Past Articles by Pam Fessler
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Can Federal Funds Help Social Service Groups Work Smarter? The Obama administration's Social Innovation Fund has spent millions to help scores of nonprofits develop innovative solutions to pressing social problems. While participating groups say they're helping thousands of people, it's not yet clear what the government is getting for its money. |
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Can Federal Funds Help Social Service Groups Work Smarter? The Obama administration's Social Innovation Fund has spent millions to help scores of nonprofits develop innovative solutions to pressing social problems. While participating groups say they're helping thousands of people, it's not yet clear what the government is getting for its money. |
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Can Federal Funds Help Social Service Groups Work Smarter? The Obama administration's Social Innovation Fund has spent millions to help scores of nonprofits develop innovative solutions to pressing social problems. While participating groups say they're helping thousands of people, it's not yet clear what the government is getting for its money. |
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Can Federal Funds Help Social Service Groups Work Smarter? The Obama administration's Social Innovation Fund has spent millions to help scores of nonprofits develop innovative solutions to pressing social problems. While participating groups say they're helping thousands of people, it's not yet clear what the government is getting for its money. |
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Komen Cancels Charity Races In Several Cities One of the foremost breast cancer charities, the Susan G. Komen foundation, has canceled important fundraising walks in Washington, D.C., and other major cities next year. |
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Komen Cancels Charity Races In Several Cities One of the foremost breast cancer charities, the Susan G. Komen foundation, has canceled important fundraising walks in Washington, D.C., and other major cities next year. |
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Komen Cancels Charity Races In Several Cities One of the foremost breast cancer charities, the Susan G. Komen foundation, has canceled important fundraising walks in Washington, D.C., and other major cities next year. |
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Komen Cancels Charity Races In Several Cities One of the foremost breast cancer charities, the Susan G. Komen foundation, has canceled important fundraising walks in Washington, D.C., and other major cities next year. |
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Komen Cancels Charity Races In Several Cities One of the foremost breast cancer charities, the Susan G. Komen foundation, has canceled important fundraising walks in Washington, D.C., and other major cities next year. |
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Komen Cancels Charity Races In Several Cities One of the foremost breast cancer charities, the Susan G. Komen foundation, has canceled important fundraising walks in Washington, D.C., and other major cities next year. |
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'Please, No More Clothes': Relief Groups Ask For Cash As residents of Moore work toward recovery after Monday's deadly tornado, supplies are pouring in from across the country. Volunteers and relief organizations are sifting through everything from diapers to food and teddy bears. But the groups say what's really needed is the flexibility of money. |
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House, Senate Consider Cuts In Food Stamp Program Both the House and Senate are considering farm bills that would cut spending on food stamps, one of the most expensive government programs. But people disagree on how much the changes would affect recipients. |
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Advocates Struggle To Reach Growing Ranks Of Suburban Poor The number of poor people living in America's suburbs now surpasses those in cities or rural areas. Long focused on the urban poor, social service agencies are now trying to respond to the basic needs of a much more far-flung population. |
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Advocates Struggle To Reach Growing Ranks Of Suburban Poor The number of poor people living in America's suburbs now surpasses those in cities or rural areas. Long focused on the urban poor, social service agencies are now trying to respond to the basic needs of a much more far-flung population. |
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Sequester Puts Some Needing Housing Aid 'Back To Square One' Housing authorities across the country have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with across-the-board spending cuts. Many newly issued vouchers have been rescinded, leaving some people homeless or doubled up with family and friends. |
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Sequester Puts Some Needing Housing Aid 'Back To Square One' Housing authorities across the country have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with across-the-board spending cuts. Many newly issued vouchers have been rescinded, leaving some people homeless or doubled up with family and friends. |
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Sequester Puts Some Needing Housing Aid 'Back To Square One' Housing authorities across the country have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with across-the-board spending cuts. Many newly issued vouchers have been rescinded, leaving some people homeless or doubled up with family and friends. |
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Changes Help San Diego Homeless, But Long Road Remains Ahead Advocates for the people living on the city's streets were very skeptical two years ago that much could be done. But some substantial progress has been made since then. Now, as new people turn to the streets, can the county still help? |
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Obama Forms Presidential Commission To Study Voting Problems President Obama commented on the long lines for some voters during his re-election acceptance speech last November. And at his State of the Union address, he promised to seek solutions. The new commission will make recommendations to states, but it will not have the power to enforce any changes. |
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Obama Forms Presidential Commission To Study Voting Problems President Obama commented on the long lines for some voters during his re-election acceptance speech last November. And at his State of the Union address, he promised to seek solutions. The new commission will make recommendations to states, but it will not have the power to enforce any changes. |
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Free Tax Help Protects Low-Income Filers From Pricey Loans As this year's tax deadline approaches, hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans are relying on free services to help with returns. The services are an alternative to schemes that often prey on people who need quick cash. |
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Free Tax Help Protects Low-Income Filers From Pricey Loans As this year's tax deadline approaches, hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans are relying on free services to help with returns. The services are an alternative to schemes that often prey on people who need quick cash. |
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Health Problems Compound For Aging Homeless Tony Lithgow and Andrea Mayer live under a highway overpass in Baltimore. They're among a growing number of the nation's homeless who are reaching what's called "premature old age." They're in their late 40s and 50s, but suffer from ailments more common for those in their 70s. |
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'We Shouldn't Have To Live Like This' If you're homeless, you can be on your feet for hours, forced to sleep in the frigid cold, or seriously ill with no place to go. But increasingly, the nation's homeless population is aging — more than half of single homeless adults are 47 or older. Linwood Hearne, 64, and his wife have been homeless for four years, sleeping near Interstate 83 in Baltimore. |
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Aging Homeless Face More Health Issues, Early Death More than half of the nation's single homeless adults are 47 or older. And as they age, the list of their ailments grows longer — blood clots, chronic pain, exposure, diabetes. Experts say the cost to society, especially for health care and social services, could mushroom. |
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Aging Homeless Face More Health Issues, Early Death More than half of the nation's single homeless adults are 47 or older. And as they age, the list of their ailments grows longer — blood clots, chronic pain, exposure, diabetes. Experts say the cost to society, especially for health care and social services, could mushroom. |
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'We Shouldn't Have To Live Like This' If you're homeless, you can be on your feet for hours, forced to sleep in the frigid cold, or seriously ill with no place to go. But increasingly, the nation's homeless population is aging — more than half of single homeless adults are 47 or older. Linwood Hearne, 64, and his wife have been homeless for four years, sleeping near Interstate 83 in Baltimore. |
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Advocates Warn Sequester Could Mean Big Cuts For The Low-Income Those who serve low- and middle-income people warn that cuts required by the looming sequester will hurt programs that many Americans rely on, like meals for seniors, heating assistance and nutritional aid for expectant mothers. But supporters of the sequester say those fears are overblown. |
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Advocates Warn Sequester Could Mean Big Cuts For The Low-Income Those who serve low- and middle-income people warn that cuts required by the looming sequester will hurt programs that many Americans rely on, like meals for seniors, heating assistance and nutritional aid for expectant mothers. But supporters of the sequester say those fears are overblown. |
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President's New Voting Commission Greeted With Skepticism So far, there are few details about the new commission aimed at fixing problems at the polls. But the reaction from voting-rights advocates has been lukewarm at best, while Republicans have been dismissive. |
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President's New Voting Commission Greeted With Skepticism So far, there are few details about the new commission aimed at fixing problems at the polls. But the reaction from voting-rights advocates has been lukewarm at best, while Republicans have been dismissive. |
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Fixing Long Lines At The Polls May Be Harder Than You Think President Obama is expected to once again address Election Day problems in his State of the Union address, this time with some possible solutions. But some worry that involving Congress will just make things worse. And one MIT professor says it's not yet clear what would fix the problem. |
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Fixing Long Lines At The Polls May Be Harder Than You Think President Obama is expected to once again address Election Day problems in his State of the Union address, this time with some possible solutions. But some worry that involving Congress will just make things worse. And one MIT professor says it's not yet clear what would fix the problem. |
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Study: Nearly Half In U.S. Lack Financial Safety Net In his inaugural address, President Obama envisioned a nation where even "the poorest child knows she has the same chance to succeed as anyone else." But a new report finds that 44 percent of Americans do not have the savings to cover basic expenses for three months if they lose their income. |
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Study: Nearly Half In U.S. Lack Financial Safety Net In his inaugural address, President Obama envisioned a nation where even "the poorest child knows she has the same chance to succeed as anyone else." But a new report finds that 44 percent of Americans do not have the savings to cover basic expenses for three months if they lose their income. |
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Turning The 'Day Of Service' Into A Longer Commitment Hundreds of thousands of people are participating in volunteer activities nationwide in honor of President Obama's second inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. But with budgets tightening and volunteerism stagnant, nonprofits hope they'll get a more permanent boost. |
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The 'Second Disaster': Making Well-Intentioned Donations Useful After a crisis, not all of the help that's given is necessary: People send stuffed animals when they should be sending diapers. New ways of managing donations are now getting the appropriate help to the right people. |
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Thanks, But No Thanks: When Post-Disaster Donations Overwhelm It happens after every disaster. People want to help, but their donations often turn out to be a burden. Newtown, Conn., for example, was so inundated with gifts, it asked people to stop sending them. Instead, disaster aid groups are trying to figure out a better way to channel good intentions. |
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Thanks, But No Thanks: When Post-Disaster Donations Overwhelm It happens after every disaster. People want to help, but their donations often turn out to be a burden. Newtown, Conn., for example, was so inundated with gifts, it asked people to stop sending them. Instead, disaster aid groups are trying to figure out a better way to channel good intentions. |
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Storm Pummels Nation's Midsection As It Heads East Bad weather was making its way across the eastern part of the U.S. on a busy post-Christmas travel day. Hundreds of flights were canceled and roads were treacherous in many East Coast and Midwestern states. |
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'Giving Tuesday': The Start Of A Holiday Tradition? A coalition of more than 1,400 charities is launching Giving Tuesday to jump-start end-of-year giving. They're taking off on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to motivate donors at a time when the outlook for giving remains lackluster. |
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'Giving Tuesday': The Start Of A Holiday Tradition? A coalition of more than 1,400 charities is launching Giving Tuesday to jump-start end-of-year giving. They're taking off on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to motivate donors at a time when the outlook for giving remains lackluster. |
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Want To Help Sandy Victims? Send Cash, Not Clothes Lots of people and companies are making donations to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy, but food and clothing aren't always the most helpful things. Most charities would prefer money so they can target help to the greatest needs. |
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Fixing Long Election Lines May Be Easier Said Than Done President Obama, in his victory speech, noted that the hours voters had to wait in line are something "we have to fix." One solution: Spend more on equipment and poll workers. But that would be tough in this fiscal climate. Another is to expand early voting. But states such as Ohio have had their early-voting laws challenged in court. |
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What If There's No Winner? Presidential Campaigns And Their Lawyers Prepare With the presidential election looking to be very close, the outcome could come down to relatively few votes in a battleground state. That has the political parties, state election offices and lawyers for the campaigns preparing a post-Tuesday strategy. |
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Watchdog Groups Prep For Voter Intimidation, Fraud Both conservative and liberal groups are preparing to monitor the Nov. 6 elections. They're all looking to report any transgressions they may see on Election Day. |
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Florida Officials Investigate Fake Voter Eligibility Letters It's a sign that Election Day is getting closer: increasing reports of efforts to intimidate or mislead voters. Letters from an unknown source have been sent to voters in at least 20 Florida counties questioning their citizenship and eligibility to vote. |
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Swing-State Billboards Warning Against Voter Fraud Stir Backlash Civil rights groups and Democrats complain that the billboards - many located in black, Hispanic and student-dominated neighborhoods - are meant to intimidate voters. The source of the billboards is an anonymous "private family foundation." |
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Candidates' Views On Poverty Get Little Attention Neither President Obama nor Republican Mitt Romney has focused much attention on the poor. They've talked about creating jobs and opportunity, but mostly for the middle class. Advocates say Obama's stimulus spending has helped, but Republicans argue that government aid helps keep people in poverty. |
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Voter Registration Deadlines Begin Passing This Week 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. |
