Between September 2021 and August 2022, 718 people in Maricopa County died alone, meaning next of kin were unable to be located or refused to handle arrangements - but what happens when someone dies alone - and how do loved ones find their final resting place? Read more»

Incluso a medida que los niveles de COVID-19 disminuyen, el departamento de salud de Arizona continúa brindando pruebas, vacunas y otros servicios médicos a las comunidades desatendidas y de bajos ingresos en todo el estado. Read more»

Hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans from ages 50 to 55 could face higher barriers to food assistance under the U.S. House Republican plan to cut spending while temporarily lifting the debt limit. Read more»

Arizona and other states are once again free to verify that Medicaid enrollees are still qualified and cancel coverage if they’re not, and as many as 15 million Americans, including 7 million children, could lose the health coverage they relied on through the pandemic. Read more»

Every public school kid in the U.S. was eligible for free school meals during the COVID-19 pandemic - regardless of family income - and since the program ended, a growing number of states across the country are enacting universal school meal laws to bolster child food security. Read more»

Even as COVID-19 levels decline, the Arizona health department continues to deliver tests, vaccinations and other medical services to underserved, low-income communities across the state. Read more»

The Phoenix metro area is one of the most ozone-polluted cities in the U.S., according to the most recent State of the Air report from the American Lung Association - and the report emphasized people of color are especially affected by air pollution and the health issues it can cause. Read more»

Like families across the country, military families are struggling with inflation, but the military community can face disproportionate challenges when the cost of living is high - a situation dating back over 25 years and made worse by federal guidelines. Read more»

Many community leaders now consider trees to be critical infrastructure, along with a growing recognition that low-income neighborhoods and communities of color often have far less tree cover — and suffer increased vulnerability to extreme heat as a result. Read more»

Though lower-income students generally still pay less than higher-income ones, nearly 700 universities and colleges have, over the last decade, raised the prices paid by their lowest-income students more than the prices paid by their highest-income ones. Read more»

Construction is underway in Glendale on an affordable housing complex funded in part by a state low-income housing tax credit that allows people to come on at any income level sponsored below 60 percent of the median and only pay 30 percent of their rent. Read more»

States are spending more money and creating new incentives to ease the severe child care crisis, with most federal pandemic aid set to dry up in September. Read more»

Democratic lawmakers headed by Arizona Representative Raúl Grijalva unveiled a sweeping new piece of legislation Wednesday, aimed at shielding vulnerable communities from the effects of pollution and climate change, as well as strengthening government outreach. Read more»

As pandemic-era benefits end, some 600,000 Arizonans are set to be removed from the Medicaid rolls next year - a situation causing distress to many who are certainly at risk of being disenrolled and also those who may fall just over the income threshold to qualify for Medicaid. Read more»

The expanded child tax credit that families received in 2021 helped reduce child poverty across the country, but particularly in the South where families lack a sufficient safety net, according to a report that comes as some Democrats appear ready to attempt to revive the credit. Read more»