Experiment: Moving out of low-income neighborhoods improved mental health for some

The Atlantic yesterday profiled an interesting social experiment from the ’90s that seems to show that moving away from poor neighborhoods improves mental health. Called “Moving to Opportunity,” the trial relocated thousands of low-income families from high-poverty neighborhoods in several American cities and observed them. While average income for the families didn’t increase, the experiment showed some statistically significant improvements in mental health.

The connection between better-off neighborhoods and better mental well-being probably surprised many. But the effects make sense when you consider the chronic effects of living in concentrated poverty. Further removed from community resources, and even decent places to buy food, low-income families are often also coping with increased crime and community disengagement. For these families, it’s no surprise that moving elsewhere resulting in lower levels of depression and a greater sense of well-being.

The most important thing is shielding kids from some of the worst effects of poverty. The American Academy of Pediatrics has written that the kind of “toxic stress” facing children living in poverty has the potential to “disrupt the architecture of the developing brain, thereby influencing behavioral, educational, economic and health outcomes decades and generations later.”

More than 1 in 5 American kids lives in poverty. Why aren’t the candidates and the media talking about more child poverty? With Election Day fast approaching, make sure to sign our pledge to make kids a priority.

You’re all registered to vote, right?

We don’t tell people who to vote for at Voices. But we do feel the need to tell you how important it is to vote in this election. Simply put, kids can’t vote themselves, and this year in particular they stand to be ignored.

Did you know that only 2 percent of the 2012 presidential primary debates were about kids? That means hugely important topics, like education, child poverty, and child safety have been all but ignored.

Yet this is the wrong time to overlook children’s issues. Children stand to lose in massive new cuts Congress may undertake next year. With the election only 41 days away, now’s a great time to sign our pledge to make kids a priority and also be sure to check that you’re registered to vote!

Fighting for disconnected youth, on Capitol Hill and across the nation

Around 1 in 6 young people are disconnected from work and school. These youth need more outreach to remain a productive part of society — and if they can, then both they and society will benefit, as our own Michele Corey argued today on Capitol Hill.

Corey, Vice President for Programs for Voices for Michigan’s Children, testified at a hearing today on “Reclaiming Our Nation’s Youth,” where she made the case for helping disconnected youth re-engage with their communities. If we can connect these youth with opportunity, society would benefit to the tune of $7 billion and millions of young people would gain employable skills. However, it takes investment. It can take more than a year to work with many of these kids — the process of winning them back is not quick, but neither was the process of losing them.

The hearing also featured the stories of real kids. There was one story of a child from Detroit whose grandmother got a flier from church about a community organization. He now rebuilds homes for foster children – he contributes to the community and tells kids there are other routes they can take in life

Also check out this infographic released today from our member organization Westchester Children’s Association. It shows how society loses when kids drop out and rallies us behind a message of reinvestment in our kids.