News Roundup: Women and Poverty, Week Ending May 8

Below are the latest links to news items in the U.S. that discuss women and poverty. These are brought to you by Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, that has collaborated with the Women’s Funding Network to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Here are this week’s links:

• In an op-ed in the New York Times, Nicholas Kristof brings attention to the plight of poor, minority teen girls who become trapped in prostitution

• According to a study reported by the Miami Herald, black women are more likely to die of breast cancer, in part because of poverty

• As noted by the Kansas City Star, the recession has increased reports of domestic violence, with a local shelter reporting that most victims are low-income

• The Los Angeles Times highlights a rise in the increase in child support modifications, as parents losing income during the recession often find themselves unable to provide money owed to their children and former spouses, now often single mothers

• The St. Louis Post Dispatch covers a Habitat for Humanity project that brought together 650 women to build houses for people with low incomes

• A New York Times piece on the expanding role of community colleges notes that three-quarters of students at a school profiled in the article are women

• The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on a local organization that provides a variety of education and support services to low-income mothers

• In a report appearing in the Charlotte Observer, a free program brings nurses to low-income mothers

• The New Jersey Home News Tribune reports on a local community action program offering job training to women who have lost income from a spouse

• A Kansas City Star article focuses on a local woman who, herself having grown up in poverty, has founded and operates a community services organization

To learn more about Spotlight visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org

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This news roundup has been crossposted by Lisa Kays at Ask Us How: The Washington Area Women's Foundation blog.

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.