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Build, flood, rebuild: flood insurance's expensive cycle

David Hunn Ryan Maye Handy James Osborne

December 09, 2017 |

Houston Chronicle |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

What was originally conceived of to help protect homes from flooding has instead trapped homeowners in an endless cycle of filing claims and rebuilding their homes. The National Flood Insurance Program was supposed to discourage development in flooding zones and ease the costs after disasters. With lobbying money and power from developers, realtors associations, and others with vested interests, any opportunity to redesign the system through Congress have haven’t gone far.

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When Communities Say No One Should Stay in Jail Just Because They're Poor

Amy Roe

November 27, 2017 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

Across the United States, organizations like Southerners on New ground and the Bronx Freedom Fund are posting bail for individuals facing low-level offenses who cannot afford it on their own. Such initiatives have gained in popularity because of the Black Mamas Bail-Out, a coordinated effort during May of each year. In posting their bail, these organizations are working to equitably help people of color, who are disproportionately affected by the cash bail system.

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In Oregon, You Can Now Save for Retirement. Unless You Object.

Elizabeth Olson

November 17, 2017 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

More than half of Americans struggle - especially in recent years with considerable economic and political changes to systems like Social Security - to save for retirement, and it costs states millions in public assistance programs. Oregon is piloting a new solution where the government helps private companies facilitate a small, automatic deduction from employees paychecks and sets it aside into savings, which is proving especially helpful for small businesses in helping their workers plan for retirement.

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Free Money: The Surprising Effects of a Basic Income Supplied by Government

Issie Lapowsky

November 12, 2017 |

Wired |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cherokee, North Carolina

In North Carolina, the Cherokee tribe members receive cash payments every year from the revenue of local casinos. Native American reservations have one of the highest poverty rates in the country, but this payment has shown a positive impact on children's lives. As inequality increases, tech companies are advocating for "universal basic income," using the Cherokee community as a case study. More research needs to take place in order to define what the universal basic income will be, how people will respond to it, and what will be the overall effects.

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Can a Philly community bail fund fix our criminal-justice system?

Samantha Melamed

November 08, 2017 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Crowdfunding initiatives in Philadelphia offer an alternative to the cash bail process that disproportionately affects African Americans in problematic ways. “Community bail fund activists” raised almost $60,000 for Black Mama’s Bail-Out Day. Now, they are scaling the effort into a Philly Community Bail Fund to help not just Black mothers, but any of the poor, who are detained and kept away from their families and jobs while they await trial. Other crowdsourcing initiatives are springing up in the city, and all are needed to address the problem.

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The Compass, Making it Work: Navigating Kenya's Streets with Technology

Angela Saini

October 15, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

Entrepreneurs and startups in Kenya and India are finding success creating products that meet the needs of poorer citizens in those countries. This episode includes a story about a mobile phone app that tackles the difficulty of finding locations in Nairobi using GPS coordinates and a photo, a startup near Bengaluru, India that uses human ATMs to help rural residents access cash via mobile phones, and a Kenyan company building devices that create free public wifi.

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Giving Capitalism a Social Conscience

David Bornstein

October 10, 2017 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

A disproportionate of the world's money is concentrated in the pockets of a handful. Muhammad Yunus sees the importance of social business in helping change this trend and distribute wealth more evenly.

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Innovative but dull: disaster insurance is starting to pay off

Stefan Dercon

September 11, 2017 |

The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico

When disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, strike the recovery can be very expensive. Insurance has been found to be key in order to quickly get funds to help relief efforts.

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How good government can limit hurricane damage

Gregory Scruggs

September 07, 2017 |

Reuters |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

A look at how improved policies and procedures can help prevent the catastrophic amounts of property damage caused by the increasingly frequent "super storms" like hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Cities like New York and Philadelphia may offer creative development models that coastal cities in the path of future storms can emulate.

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D.C. offers amnesty to parents who are behind in child support

Michael Alison Chandler

September 07, 2017 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Billions of dollars in child support goes unpaid every year in the United States, but not all of those parents missing payments are negligent deadbeats - many are unemployed, incarcerated, or have disabilities that are prohibitive to earning enough money. A new amnesty program in Washington D.C. is taking a closer look at individual cases to determine which parents may just need an extra boost to help find a job or otherwise make their payments, and is forgiving debt while providing grants and other resources to help them support their children.

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