Chicago Shelters Brace for Homeless Families
from The Chicago Tribune
Cindy Almendarez avoided the homeless shelter for as long as possible, shuffling her children from a friend's basement to a roach-infested apartment before bunking down in the back seat of her car, where, for nearly two weeks, they tried to pretend they were camping. They ended up at a PADS Crisis Services homeless shelter this fall. Across the Chicago area, social service providers say more families are turning to shelters. Just as alarming, they say, is the ballooning number of people who aren't homeless—yet—but who, lacking intervention, could join the ranks in 2009. More

The Story That Keeps on Giving...
from NASW IL
It's the story that keeps on giving. That's right, the escalating drama surrounding our state's governor, Rod Blagojevich. There are so many angles to this story...but one of the most distressing is what is happening to the State's safety net. More

Blago Drama Threatens State's Safety Net
from The Chicago Sun-Times
It's the people stories that grab us. Oprah, Blago, Burris. And which of us doesn't find the spectacle of disgraced Gov. Blagojevich and Roland Burris, his self-important senatorial designee, spellbinding? But in the meantime, there are people stories piling up all over the place, compelling human dramas and tales of genuine suffering that we're missing entirely. More

Chief Judge Took an Unlikely Path to the Top Spot
from The Daily Journal
Kathy Bradshaw-Elliott is the first woman to serve as chief judge in Kankakee County, Ill. The post puts her in a coordinating position over 11 judges, and allows her to influence the entire justice system in the county. Yet, the law was not her first profession. Bradshaw-Elliott, who has a master's in psychiatric social work at the University of Hawaii, has worked as a social worker for the Illinois Department of Mental Health. More

Economy Prompts More Calls to Suicide Hotlines
from USA Today
Many mental-health crisis and suicide hotlines are reporting a surge in calls from Americans feeling despair over financial losses. It's unknown if the economic meltdown will lead to more suicides, says Lanny Berman, executive director of the Washington-based American Association of Suicidology. "Maybe the fact that so many are calling is a positive sign. They're seeking help." More

Social Workers Embrace Goal to Help Clients Build Financial Safety Nets
from The Associated Press via The Seattle Times
Against the backdrop of the economic meltdown, a movement is building within the ranks of America's social workers to make their profession more adept at helping clients overcome financial woes. More

In Eastern Europe, Lives Languish in Mental Facilities
from The New York Times
The name of this isolated spot in the lush Danube plains means justice or, in Russian, truth. But little of either seems to have penetrated the home for men with mental disabilities and illnesses here, a bleak establishment reached most easily by a bone-jarring, six-hour ride from Sofia, the capital. In the Communist era, this is where authorities hid the mentally ill from public view. More

Teen Birth Rates Up in 26 States
from USA Today
The newest and most detailed data on teen birth rates shows significant increases in 26 states and represents most regions of the USA. "To see 26 states with statistically significant increases is fairly remarkable," says Paul Sutton, a demographer with the National Center for Health Statistics. "We're seeing increases in both the number of teens having births and also the rate at which they are having births. Both of them are going up." More

Why She Cuts
from Newsweek
One woman's fight against the compulsion to injure herself, and why medical experts disagree about how to diagnose those who cut, or in extreme cases, embed objects under their skin. More

Teen Years Risky for Kids with Seizure Disorder, Expert Says
from CNN
Chronic seizures can present a risk for adolescents, whose bodies and metabolism are changing. "Literally dozens of different disorders can cause seizures: genetics, stroke, brain tumor, lack of oxygen, low blood sugar, drugs, even certain medications," said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent. More