Homelessness is a complex issue and there isn’t one singular piece of data that can effectively tell the entire story of homelessness and the greater need for housing in the United States. However, there are several data sources and tools that can be used at the community level to address the issue and some, like …
Medically underserved areas (MUA) are areas where certain populations — usually rural — are subject to a lack of primary care and have high levels of poverty, infant mortality, and elderly people. As designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), these “shortage areas” can have both a “population” and “geographic” identify. For example, …
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Community gardens are collaborative projects where neighbors come together and grow fruits, vegetables, and other plants in an accessible and open-space environment. As a gathering space, not only do they strengthen and build community pride, but they allow others to visibly see what a healthy, urban environment of stewardship and cooperation really looks like. Traditionally, …
Read more “Want to Start a Community Garden? Check out These Maps First”
As a general rule of thumb, transportation costs are supposed to be less than 15% of your annual income — that means that for a typical household in the U.S., with an income around $53,889, expenses should come out to about $8,083 a year or $674 a month. However, as outlined with the tools below, …
Read more “The Cost of Driving is WAY Higher Than You Think”
Apparently, Christmas light maps are the new craze! All across the country, communities are coming together and mapping out their town’s holiday lights! Some maps, like Nextdoor’s annual holiday Cheer Map, are pretty extensive, while others, like the Quad City Christmas Light Finder, are a little simpler. To make your own Christmas light map, look …
Read more “Christmas Light Maps are Becoming Popular – Here’s How to Make Your Own”
Equity and Equality are similar concepts, but two very different things. Equality is a means of treating everyone equally despite socioeconomic differences while Equity is a means of treating everyone circumstantially in order to provide marginalized or disadvantaged groups with the tools and resources they NEED to succeed. For comparison, think about socioeconomic issues within …
Read more “Equity vs. Equality: Using Tools to Explain the Difference”
A few weeks ago I hit a wall. I was flat out exhausted and couldn’t physically bring myself to send another email. Needless to say, I desperately needed a break from work. If I had to guess why, I’d say it’s pretty obvious (and probably true for all of us) — I had worked for …
Interactive social justice tools are out there, but they’re pretty hard to find. Sometimes, they’re a little too teacher-based and reactive in nature, and other times, they’re really good, but completely unknown to the average observer and scattered across the internet. Lucky for you, however, we’ve compiled a list of the best and most useful …
Read more “Interactive Social Justice Tools For Learning, Teaching, and Planning”
So there I was, doing my thing, running some work errands, trying to keep things in order when all of the sudden, I receive a text message from a stranger. Would you sell 111 Pacific Ave or do you want to just keep it? If you’d rather not text, just say END A little taken …
Read more “A House Flipper Texted Me Using “Skip Tracing” – Here’s What I Found Out”
Picture yourself grocery shopping. You’re going about your business, doing your best to locate that oh-so-elusive snack that your significant other requested and then boom, out of nowhere, a big ole juicy tomato catches your eye. You pick it up, give it a nice look-over and throw it in your cart. But just before you …
Read more “Vertical Farming Systems Are Promising, But One Really Stands Out”