The U.S. Constitution requires that the decennial census be used to allocate the number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives each state receives. For the past 50 years, the decennial census and reapportionment has meant a loss of congressional seats for Ohio. For the past 50 years, the decennial census and reapportionment has...
March 30, 2020
A (short) history of the race question on the decennial census
One of the most widely discussed topics on the decennial census are the questions on race, Hispanic origin and ancestry. This conversation is not new for 2020. In fact, the way that we classify people by race and ethnicity has changed frequently since the first census in 1790. The 2020 census questionnaire asks people to...
March 27, 2020
Benefit changes: Redeterminations, requirements affected by coronavirus
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the State of Ohio and Cuyahoga County have issued new guidance surrounding the public benefits many Ohioans rely on, including Supplemental Assistance for needy Families (SNAP), Ohio Works First (OWF) and Medicaid. Medicaid recipients can now utilize telehealth services even for first time appointments. Redeterminations are suspended for 180...
March 19, 2020
The census in the season of Coronavirus
April 1, 2020 is Census Day. The federal government has been planning for this day, and the rollout of invitation that preceded it, for the past decade. But no one could have foreseen at the time that our government would undertake its decennial census at the exact moment of a public health crisis. 2020 is...
March 16, 2020
Primary races, levies on the ballot March 17
The State of Ohio will hold primary elections on March 17. In addition to primary contests for legislators and the President of the United States, voters in 17 Ohio counties, including Cuyahoga County, will be asked to vote on health and human service related levies. Due to COVID19 some polling locations have changed, the Ohio...
January 21, 2020
Data shows drop in unintentional drug overdose deaths in 2018
Drug overdose deaths in Ohio declined in 2018 to a three-year low of 3,764. This comes after a year (2017) where the state saw its highest ever number (4,854) of overdose deaths. This updated information was released by the Ohio Department of Health in early December, much later in the year than it has traditionally...
January 13, 2020
Impact SNAP changes will have on Ohio, Medicaid
On January 10, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) submitted a request to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirement waiver. The number of counties in Ohio that would be exempt from the work requirements would drop from 42 to 13 and...
December 30, 2019
John Corlett’s top 10 reports from 2019
Producing a “top 10” list of Community Solutions publications is a dangerous undertaking. There is so much excellent content it’s hard to just pick 10 pieces. In 2019 alone we wrote 90 blog posts, not to mention 21 issue briefs and research papers. Many of them ended up on the front pages of newspapers, in...