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Supplemental Poverty Measure: Understanding the change in rural (non-metro) poverty estimates

From Housing Assistance Council (HAC) 

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released a new “supplemental” poverty measure. This new measure represents a Census Bureau attempt to address some of the limitations associated with the official poverty estimate measure, which was created in the 1960s. It should be noted that the supplemental measure is not intended to replace the current and official poverty measure, which an estimated 82 federal programs use as a factor in allocating funding. Read more>>

Former pineapple plant continues to bear fruit

By Jennifer Siegel, RCAC rural development specialist - housing
and Kevin Baughman, RCAC rural development specialist - environmental 

When a longtime pineapple producer closed operations and departed from Kunia, Hawaii, in 2008, the future of the affordable housing units on the site was in doubt. Under the terms of the decades-old land lease, the housing was required to be demolished and the land returned to its original state. To read this article and others on successful projects that have improved opportunities for both affordable housing and water and waste services for low-income rural families and communities, download the joint issue of Rural Matters and Rural Voices, entitled “Housing and Water: The Critical Connection” >>

Postal service delays closing processing centers and post offices

By Tiffany Hsu, The Los Angeles Times  

The beleaguered U.S. Postal Service is putting off plans for heavy cuts as it waits for Congress to decide whether to afford it more autonomy. The Postal Service, has been losing money for five years, and had plan on shutting more than 200 mail processing centers. Instead of starting to close hundreds of mail processing centers and thousands of post offices in April, the postal service said a group of legislators asked it to delay the moves until May 15. The quasi-public service, which gets no tax money from the government but is beholden to congressional oversight, is awaiting the fate of a bill that could give it more leeway to raise prices and modify its operations. Read more>>