July 01, 2015 1:00 pm
Dear Editor: Following the Los Angeles riots of 1992, Congress assisted more people in poverty with better housing and other needs. The people were observed over a few years to find if the lives of parents and children were more productive. The results were discouraging.
A Harvard economist, Ray Chetty, and his associates tried a longer procedure. They observed the families for 10 additional years and found that many of the adults had significant income increases and were living in better homes and neighborhoods. The children also made significant progress in education or found substantial jobs. The long-term observations varied among towns and cities. Two examples of better cities were San Francisco and Providence, R.I. Two examples of bad cities for poor children were Milwaukee and Atlanta.
Our federal government also provides help to individuals. The contact can be made on a computer. A search for purchasing or renting housing is probably the most frequent request, but other financial help is available. To make the contact, insert into your Web browser “FRAA” (Family Resource Alliance of America). The categories of Family Resources available are: Housing, Welfare, Employment, Nutrition, Education, Finance. I made contact with FRAA and received responses encouraging me to send information on what I needed. They sent pictures of some available homes in La Crosse.
Ray Starrett
Daily Life with Asperger's 