IASP's Tatjana Meschede was asked to evaluate the Housing First for Homeless Families Program in Massachusetts' South Shore region. This two-year project will inform about the successes and challenges of this new model of prevention, diversion, triage, and housing stabilization.
On July 21, 2010, IASP's Tatjana Meschede was a keynote speaker at the national n4a (Advocacy, Action, Answers on Aging) conference in St. Louis, MO. Drawing from findings of three IASP studies, she spoke about economic challenges faced by seniors of color.
This IASP research brief reveals new evidence that the wealth gap between white and African American families has more than quadrupled over the course of a generation (1984-2007), demonstrating an escalating racial wealth gap.
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Webinar slides and recording.
CNN reported on this research on May 19. View the segment here.
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Severe Financial Insecurity Among African Americans and Latino SeniorsIASP and Demos report reveals that African Americans and Latinos are particularly at-risk of poverty and financial instability in their later years.
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Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment publishes IASP's Tatjana Meschede's research on chronically homeless street dwellers.
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IASP's newest project "Leveraging Mobility" will examine the importance of assets in families' lives over the last ten years. The project will include interviews of 180 families originally contacted in 1998 and 1999 in Boston, Los Angeles and St. Louis.
IASP's Thomas Shapiro's and Hannah Thomas' work on foreclosure and race has been published by the Kirwan Institute's initiative "The Future of Fair Housing."
New England Community Developments, published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, featured the Senior Financial Stability Index in its December 2009 issue.
IASP releases a new improved measure of asset poverty. This research and policy brief details the new measure, the Asset Security and Opportunity Index, and presents findings and implications for different household types and racial/ethnic groups.
The Institute on Assets and Social Policy is a research institute at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, dedicated to promoting a better understanding of how assets and asset-building opportunities improve the well-being and financial stability of individuals and families left out of the economic mainstream.
IASP pursues its mission through original research, policy analysis, program evaluation, technical assistance, community engagement, organizational capacity building, and leadership development to:
The Institute on Assets and Social Policy, in collaboration with our partner Demos, embarked on a three-year project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, examining the economic security and stability of America's middle class. The series to-date includes:
By a Thread: The New Experience of America's Middle Class, November 2007
By a Thread recommends policies to help open access to, and strengthen America's middle class. Legislative proposals in this report cover a range of important issues, including asset building and debt reduction, making higher education more accessible and affordable, and addressing the healthcare crisis. Report
Economic (In)Security: The Experience of the African-American and Latino Middle Classes, February 2008
By a Thread recommends policies to help open access to, and strengthen America's middle class. Legislative proposals in this report cover a range of important issues, including asset building and debt reduction, making higher education more accessible and affordable, and addressing the healthcare crisis. Report
From Middle to Shaky Ground: The Economic Decline of America's Middle Class, 2000-2006, November 2008
According to this new report, the third in a series based on the Middle Class Security Index, 76% of American middle class households are not financially secure. As the economy continues to rell, 4 million American households are either borderline or at high risk of falling out of the middle class altogether. Report
Living Longer on Less: The New Economic (In)Security of Seniors, January 2009
The new report by IASP and Demos finds 78% of all senior households are financially vulnerable when it comes to their ability to meet essential expenses and cover projected costs over their lifetime. Economic insecurity is particularly pronounced for single senior households - with 84% among them facing financial insecurity. Those sobering stats serve as an economic distress signal for older Americans and a wake-up call for younger and middle-aged Americans. Report
The Downslide before the Downturn: Declining Economic Security Among Middle Class African Americans and Latinos, 2000-2006, January 2009
According to this new IASP and Demos report, households of color suffer dramatic declines in middle class economic security. Report
Severe Financial Insecurity Among African American and Latino Seniors, May 2010
IASP and Demos release research findings that 91% of both African American and Latino seniors face financial vulnerability. Latest report cites lack of assets and housing expenses as leading causes for the high financial insecurity among seniors of color. Report