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EiJ Concept: Median Income

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This essay explains the concept of "median income" and provides resources for teaching it in various contexts.

Main argument

Anonymous (not verified)
Lee argues that EJ practice has long stagnated over an inability to properly define the concept of disproportionate (environmental and public health) impacts, but that national conversations on system racism and the development of EJ mapping tools have improved his outlook on the potential for better application of the concept of disproportionate impact. Lee identifies mapping tools (e.g. CalEnviroScreen) as a pathway for empirically based and analytically rigorous articulation and analysis of disproportionate impacts that are linked to systemic racism. In describing the scope and nature of application of mapping tools, Baker highlights the concept of cumulative impacts (the concentration of multiple environmental, public health, and social stressors), the importance of public participation (e.g. Hoffman’s community science model), the role of redlining in creating disproportionate vulnerabilities, and the importance of integrating research into decision making processes. Baker ultimately argues that mapping tools offer a promising opportunity for integrating research into policy decision making as part of a second generation of EJ practice. Key areas that Lee identifies as important to the continued development of more effective EJ practice include: identifying good models for quantitative studies and analysis, assembling a spectrum of different integrative approaches (to fit different contexts), connecting EJ research to policy implications, and being attentive to historical contexts and processes that produce/reproduce structural inequities.

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lynn316

A sacrifice zone or sacrifice area (often termed a national sacrifice zone or national sacrifice area) is a geographic area that has been permanently impaired by environmental damage or economic disinvestment. These zones are most commonly found in low-income and minority communities. Children that grow up near these areas are more likely to have asthma and other lung issuesd

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Anonymous (not verified)
" Then, after the scale of the disaster had sunk in and victims began to realize they were barred by the local and federal authorities from returning home, another kind of trauma set in. Families had to find a place to live, a way to replace lost income, a place for their children to go to school, a way to obtain their prescription medications and telephones, a way to pay mounting unpaid bills for homes they no longer inhabited. Without their personal documents, they had to try to track insurance policies, if they had them, bank accounts, and health records, to begin the slow process of accessing government or insurance funds to help pay for their displacement and their hoped-for recovery. The reality of how much had been destroyed, not just in personal physical property but in whole communities, whole ways of life, had just begun to be felt" "The ongoing conditions of displacement have prompted some to report that, despite the length of time since the actual disaster, New Orleans is still in a state of “responding” rather than “recovery.”4 This ongoing predicament is key to understanding that what we are calling “chronic disaster syndrome” is different from posttraumatic stress disorder, in which traumatic events are isolated in time and symptoms are related to events in the past. In the case of Katrina displacement, conditions that are traumatic continue; they are ongoing. " " “Cleaning up the mess” in this case included a deliberate effort to get rid of the poorest sectors of the population, who were seen as a drain on public resources— those who lived in public housing. The notion that subverting support for public-sector recovery and using disaster to enrich private contractors by evicting and “erasing” the poor were part of a deliberate plan was affirmed for residents when they heard one of their state lawmakers say, in regard to the loss of public housing from the storms and flooding, that “God did what we could not do.""

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lynn316

Full annotation

Annotate ONE of the readings assigned for the week. The reading you choose must have an asterisk next to it in the syllabus (hint: the longer readings will almost always have an asterisk). Annotations should be at least 200 words, excluding the quotes and citations. Please use the following format:

1. Citation:  ACNJ (2018, March). Newark Kids Count Report  2018 . Retrieved from Kids Count Data Center:https://acnj.org/kids-count/newark-kids-count/2. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text (include page numbers)?Newark has high rates of both. As indicated in this year’s Newark Kids Count, 37 percent of Newark families with children live under the poverty level. Additionally, Newark’s housing stock is relatively old, with 73 percent of households living in homes built before 1980, two years after lead paint was banned. The most up-to-date science recognizes that even very small amounts of lead in a child’s body can cause lifelong damage. The State of New Jersey has recognized this fact by lowering the blood lead level necessary to trigger state action, from 10 micrograms per deciliter to 5. This reflects federal CDC recommendations (ACNJ 7,2018)Importance: There was a common misconception that the issue with lead in the city of newark came from the water systems when actually it came from lead based paint. Newark is extremely old in it history  along with its housing, Some homes date back to almost three hundred years, which dates back to when leadbased paint was the only option.When a family spends too much money on rent, they have less to spend on other necessities, such as food or transportation. The 30 percent of income standard has been in use since the 1930s. 1 In 2016, 59 percent of Newark families spent a significant portion of their income on rent — far higher than the statewide figure of 49 percent. The 2016 median monthly rent for Newark residents was $1,013, just $231 less than the statewide median rent. With a median income of less than $35,000, Newark families with children face disproportionately high housing costs.(ACNJ 24,2018)Importance: The Price of housing in the city of newark economically handicaps the majority of its inhabits. When a family has to spend more than 30% of the total monthly income not only are they unable to save but also it could possible make them unable to afford other basic nessesities such a healthy non processed food, if any.Students who miss 10 percent of school days (about two days a month) are more likely to fall behind in school and not graduate on time.(ACNJ 43 ,2018)Importance: For children that come from a low income background, education for many is the only way that some are able to change their socio-economical status.3. What is the main argument of the text, AND how does the author support it?The Report starts off by giving the statistics of the demographic background of the children of newark and how the population is growing, birthrates and foreign born children. LAstly it mentions the  number of single parent homes in the area. This directly flows into the economical portion because these single parent homes account for 87% of those that live in poverty.  Then it goes into the economic scope while highlighting "Family Economic Security " and " Economically Disadvantaged Children" along with Unemployment and how it influencese children . Housing Costs and how they directly determines the remaining portions that can be alloted to Food, and the lack of Nutritional Benefits children our left with. The report mentions programs that aid to contributing nutritional  diet that impact health for example, School Breakfast.  More topics such as : education,child neglect, prenatal care4. Responses, reflections, or questions:Does HUD plan on increase the amount of affordable housing in Newark?Does Newark plan one creating a lead removal fund program for current home owners?Should Pre-K be mandartory? Would that be wise to do in Essex County and would it influence the Academic preformance?

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lynn316

There are lots of programs currently to improve low income childrens quality of life and assist them on changing their socioeconomic status:

CCAP (Child Care Assistance Program) - Assistance for low income families working full time, in school or training full-time, or a combination equaling to full-time. Eligibility is based on income, family size, and work/school hours. 

CCVC (Child Care Voucher Centers) - Assistance for low income families that live in a selected CCVC county with a designated CCVC program. Rutgers Southern Regional CCR&R currently services Atlantic, Cumberland, and Gloucester counties with CCVC funding. The child care must be an approved CCVC center. Eligibility is based on income, family size, and work/school hours.


Kinship - Assistance for relatives caring for their relatives' children. Eligibility is based on income, family size, and work/school hours. 

CPS (Child Protection Services) - Assistance for families referred to our agency through the Department of Children Protection and Permanency (DCP&P). Eligibility is determined through DCP&P who will forward our office your information if child care is needed. 

PACC (Post Adoption Child Care) - Assistance for families who have recently adopted a child. Eligibility is based on  work hours with approval and referral from Department of Children Protection and Permanency (DCP&P).

PTCC (Post Transitional Child Care) - Assistance for low income families who are ending their second year of Transitional Child care benefits through the County Board of Social Services. Eligibility is based on income, family size, and work hours. Please contact us if you are interested in this program.

DOE/WRAP (Department of Education and Wrap Around Care) - Assistance for families who reside in an Abbott school district and whose child is 3 or 4 years old. Eligibility is based on income, family size, work/school hours, age of child needing assistance, and residency. Please contact us if you are interested in this program.

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Anonymous (not verified)
I further investigated details on the cost of a trailer home, the population changes over the past few years in New Orleans, and images of the city before and after Katrina.

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Anonymous (not verified)

The article looks at the "chronic disaster syndrome" - consisting of a multitude of factors that all act upon a person or family after a disaser like Katrina. The aftermath of the distaster lasts years, and this can wear on one's health if they are unable to return to their normal lives. Being displaced for a long period of time, in less optimal conditions, in a new environment, with new schools and jobs, can be traumatic