4.2
School of Social Policy & Practice
Impact of COVID-19 on homelessness
Impact of COVID-19 on homelessness
A new report coauthored by researchers at SP2 finds that COVID-19 could hospitalize some 21,295 people who don’t have housing, or about 4.3% of the nationwide homeless population.
Health equity in a time of global crisis
Health equity in a time of global crisis
Jennifer Prah Ruger discusses global health equity in a time of global crisis, why it matters for everyone, where U.S. policy is succeeding and failing, and what we need to do going forward.
A Q&A with Ben Jealous, former NAACP head turned tech investor
A Q&A with Ben Jealous, former NAACP head turned tech investor
The visiting scholar discusses the social innovation class he is teaching, plus why it’s key to focus on local civil rights victories and the need to take a long view of history.
Working on ‘the human side’ of heritable cancers
Working on ‘the human side’ of heritable cancers
How do you talk about cancer risk? How do you make major life decisions knowing you are likely to develop cancer? Allison Werner-Lin looks at these questions, studying the intersection of genetics and family life.
Reports from the humanitarian crisis on the Colombian border
Reports from the humanitarian crisis on the Colombian border
Master of Social Work Program student Patrick Ammerman, a 2019 Pulitzer Center fellow, spent more than two months reporting from the Venezuelan-Colombian border.
New intervention for ‘aging out’ youth from foster care
New intervention for ‘aging out’ youth from foster care
Caring Adults R Everywhere (C.A.R.E.), a social support program for young adults aging out of foster care, has released a new treatment manual designed to help practitioners build effective mentoring programs.
Side gigs for good, part three
Side gigs for good, part three
The final 2019 installment in our series highlighting impactful work Penn faculty and staff do.
The fight for global health equity
The fight for global health equity
In her book, “Global Health Justice and Governance,” Jennifer Prah Ruger of the School of Social Policy & Practice advocates “human flourishing” as a target for global health equity.
Homeward Initiative takes on the challenge of supporting homeless LGBTQ youth
Homeward Initiative takes on the challenge of supporting homeless LGBTQ youth
With his President’s Engagement Prize, May graduate Brendan Taliaferro is creating a nonprofit to provide housing and assistance for homeless LGBTQ youth in Philadelphia.
A philanthropic approach to strengthening democracy
A philanthropic approach to strengthening democracy
To counter hyperpartisanship and government gridlock in the United States, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s latest guide points to increasing civic engagement and reinvigorating local media.
In the News
The New Yorker
Imagining a justice-based health system
Jennifer Prah Ruger of the School of Social Policy & Practice was interviewed about health inequity in the time of the coronavirus. “We need to recognize, now more than ever, given this latest pandemic, that [science] is a major area for investment going forward,” she said.
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The New York Times
Congress addresses housing crunch amid coronavirus pandemic
Research led by Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice was cited. The study found that it would cost more than $11 billion to create enough housing units to support homeless people under the current conditions.
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The Guardian
One California mayor has tried universal basic income. His advice for Trump: ‘Think big’
Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice said those who received experimental basic income stipends spent 40% of the funds on food, highlighting the degree of food insecurity Americans have lived with since the 2008 recession.
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Newsweek
Coronavirus paid sick leave bill ‘does not go far enough’ and leaves many workers unprotected, economists warn
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the role of paid sick leave in preventing the spread of COVID-19. “Not paying sick leave may allow some businesses to stay afloat, instead of laying off everybody and therefore lowering employment,” she said. “But on the other hand this would spread the epidemic more, further compromising the economy and threatening the same businesses.”
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Coronavirus cash: Is now the time to ‘go big’ with a basic income relief package?
Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the cash-assistance program proposed by the Trump administration. “There has been a body of research that’s being built up in the policy space for a long time around the idea of cash transfers,” she said. “We know that’s the most efficient way to respond to natural disasters.”
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