Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL)

"I am also energized by the possibilities. Issues like education, health, and employment are interconnected, and addressing them requires scalable, community-centered solutions. Blue Meridian is uniquely positioned to contribute to the work of those leading the way." - Jim Shelton, President, Blue Meridian Partners It's exciting to see Jim Shelton named as one of The Chronicle of Philanthropy's 16 People to Watch in 2025! In the coming year, Jim will move into the Chief Executive Officer role, leading Blue Meridian into our next chapter of work advancing social and economic mobility for young people and families in America. Inspired by cities like Dallas, TX which are working to positively change life trajectories for residents, Jim is hopeful about Blue Meridian's role in creating impact at scale. Check out the full list: https://lnkd.in/gaT5JzSH

Congrats to Marissa Castro Mikoy and the Jubilee Park team -- huge news for Dallas' neighborhood movement: 'Jubilee Park & Community Center has been awarded the Promise Neighborhoods Grant from the U.S. Department of Education to lead the Jubilee Park Promise Neighborhood Initiative (PNI)...This marks the first time a Promise Neighborhoods Grant has been awarded in Dallas and the first in Texas in more than a decade. “Thanks to this grant, Jubilee Park will help Dallas ISD close the opportunity gap in Southeastern Dallas so our students can reach their fullest potential in our classrooms and in their lives,” said Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde.  "Winning the Promise Neighborhood grant is a milestone in Dallas' growing movement to build comprehensive support systems where children live and learn," said Alan Cohen, CEO of Child Poverty Action Lab. "Jubilee's selection validates three decades of sustained community investment and demonstrates that transformative change isn't just possible—it's happening. This achievement underscores what can be accomplished across Dallas with a long-term focus on bringing resources directly to neighborhood life and creating opportunities for every family."' https://lnkd.in/gMyTus34

I encourage you to click through and read the Letters to the Editor printed by The Dallas Morning News today. Each letter provides a thoughtful tribute to Sharon Grigsby and her incredible legacy at the paper. Publishing these notes was a classy move by DMN. I am certainly biased, but I wholeheartedly agree with everything the readers shared. Here is just one example: "Sharon, you brought heart to everything you wrote about, whether shining the light of praise or fearlessly holding people and organizations accountable. You will bring that same heart to whatever project you end up leading at the Child Poverty Action Lab. This is a brave move, and I know it will turn out well for you and for the city. I hope you are fully aware of how respected, appreciated and loved you are by this community." --Garrett Boone, Dallas https://lnkd.in/gqJhaSK5

'Rising property values and rents at properties not subsidized by government programs will make that gap worse, according to CPAL. The city could lose about 54,000 of unrestricted, affordable rental units over the next decade. These options typically house families making 50% or less of the area median income, which is up to $48,700 for a family of four... “Most likely, these families are sacrificing things like preventative healthcare, nutritious food, and educational experiences in order to keep a roof over their heads,” said Ashley Flores, CPAL’s Chief of Housing. When families spend a disproportionate share of income on housing, they are economically vulnerable and at greater risk for housing instability, Flores added. “This precarity ultimately impacts prospects for long-term upward mobility,” she said. The report surmised — based on data from the Lightcast labor market analysis firm — that the region will add 587,000 jobs by 2034, but over half of all jobs will pay less than $50,000 in 2024 dollars. In order to support lower-income households, essential workers and homelessness prevention, affordable rental options must prioritized, according to the report. “To help families realize upward economic mobility, access to housing that is affordable, safe, stable, and in a thriving neighborhood is critical,” Flores said. “Both production of new affordable housing and preservation of existing affordable housing are needed to ensure that supply meets demand in the future.”' https://lnkd.in/gKE2Qd2A

“In a career spanning 40 years, Sharon Grigsby has been a powerful voice for The Dallas Morning News… This week, Sharon announced plans to move on to a new chapter in the community she loves so dearly. Next year, she will join a soon-to-be-announced project being launched by the Dallas-based Child Poverty Action Lab… “When you think about why local journalism is so important, the answer should include a picture of Sharon,” said Katrice Hardy, executive editor of The News. “She’s relentless about ensuring that this community is not just informed about decisions and programs and practices that deserve more scrutiny, she’s equally relentless about the pursuit of the good and inspiring and remarkable. We all have learned so much from Sharon and not just by what she wrote and reported, but how she did so with passion and grit and always by trying to help and uplift others.” https://lnkd.in/g73TXi-U

"Speaking with teens, parents, guardians, local clinics, and teen-centered organizations in Dallas County, we uncovered a series of challenges teens faced in learning about sexual health. What if, instead of searching for the right information, it found you right where you already were?  Our design for CPAL's Trust Her mobile pop-up was rooted in this idea... By showing up at public events and spaces where people already felt at ease—like farmers’ markets and community gatherings—we created an environment for sexual health education that didn’t feel clinical or intimidating. Showing up in these familiar places sent a clear message: conversations about sexual health are normal and didn’t need to be shrouded in shame." https://lnkd.in/g2295Adq

When you were a teen, how did you learn about sexual health? Who did you trust? For many young people today, sex-ed is defined by misinformation, stigma, and a lack of open conversations. In partnership with Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL)'s Trust Her initiative, we flipped the script on the dreaded “talk” and transformed the conversation around sexual health into a team-oriented and approachable experience. Through a mobile pop-up that meets teens and their parents where they already are—farmers' markets, street fairs, and community events—we created a space where curiosity and education thrive. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/gYsCD-Pf #sexualhealth #teenhealth #herchoice #sexed

Congratulations to our Community Doula graduates! 🎉 Last month, UWTC and our partners at Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) and Paradigm Doulas celebrated an inspiring group of women and men who completed their certification training and are already supporting moms and families across Tarrant County! These dedicated doulas make a real difference—helping to ensure healthier pregnancies, births and postpartum care. With every mom they support, we’re building a stronger, healthier community. Thank you to everyone who supported this journey! Together, we’re expanding access to compassionate care and tackling disparities in maternal health one family at a time. Help us reach even more families in need! Thanks to a $1M matching gift, every dollar you donate doubles our impact. Join us in transforming maternal health by giving today: https://bit.ly/4cdqy8Z Check out photos from the graduation here: https://bit.ly/4fa3Ukj #CommunityDoulas #GetUnited #UWTarrant Photos by Rachel DeLira

"While violent crime in Dallas is down more than 9% this year and homicides have dropped more than 27% from this time in 2023, more teens are dying of gun violence. As of Sept. 30, 26 teen homicides had occurred in 2024, compared to 23 at the same time last year. “A tragic percentage of the year’s homicides have been kids,” Alan Cohen, co-chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities, told me. “Every death is a tragedy, but it is particularly destabilizing to the entire community when it’s a young person.” The News’ homicide project makes clear, Cohen said, that the work against violent crime is not even close to being done, especially when this many kids are dying... During outgoing police Chief Eddie García’s time in Dallas, he never wavered from his belief public safety is a tripod of suppression, intervention and prevention. Dallas does pretty well on the first two, he said in our last interview before he headed to a new job in Austin. “Where we fall short — and it’s not just in Dallas — is in prevention.”... García described CPAL’s Cohen as his “right-hand guy” on the prevention portion of violent crime reduction. In turn, Cohen emphasized everyone — City Hall, Dallas ISD and community nonprofits — has leaned into potential solutions. Investing in disinvested neighborhoods where violence concentrates in small pockets is the starting point. “We know the ZIP codes in our city that are overrepresented in the two places we don’t want them overrepresented — Incarceration and victimization,” García said. “That’s where the dollars need to go.” https://lnkd.in/gk3pJv2h

'A new report from Child Poverty Action Lab reveals that nearly half of Dallas residents spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing, with senior renters and single parents comprising the bulk of these cost-burdened residents. How did we get here? The most obvious answer is that building isn’t keeping pace with the growth of these income buckets. Dallas is increasing the number of units constructed, up from 61,900 in the 2000s to 71,000 in the 2012. But the rub is this: The city’s population grew by 10,000 people in the 2000s, and by about 100,000 the following decade. New construction didn’t keep pace. Since 2010, only 9 percent of the new rental units in the city of Dallas have been deed-restricted affordable homes. The demand for those affordable homes continues to increase, along with rents. (Deed-restricted means it has restrictions on who can occupy it and how it can be used to ensure it remains affordable.) Dallas ranks fourth out of the 12th largest cities for total affordable units per 1,000 residents. Still, only 17 percent of that deed-restricted stock is in high-opportunity neighborhoods, where a majority of the residents make at or above the city’s median income. Those high-opportunity neighborhoods often have better access to good schools, well-paying jobs, and resources. Because of this, Dallas ranks nearly last when it comes to how many rental units it has in high-opportunity areas. But it’s not just an issue of supply and demand. Wages have not risen apace with the growth of rental costs. The city’s AMI is still below the county and region’s, at $63,985. Wages have grown since 2012, but the median Dallas household still earns up to nearly $20,000 less than a similar household elsewhere in the county or the region. But a gap of 39,919 affordable units for households below 50 percent AMI doesn’t mean that there are nearly 40,000 families without a place to live, Flores says. It means these households are forced to economize in ways households that make more money do not. It also means they face more competition for available units. “We actually have presently a sufficient number of rental units—if we’re not considering price,” Flores says. “So if we pretend every rental unit is free, then every renter household in the city of Dallas could access a rental unit. The problem, where we say we have a shortage, is when we start to organize that supply by price point.”' https://lnkd.in/gdiek5UJ