Of Note

Now Hiring: Communications Director CPPP is hiring a Communications Director to start between August 1 and September 2, 2008. Applications are due at the close of business on Friday, June 6.
> more What Does It Really Take to Get By in Texas? It’s been well documented that the federal poverty level doesn’t accurately measure today’s cost of living. But what does it really take to get by in Texas?
> more A Guide Through the Matrix of HHSC Contracting CPPP has created a contracting matrix that describes major HHSC contracting opportunities related to the delivery of health and human services.
> more Proof of Citizenship for Medicaid: Tell Us Your Stories! Please let us know if you or someone you are helping has had Medicaid delayed or denied because of Medicaid's new proof of citizenship requirement.
> more Problems Enrolling in Public Benefits? If you or someone you are helping is having problems enrolling for benefits through Texas' new eligibility system, please let us know.
> more Promoting Prosperity for Texas: The Role of State and Local Governments This ten-minute video by Executive Director Scott McCown is designed for you to use to teach others about the funding challenges facing Texas. There's no waiting--the video begins instantly.
> more

INITIATIVES

Texas Finish Line Campaign

The Center for Public Policy Priorities, together with the Children’s Defense Fund of Texas, Texans Care For Children, and a collaboration of business, community, faith, and health care leaders from across Texas, are partners of the Texas Finish Line Campaign. The goal of the campaign is to ensure that every Texas child has affordable, comprehensive health insurance. For more information about the campaign, visit www.texaskidswin.org.

Working Poor Families Project

Since 2002, CPPP has been the Texas partner of the Working Poor Families Project (WPFP). WPFP is a national initiative focused on state workforce development policies involving education and skills training for adults, economic development, and income and work supports. Using a data-driven approach, WPFP works with state nonprofit organizations to strengthen economic conditions and state policies affecting working families. You can learn more about the Working Poor Families Project at www.workingpoorfamilies.org.

Kids Are Waiting

CPPP is the Texas partner of Kids Are Waiting, a national, nonpartisan campaign dedicated to reforming the foster care system so that all foster children can have the safe, permanent families they deserve. The campaign is led by The Pew Charitable Trusts in collaboration with leading local, state, and national child welfare, adoption, family, and judicial organizations. You can learn more about Kids Are Waiting at www.kidsarewaiting.org. You can learn more about The Kids Are Waiting My Story Project, an opportunity for foster youth to create photo and video expressions of what foster care reform would mean in their lives, at www.pcsao.org/mystoryproject.htm.

Home at Last

CPPP is the Texas partner of Home At Last: Moving Children in Foster Care to Safe, Permanent Families (HAL), an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. HAL is a national and state public education and outreach campaign about the recommendations to enhance federal financing and court oversight of child welfare cases made by the blue-ribbon Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. HAL focuses on the court recommendations—facilitating better and timelier court decisions related to children’s safety, permanence, and well-being.

Family Asset Building Project

The Center for Public Policy Priorities has launched its Family Asset Building Project, an effort to help low-and moderate-income families build financial security through assets, savings, and financial literacy.

Family Security Index

The Family Security Index details the cost of essential items that various types of families require to sustain a basic, yet safe and decent, standard of life in regions throughout Texas.

Texas Fragile Families

The Texas Fragile Families Initiative (TFF) is an innovative state-wide demonstration project designed to facilitate the development of community-based services for young, low-income fathers as they support the emotional, physical, and financial needs of their children. TFF concluded its eleven-site statewide demonstration project in June 2004. This website provides information gathered during the three-year initiative, including the TFF Final Evaluation report and other resources related to best practices for work with fragile families and responsible fathers. TFF was developed through the partnership of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and the Center for Public Policy Priorities.

To read more about TFF, please visit http://www.texasfragilefamilies.org/.