Than Done

Pam Fessler — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:27:00 +0000
Although voting problems in Tuesday's election were fewer than some people had expected, there were extremely long lines at many polling sites; so many that President Obama noted them in his victory speech.
"I want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether you voted for the very first time, or waited in line for a very long time," he said, adding, "by the way we have to fix that."
But fixing that might not be so easy. Just minutes before Obama spoke those words early Wednesday, the last voters were casting ballots in Miami-Dade County, Fla.

Voting By Email In New Jersey Runs Into Snags

Pam Fessler — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:47:00 +0000
Melissa Block talks with Pam Fessler about voting issues that arose on Tuesday.

What If There's No Winner? Presidential Campaigns And Their Lawyers Prepare

Pam Fessler — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:13:00 +0000
The presidential race is expected to be extremely close, and that has a lot of people nervous about what it will mean for election night.
Does it mean that the vote count could drag on for days, or even weeks, as it did in 2000?
Lawyers for the campaigns, the political parties and state election offices are preparing for the possibility.
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted could very well be the man in the middle of any election night storm.

Large Power Outages Raise Concerns For Election Day

Pam Fessler — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 21:17:00 +0000
Transcript
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
And I'm Audie Cornish.
Looming over the recovery from Super Storm Sandy is what to do about next Tuesday's election?

Watchdog Groups Prep For Voter Intimidation, Fraud

Pam Fessler — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:02:00 +0000
Concerns about problems at the polls appear to be greater and coming earlier than usual this election year.

Florida Officials Investigate Fake Voter Eligibility Letters

Pam Fessler — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:16:00 +0000
It's a sign that Election Day is getting closer: increasing reports of efforts to intimidate or mislead voters. Florida officials say they're now investigating fake letters that have been sent to voters in at least 20 counties questioning their citizenship and eligibility to vote.
The letters look official, with an eagle and flag logo at the top. They appear to be signed by the local supervisor of elections, although they're not.

Swing-State Billboards Warning Against Voter Fraud Stir Backlash

Pam Fessler — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:46:00 +0000
Dozens of anonymous billboards have popped up in urban areas in the crucial battleground states of Ohio and Wisconsin. The signs note that voter fraud is a felony, punishable by up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Civil rights groups and Democrats complain that the billboards are meant to intimidate voters.
The billboards began appearing two weeks ago — 85 of them in and around Milwaukee, and an additional 60 in Cleveland and Columbus.

Candidates' Views On Poverty Get Little Attention

Pam Fessler — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 20:17:00 +0000
The nation's poverty rate is as high as it's been in almost two decades. Last year, 1 in 6 Americans was poor — more than 46 million people, including 16 million children.
But on the campaign trail, the issue of poverty has received surprisingly little attention.
When he first ran for president, Barack Obama went to a low-income neighborhood in Washington, D.C., and spoke passionately about hunger and poverty. He repeated Bobby Kennedy's question in 1967: "How can a country like this allow it?"
"The most American answer I can think of to that question is two words: We can't.

Voter Registration Deadlines Begin Passing This Week

Pam Fessler — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:31:00 +0000
If you want to vote in the November elections and you aren't registered yet — you'd better hurry. The registration deadline in five states is this weekend. By the following weekend, the deadline will have passed in more than half the states.
By some estimates, about a quarter of all eligible voters in the United States are not registered.

Citing 'Zero Tolerance' For Voter Fraud, RNC Fires Firm Over Florida Questions

Pam Fessler — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:01:00 +0000
A big embarrassment came this week for the Republican Party, which has made voting integrity and fighting voter fraud a major issue.
A consulting firm hired by the Republican National Committee to register voters in five battleground states has been let go after one of its workers apparently submitted over 100 questionable registration forms in Florida's Palm Beach County.
The party severed its ties with the firm — Strategic Allied Consulting — because it has "zero tolerance" for voter fraud, said RNC spokesman Sean Spicer.
"We take allegations of anything that would undermine the integr