Vital Mission: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans

Far too many veterans are homeless in America. Homeless veterans can be found in every state across the country and live in rural, suburban, and urban communities. Many have lived on the streets for years, while others live on the edge of homelessness, struggling to pay their rent. We analyzed data from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureau to examine homelessness and severe housing cost burden among veterans. This report includes the following findings: In 2006, approximately 195,827 veterans were homeless on a given night -- an increase of 0.8 percent from 194,254 in 2005. More veterans experience homeless over the course of the year. We estimate that 336,627 were homeless in 2006. Veterans make up a disproportionate share of homeless people. They represent roughly 26 percent of homeless people, but only 11 percent of the civilian population 18 years and older. This is true despite the fact that veterans are better educated, more likely to be employed, and have a lower poverty rate than the general population. A number of states, including Louisiana and California, had high rates of homeless veterans. In addition, the District of Columbia had a high rate of homelessness among veterans with approximately 7.5 percent of veterans experiencing homelessness. We estimate that in 2005 approximately 44,000 to 64,000 veterans were chronically homeless (i.e., homeless for long periods or repeatedly and with a disability). Lack of affordable housing is the primary driver of homelessness. The 23.4 million U.S. veterans generally do not have trouble affording housing costs; veterans have high rates of home ownership and appear generally well housed. However, there is a subset of veterans who have severe housing cost burden. We estimate that nearly half a million (467,877) veterans were severely rent burdened and were paying more than 50 percent of their income for rent. More than half (55 percent) of veterans with severe housing cost burden fell below the poverty level and 43 percent were receiving foods stamps. Rhode Island, California, Nevada, and Hawaii were the states with the highest percentage of veterans with severe housing cost burden. The District of Columbia had the highest rate, with 6.4 percent of veterans paying more than 50 percent of their income toward rent. Female veterans, those with a disability, and unmarried or separated veterans were more likely to experience severe housing cost burden. There are also differences by period of service, with those serving during the Korean War and WWII more likely to have severe housing cost burden. We estimate that approximately 89,553 to 467,877 veterans were at risk of homelessness. At risk is defined as being below the poverty level and paying more than 50 percent of household income on rent. It also includes households with a member who has a disability, a person living alone, and those who are not in the labor force. These findings highlight the need to expand homeless prevention and affordable housing programs targeted at veterans. Further the findings demonstrate that ending homelessness among veterans is a vital mission that requires the immediate attention of policymakers

Woodland history and management in the Oxfordshire Chilterns: implications for the future

During the 20th century, woodland fragmentation and changes in composition have had an impact on the woodland ecology of lowland England. Government policy which initially focussed on softwood timber production, now aims to protect, enhance, restore and expand native deciduous woodland. These initiatives arguably will have the greatest ecological impact if they employ a landscape scale approach to ensure maximum woodland connectivity whilst retaining landscape character. This research investigated woodland change over the last 160 years in the Oxfordshire Chilterns. The Chilterns, characterised by beech woodland, is one of the most wooded areas in lowland England. Digital analysis of two types of historic maps, combined with historic documentary evidence, enabled a quantitative analysis of woodland composition alongside comparison of change over time. The research investigated hypothetical future scenarios for both woodland creation, based on historically wooded sites identified by the research, and restoration of non-native plantations to native species. These scenarios were shown to improve woodland connectivity and to increase patch size in comparison with BAP targets. These methods allowed the retention of the characteristic mosaic Chiltern landscape. Between 1840 and 1883, woodland extent reduced by only 4.6% but by 1883, 16.96% of native deciduous woodland had been converted to mixed woodland. In the 20th century, native woodland increased by 7.6%, still 12% less than in 1840, but mixed (26.13%) and coniferous woodlands (9.73%) increased markedly due to Government policy. These changes resulted in increased fragmentation of native deciduous woodland over time. Future restoration and creation scenarios improved woodland connectivity by increasing patch size and reducing near-neighbour distance; but to reach 30% woodland cover to create a habitat network, total woodland restoration combined with woodland creation is necessary, far exceeding BAP targets. In this research, historic information identifies regional native woodland type and past management which needs to be recognised in policy and information dissemination. More importantly, it provides the information necessary to retain the local cultural landscape pattern while enhancing ecological connectivity and is therefore a valuable method which could be applied elsewhere

Balancing Testator Freedom with Reproductive Rights in a Post-Dobbs Illinois

When creating a trust, a grantor may attach conditions that beneficiaries must meet before receiving an inheritance. Some conditions can become so restrictive that they contravene public policy and are unenforceable by courts. In this article, Mary Webb balances Illinois public policy on testamentary and reproductive freedom to determine whether an Illinois court would uphold a beneficiary restriction clause that restricts a beneficiary\u27s reproductive rights.https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lawjournalonline/1105/thumbnail.jp

The hidden curriculum of the video teleconference (VTC) classroom and its implications for the university of the twenty-first century

Old Dominion University\u27s Peninsula Center, in Hampton, Virginia, was the location for an ethnographic case study about the urban distributed university centers that provided instruction via video teleconference (VTC). Graduate engineers attended VTC classes at the Peninsula Center originating from five Virginia universities as part of the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program.;The purpose of this study was to describe VTC instruction and identify aspects that impacted on student learning, faculty teaching, and the socio-cultural environment. Fifty-one interviews and two months of observations were conducted during the Spring term, 1993.;Benson Snyder\u27s (1971) ethnographic case study at MIT, described in The Hidden Curriculum, provided a model from which to start. Based on a systematic comparative analysis of Snyder\u27s (1971) study at MIT with that of the Peninsula Center, findings showed that socio-cultural characteristics and traditions in the VTC graduate engineering classes followed Snyder\u27s (1971) model and affected student learning. This conclusion was evident, given the variables of elapsed time, different instructional formats such as large lecture hall and VTC, and student characteristics that varied from undergraduate to graduate, full-time to part-time, and traditional-age to adult students. This conclusion reflected higher education\u27s resistance to change due to its hidden curriculum that includes its socio-cultural norms, values, and traditions.;Eight socio-cultural constancies were described that existed at both MIT and at the Peninsula Center. They included: environmental characteristics; student-faculty communication; the student-faculty relationship; faculty work; dissonance and gamesmanship; methods of student learning; student sub-cultures; and the engineering culture. Additionally, eight new twists of VTC instruction were described.;Recommendations include researching and understanding socio-cultural trends when planning for educational reform, and improving student-faculty dialogue, characterized by discussion of truth, that is reduced in VTC instruction. These are challenges for the University of the 21st Century

Eloquence in Talke and Vertue in Deedes: Education and Discontent in Early Modern England

The title for the project, Eloquence in Talke and Vertue in Deedes, comes from educational theorist William Kempe’s claim that the early modern humanist educational system was guaranteed to produce eloquence and virtue. It is, however, my argument that the educational failed in its promises. This project seeks to dissect the educational practices of the early modern period and reanimate the pieces to show how these practices were regularly critiqued on the early modern stage. More than showing the influence of the educational system in the production of drama, I point out that these practices are re-represented as rebuttals of the educational system. As such, Eloquence in Talke, and Vertue in Deedes is a series of essays united by the theme of discontentment with an educational system that failed to meet its promises

The design and formative evaluation of computer based qualitative modelling environments for schools

This research investigated how computers might enable young learners to build models so that they can express and explore their ideas and hence they can gain understanding of the subject matter as well as developing modelling abilities. A design for a qualitative modelling environment was produced, which incorporated a simple rule-based metaphor that could be presented as a diagram. The design was founded on empirical evidence of children modelling as well as theoretical grounds. This research originated in and contributed to the Modus Project, a joint venture between King's College London and the Advisory Unit for Microtechnology in Education, Hertfordshire County Council. A prototype of the software, Expert Builder, was implemented by software engineers from the Modus team. The initial stage of evaluation, based on a questionnaire survey and widespread trialling, established that the tool could be used in a wide range of educational contexts. A detailed study of children using the qualitative modelling environment was conducted in three primary schools involving 34 pupils, aged nine to 11. They used the modelling environment within the classroom in their normal curriculum work over one school year on a variety of topics assisted by their class teacher. The modelling environment enabled cooperative groupwork and supported pupils in consolidating and extending their knowledge. A formative evaluation was used to inform the design of a revised version of the software. In addition the experiences of children using the software were analysed. A framework was developed which characterised the stages in the modelling process. Teachers in the study were observed to demonstrate the earlier stages of the modelling process and then to set tasks for the children based on the later stages of building and testing the models. The evidence suggested that the abilities to model were context dependent so that pupils as young as nine years old could undertake the whole modelling process provided that they were working on subject matter with which they were familiar. The teachers made use of computer based modelling in order to develop and reinforce pupils' understanding of various aspects of the curriculum and therefore they chose modelling tasks for the children. However in one school the children were given the opportunity to design and build models of their own choice and they demonstrated that they were able to carry out all the stages in the modelling process. A taxonomy of computer based modelling is proposed which could be used to inform decisions about the design of the modelling curriculum and could provide a basis for researchers investigating the modelling process. This would be useful for further research into the intellectual and social activities of people learning to model and for teachers seeking to develop a framework for the modelling curriculum. The National Curriculum (Department of Education and Science and the Welsh Office, 1990) specifies that early steps in computer based modelling should involve exploring models developed by others and pupils are not required to build models themselves until level 7 which is expected to be reached by more able 14 year-olds. In this thesis it is argued that a modelling curriculum should provide early opportunities for pupils to undertake the modelling process by developing simple models on familiar subject matter as well as opportunities for exploring more complex models as evidence from research reported in this thesis suggests that younger pupils are able to build models. In this way pupils will be enabled to acquire modelling capability as well as developing their understanding of a range of topics through modelling. Progression in modelling capability would involve constructing models of more complex situations and using a wider range of modelling environments