Social Workers Breaking Barriers for Kids

March is National Social Work Month! The theme for 2023 is Social Work Breaks Barriers. Did you know there are over 750,000 social workers in the nation?  Social workers have a responsibility to serve others through lenses of compassion, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Social workers implement their core values of service, social justice, the importance of human relationships, dignity and worth of the person, integrity, and competence into their job duties every day.  With so [...]

Celebrating Much Needed KTAP Updates

Every parent knows that raising kids is expensive, and access to cash is essential to ensuring families can afford everyday expenses and weather emergencies. This is especially true for families in poverty, whose already tight budgets have been disproportionately impacted by rising inflation.  The Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP) provides this direct cash support to Kentucky families living in deep poverty and kinship caregivers while also connecting families to workforce education and training programs and [...]

By |2023-03-29T16:32:17-04:00March 29th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security|

Slam Dunks for School Nutrition

For most Kentuckians, March brings up thoughts of basketball and brackets.  For our school nutrition professionals and students, however, March is the home of National Nutrition Month.  The USDA school nutrition programs, like the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, are a slam dunk for Kentucky kids, ensuring they have access to at least two meals a day during the school year. With over 1 in 6 Kentucky kids not having enough to [...]

By |2023-03-23T13:15:01-04:00March 23rd, 2023|Blog, Economic Security, Education, Health|

Statement on Passage of HB 21 by the Senate Transportation Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – No matter what homelessness looks like for a young person – doubling up with friends and family to living in a hotel or shelter to living on the streets – they lack a fixed address and face significant barriers to accessing essential documents. With passage of House Bill 21 today by the Senate Transportation Committee, the Commonwealth [...]

Statement on Passage of HB 21 by the Kentucky House

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Youth experiencing homelessness while unaccompanied by an adult deserve the ability to find stability and escape poverty, yet they face significant barriers required to obtain essential documents, such as an ID. House Bill 21, sponsored by Representative Randy Bridges, seeks to address just that by updating Kentucky’s homeless ID law to allow unaccompanied homeless youth to get [...]

Statement on Passage of HB 21 by the House Transportation Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – An ID is necessary to drive a car, get a job, open a bank account, apply for government benefits, sign a lease, qualify for a loan, pick up a prescription, and even access homeless shelters. Yet, young people experiencing homelessness face challenges to obtaining this form of identification, such as parental consent requirements. House Bill 21, sponsored [...]

Statement on Approval of Updated KTAP Regulations by the Kentucky General Assembly

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kinship families across the Commonwealth are giving three cheers for the approval of the updated KTAP regulations, which boost supports for the first time in decades. The Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (KTAP) is a vital support that helps Kentucky families in deep poverty and kinship caregivers overcome barriers to employment, such as a lack of training or [...]

Celebrating the 2023 Champions for Children

Elected leaders and advocates step up for Kentucky kids in countless ways every day, especially in Frankfort throughout the legislative session. During Children’s Advocacy Week, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners in the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children present Champion for Children awards to honor those state leaders, advocates, and young people for their efforts. At this year’s Rally for Kentucky Kids, we honored the following community leaders and young people with Champion for Children awards for their advocacy [...]

Governor Beshear and Senator Raque Adams Join Hundreds of Youth and Advocates for Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol

Louisville, KY – Hundreds of youth advocates from across Kentucky are convening this week for Children’s Advocacy Week. They are urging elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, a unified agenda for child advocates across the Commonwealth. Today, youth, state leaders, and advocates gathered in the Capitol Rotunda for the Rally for Kentucky Kids – the first in-person rally with child advocates since January 2020. “Each year, Children’s Advocacy Week is a time for youth, parents, social workers, [...]

Efforts to Improve Kentuckians’ Ability to Find Safe, Stable Housing

Kentucky kids and families need a safe, stable home in order to thrive. However, the rising cost and declining supply of housing has made it difficult for 43% of Kentucky renters to find safe, stable housing. For many of these families, a job loss or medical emergency could put them at risk for eviction or homelessness, seriously impacting their long term economic, food, and housing security. This is especially true for families of color, who [...]

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