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• In Search of Security — When finding housing is a job in itself

  Piazadora and her son

  Six years ago I went into the New York City shelter system. For 11 months, I searched for apartments like crazy. I had few options. I had just come out of a psychiatric hospital. I... Read More

• Broke and Alone — It wasn’t love that made me open the door to my daughter’s unstable father

  When I was 23 and my doctor told me I was pregnant, I put my head down and burst out crying.

  A piece of me felt grateful that God chose me to bring life into the world. But I also felt... Read More

• No Room for Families — How the housing crisis contributes to kids entering foster care

  Worrying about where your family will sleep while fearing the removal of your child is a burden that parents increasingly carry. In 2015, more than 200,000 families with children experienced homelessness in this country.

  Here, Ruth White, Executive Director... Read More

• When Ends Don’t Meet — Lack of affordable housing can affect the strongest families

  When my son Remi was 2, he was taken from me for three years. I felt so much hate and fear.

  When he returned home, I was ready to create a loving, stable environment for him. I wanted to know... Read More

• Step-by-Step Financial Independence

  Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) in Boston pairs low-income parents with professionals to support them in gaining the resources and skills needed to attain financial self-sufficiency. Nicki Ruiz de Luzuriaga, Associate Vice President of Capacity Building for EMPath, explains how... Read More

• Safe Inside — I’m helping my son feel secure despite difficult conditions

  Sara and her son

  Last year I reunified with my son, Aaron, who spent his first two years in foster care. Aaron is now 4 years old with curly brown hair, brown eyes and a smile that makes... Read More

• Trapped — I know what my son and I need but I can’t afford it

  My son was two when I aged out of foster care. Soon I was going to college full time, working 40 hours a week and paying my own child care. Things were easier when I had the group home... Read More

• What is Neglect?

  The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) defines child neglect and abuse as: “Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm,... Read More

• The Do’s and Don’ts of Parenting While Poor

  Parents struggling to provide for their children are often surprised to learn that gaps in basic care such as inadequate food, clothing, and safe, stable housing can result in allegations of neglect and child removal.

  Here, social worker Rick Barinbaum... Read More

• ‘Poor’ Parenting— When poverty is confused with neglect

  For poor parents, life often feels like an avalanche of misfortunes that invites judgment, mistrust and even charges of neglect.

  Here Daniel Hatcher, author of “The Poverty industry: The exploitation of America’s most Vulnerable Citizens”; Carlyn Hicks, director at mission... Read More

• The Price of Parenting While Poor

  For many parents living in poverty, the shame and powerlessness that come along with struggling to provide basic necessities for their kids are intensified by the reality that being poor increases their families’ risk of facing allegations of neglect.

  In... Read More

• Girl Gone — When life dealt me a hard blow, CPS took my daughter

  On August 25, 2015, I experienced a parent’s worst nightmare. I arrived at my daughter’s bus stop to pick her up only to find out she was not on it. It’s a horrible feeling not knowing where your child... Read More

• Poverty and a series of bad decisions led to my daughter’s adoption

  In 2005, I fell in love with a woman and moved across the country to be with her.

  But when we arrived in California, she and I and her little girl, Casey, were cramped up living with friends. Eventually, we... Read More