WAMU's DCentric points to a recent study that shows when poor people are given housing subsidies to move to a middle class neighborhood, they're 5 percent less likely to be obese than if they hadn't moved, or had been given housing subsidies, but remained in a poor neighborhood.
Elahe Izadi concludes:

Even if a neighborhood has plenty [...]

According to the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, the new census data shows some serious, entrenched poverty in the District. The numbers are brutal—especially for those living in Ward 7 and Ward 8. More than one in four children in D.C. are living in poverty, the data shows. The poverty rate among children rose from roughly [...]

I guess I didn't get the memo.
Apparently, this is not the time to ask Councilmember Marion Barry or his staff about Sharon Bowen. Barry paid Bowen $50,000 to work on poverty issues in 2007 and 2008. Bowen was another Barry girlfriend.
Why not today? HBO is premiering a documentary on Barry's life. It's either that or [...]

In reporting out our story on Sharon Bowen, a woman linked professionally and personally to Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry, it was difficult to figure out what she exactly did for the residents of the District.
Between spring 2007 and spring 2008, Barry had awarded her $50,000 in taxpayer-funded contracts. From our sources, we kept hearing [...]

Contrary to predictions made in this space recently, last night's BCS championship game telecast on Fox-5 was NOT overrun with commercials for CashPoint.
That's a locally-based financial outfit that hands out quick cash loans — with no credit check — to any sad sack who turns over a car's title and a spare key.
I missed most [...]

The season's final BCS game comes with Thursday's Florida/Oklahoma matchup.
If past is prologue, those viewing the alleged national championship game on the local Fox affiliate better be prepared for a barrage of wonderfully underproduced and low-aiming commercials for an outfit called CashPoint.
That's a Virginia financial firm that gives equity loans to car owners.
The best/worst of [...]

Earlier this week, the New York Times published a fascinating piece about a California couple who tried to live for a month on a $1-a-day food budget. Their mission was certifiably insane, but their motivation was noble. After all, as reporter Tara Parker-Pope noted, "The World Bank says nearly a billion people around the world [...]