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Center for Social Policy John W. McCormack Graduate School University of Massachusetts, Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125-3393 Phone: (617) 287 5550 Fax: (617) 287 5544
PUBLICATIONS
*Please click on the links for the full reports (in
pdf format).
- A Policy Brief: Massachusetts (T)AFDC Case Closings, October 1993- August 1997
In 1998, Center staff analyzed 47 months of welfare case closures using data from the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). In Spring 1998, CSP issued a policy brief that summarized these findings and included written commentaries from four stakeholders in the welfare reform debate: the DTA; Academic Working Group on Poverty; Homes for Families; and Mass Law Reform.
This report includes a summary of a portion of the census findings, compares these to other homeless data collection efforts, and then goes on to describe related information about Boston's homeless families. Finally, the homeless family data is analyzed to identify trends in the characteristics of these families over time.
CSP, in collaboration with the UMass Boston Gaston Institute's Center on Community Economic Development recently completed a study commissioned by a coalition of community based organization in the Malden, Everett and Medford area of Massachusetts. These two centers joined forces in an integrated research effort to identify strategies for enabling high-risk community residents to secure employment from prospective employers in telecommunications industries who are seeking workers in the Tri-City area.
- A Snapshot of Individuals and Families Assessing Boston's Emergency Homeless Shelters, 1997
In March 1997, through a contract with the City of Boston, CSP staff carried out a survey with the network of shelter programs serving homeless individuals and families in the City. The purpose of this survey was to collect uniform information from a representative sample of persons who resided in shelters. Questions related to the impact of cuts in welfare and other public assistance programs for homeless individuals and families were included in the survey instruments.
- AIDS Housing In New England. A Report prepared for AIDS Housing Corporation
This report addresses the twin themes of housing and health conditions for people living with AIDS in New England. These themes meet in the work of New England's AIDS housing agencies. These agencies shelter a population that has multiple, complex and often challenging needs. To better meet these needs, it is vital to understand present conditions and past trends in AIDS, housing market dynamics, and the capacity and constraints of AIDS housing providers. More specifically, this report addresses the following issues of demand for and supply of housing for people living with AIDS:
- Health Needs: the epidemiology of AIDS in New England
- Housing Needs: the impact of the housing market on patients and providers
In an effort to understand changes in use of emergency services following sweeping 1995 welfare reforms in Massachusetts, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston examined statewide economic, employment, income, and housing conditions as well as the use of emergency services, focusing primarily on housing and food assistance.
This Center study reports that the process of applying for Food Stamps is daunting for many applicants. Limitations in the Department of Transitional Assistance’s locations and office hours (no weekend or evening hours) pose a challenge for working families. The lengthy application, the wait to see caseworkers and their often unwelcoming attitude, and the lack of sufficient bilingual staff all pose additional barriers. Study data show that here in Massachusetts Food Stamps are available for eligible families, but not easily accessible. Though recognizing the importance of having Food Stamps, families question whether having this benefit is worth the hassle.
The aim of this report is to support North Shore efforts to build a regional approach to housing. The report explores the housing needs of people who are caught in the squeeze between low incomes and high housing costs. The report has two goals:
- to provide information for understanding the need to expand below market rate housing;
- to illustrate that need by providing detailed documentation on the situation in Gloucester, Peabody, and Salem.
The report is not intended to propose solutions, but to provide groundwork for solutions.
In November 1995, when the state's welfare reform measures were initially being implemented, CSP staff, in collaboration with the UMass Boston Center for Survey Research, completed a statewide study focused on understanding the linkage between family violence and receipt of welfare. This study was the first survey in the nation to involve a representative sample of a state's total AFDC caseload.
- No Place Like Home
This report on housing needs of Cohasset senior residents grew out of
the work
of the Housing Sub-Committee of the Council on Elder Affairs. The Sub-Committee
was created by the Council following a Fall 1998 town meeting vote disapproving
reuse of a former school site as condominiums for Cohasset senior residents.
It was the sense of the Council's Board that "there exists a need
for
housing options in town for seniors who are 'house rich and cash poor',
who are struggling with rising taxes and upkeep costs, perhaps are on
fixed incomes, and would like to downsize but do not have affordable options
in town and therefore are moving elsewhere and leaving the community."
This report assesses the housing needs of senior residents of the town.
In an effort to understand the impact of welfare reform on nonprofit agencies and the clients they serve, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston examine the structures, operations, and service delivery patterns of emergency service providers. The study explores these agencies in six Massachusetts communities, focusing primarily on those addressing the emergency housing and food needs of low-income families. The researchers find that despite agencies doing their best to respond to client needs, many families, regardless of location, still face many difficult issues. Clearly, welfare reform has resulted in some increased need for emergency food and housing resources among many low-income families, whether working or still receiving cash assistance.
This study, commissioned by a statewide coalition of grassroots organizations advocating for affordable housing and income support for low-income populations in the State, examined policy, funding, and caseload changes between 1990-1996 for thirteen different housing, income support, and homeless assistance programs in Massachusetts
Released in Fall 2000, UMass housing specialists, researching the status of housing in Massachusetts. Center staff in collaboration with Dr. Michael Stone, researched the portions of the study related to housing for populations with special needs and housing affordability.
The United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB) Success By 6 initiative is engaged in an advocacy effort aimed at improving the quality of health care for child care providers in the state. To inform its efforts, UWMB contracted with the Center for Social Policy at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston to analyze data from a statewide survey of 1,600 child care providers. The survey sought information in four major areas: access to health coverage and affordability; emergency room usage; the role of state funding; and staffing and retention.