Archive - Southwest
Southwestern States Make Changes to Welfare After ProPublica Investigations
The moves follow months of reporting on punitive and outdated welfare policies in this part of the country and come amid a yearslong surge in the region’s cost of living.
Welfare Is No Substitute for a Child Tax Credit
Some in Congress say the child tax credit isn’t needed because Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is a success. Our reporting found it’s marked by repeated failures.
He Donated His Kidney and Received a $13,064 Bill in Return
Living organ donors are never supposed to be billed for transplant-related care. NorthStar Anesthesia charged one donor over $13,000 and nearly sent his bill to collections.
Reno Seeks to Purchase Motels as Affordable Housing Instead of Letting Developers Demolish Them
The mayor of Reno did little to stop the razing of motels that housed low-income residents or to replace lost units. Following a ProPublica investigation, that may change.
Reps for Casino Developer Defend the Destruction of Nearly 600 Housing Units in Reno
At a town hall, Reno residents expressed doubt about developer Jeff Jacobs’ “vision” to contribute land for public housing after he had already razed affordable units. “A vision is something you have before you tear things down,” said an attendee.
The Cruel Failure of Welfare Reform in the Southwest
A ProPublica series has found that in Nevada and neighboring states, boom times hastened the demise of cash assistance for the poor — but not poverty.
A Mother Needed Welfare. Instead, the State Used Welfare Funds to Take Her Son.
Arizona spends a majority of its welfare budget on the Department of Child Safety. The agency then investigates many poor parents, sometimes removing their children for reasons stemming from their poverty.
Why the Second-Driest State Rejects Water Conservation
Utah has some of the highest per-capita water use and is the fastest-growing state. Yet a powerful group that steers Utah’s water policy keeps pushing for costly infrastructure over meaningful conservation efforts.
Reno May Use Federal Funds to Address Housing Crisis
At a recent ProPublica event, Reno council member Devon Reese said the city will announce its plans to alleviate the city’s housing crisis next month. The event followed a ProPublica investigation on redevelopment’s impact on lower-income residents.
Storm Drains Keep Swallowing People During Floods
An alarming number of people (especially children) have drowned after disappearing into storm drains during floods. The deadly problem should be easy for federal, state and local government agencies to fix, but tragedy strikes again and again.
Head of New Mexico Child Support Agency Asks State to Stop Intercepting Payments to Poor Families
Following a ProPublica investigation, the New Mexico Child Support Enforcement Division is calling on the state Legislature to stop funding the agency with millions in child support confiscated from single mothers who previously received welfare.
Utah Makes Welfare So Hard to Get, Some Feel They Must Join the LDS Church to Get Aid
Utah’s safety net for the poor is so intertwined with the LDS Church that individual bishops often decide who receives assistance. Some deny help unless a person goes to services or gets baptized.
Derribó moteles donde vivían residentes pobres en la crisis de la vivienda. Los líderes de la ciudad no hicieron nada.
Las autoridades de Reno, Nevada con una de las peores carencias de viviendas asequibles de EE. UU., permitieron que el dueño de un casino de otro estado desplazara a residentes de bajos ingresos, para un día construir un complejo de entretenimiento.
Chaos and Uncertainty as Developer Plans to Demolish Motel That Serves as Housing Lifeline
Jeffrey Jacobs has been buying and demolishing Reno motels for years. He promises the low-income tenants who live there he’ll find them a better place. Displaced residents of the Castaway Inn paint a fuller picture of what really happens.
He Tore Down Motels Where Poor Residents Lived During a Housing Crisis. City Leaders Did Nothing.
Reno, Nevada, has one of the worst affordable housing shortages in the U.S. Yet city officials let an out-of-state casino owner displace hundreds of low-income residents so he could one day build an entertainment complex.
Do You Have an Idea for an Investigative Project Based in Colorado? We Want to Hear From You.
ProPublica is growing its coverage of the Southwest by supporting three ambitious accountability projects in Colorado. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
The View From Here: Rethinking What Local News Can and Should Be
In a series of live virtual events, ProPublica asked news leaders from Phoenix, Atlanta and Detroit to share their thoughts about the local news ecosystem in their communities. From trends to challenges, here’s what they had to say.
We’re Losing Our Humanity, and the Pandemic Is to Blame
“What the hell is happening? I feel like we are living on another planet. I don’t recognize anyone anymore.”
Para obtener asistencia social, estas madres solteras se ven obligadas a compartir casi todo lo que saben sobre los padres de sus hijos
Las mujeres que solicitan asistencia social tienen que identificar al padre de sus hijos, y cuándo quedaron embarazadas, entre otros detalles personales. El gobierno utiliza esos datos para reclamarle la manutención al padre y se embolsa el dinero.
These Single Moms Are Forced to Choose: Reveal Their Sexual Histories or Forfeit Welfare
Women who apply for welfare often have to identify who fathered their children and when they got pregnant, among other deeply personal details. State governments use that information to pursue child support from the dads — and then pocket the money.
