By Mel Wilson, NASW Senior Policy Advisor In recent years, voter roll purges— by many states— have emerged as a contentious issue in American electoral politics. States often argue that these purges are necessary to maintain the reliability of their voter rolls and to...
Voting rights advocates say purges are a tool to suppress voting
The conditions of the rural white working class and poor have been receiving increased attention lately. What do we really know about this demographic? Studies of their conditions could help illuminate their lives and highlight the social needs of this population. In...
The “feminization of homelessness” is a growing social problem. In 2010, the last year for which such data were available, 37.2 percent of all homeless people were in families with children, and the overwhelming majority of these families were female-headed. Group...
It’s known that depressed parents may negatively influence the well-being and outcomes of their children. However, prior research has mostly addressed mother's depression rather than the father’s; furthermore, the research has mostly addressed effects on early...
Social workers work with clients who face various disadvantages due to social stigma, discrimination, and oppression. These disadvantages range from race, to ethnic origins, to gender, to sexual orientation, and beyond. One important factor in social stigma and...
May is National Foster Care Month, a time to raise awareness on the plight of children and youth in the foster care system. There are approximately 400,000 children and youth in foster care because their own families are unable to provide for their essential...
Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters to occur in the continental United States, and the effects of this disaster are felt to this day. Social workers played a vital role in the recovery efforts following Katrina, and important lessons...