Social Work

A depressed African American woman looks out a window.

Researching depression in low-income women

The importance of addressing depression among low-income women in multiple contexts is a theme of recent research by April Ivey, Jacqueline Corcoran, and others at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice.

From the School of Social Policy & Practice ・

A woman wearing a mask and a white lab coat sits at a table covered in a colorful tablecloth, pills, and packages of medication

Sex workers’ rights

A Fulbright award augments Toorjo Ghose’s work to document and support the social movement happening among sex workers in India against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kristina García ・

Children raising their hands with a rainbow in the background

Understanding migration and the arts

In the latest episode of Penn Today’s “Understand This …” podcast series, Obed Arango of the School of Social Policy & Practice, alongside Wolf Humanities Graduate Fellow Shelley Zhang, discuss migration, the arts, and identity.

Brandon Baker ・

Four women in front of the Share food bank, and the two in the middle are waving to each other

Fighting food insecurity

Students from the Fox Leadership Program have lent their time and expertise to hunger organizations for more than a decade, and during the pandemic they’ve upped their involvement to meet the growing need.

Kristen de Groot ・

Two side by side profile pictures of Cary Coglianese on the left and Dorothy Roberts on the right.

‘Black Families Matter’

In a lecture organized by the Penn Program on Regulation, PIK Professor Dorothy E. Roberts argued that the U.S. child welfare system is designed to police Black families, not to protect children, and must be abolished and replaced with a new vision of family support and child safety.

Kristen de Groot ・



In the News


The Wall Street Journal

Homeless or overhoused: Boomers are stuck at both ends of the housing spectrum

Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that boomers have made up the largest share of the homeless population since the ‘80s.

FULL STORY →

Newsweek

There is one major element missing from the debate on kids and social media

In an opinion essay, PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that gun violence needs to be part of the conversation about how smartphones and social media impact young people.

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NPR

Places across the U.S. are testing no-strings cash as part of the social safety net

Stacia West of the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the School of Social Policy & Practice says that guaranteed income payments improve people’s psychological wellbeing by reducing their distress. Amy Castro, also of the Center, points out that such programs are expensive, so important questions need to be asked.

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Irish News

New book examines sectarianism and the housing crisis in Northern Ireland

In her book “In Power, Politics and Territory in the New Northern Ireland,” Elizabeth DeYoung of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that sectarianism has contributed to the housing crisis in Northern Ireland and continues to influence decision-making on the needs for homes.

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LA Times

California says its new gun law is about public safety. But what about these women?

Susan B. Sorenson of the School of Social Policy & Practice says there is no evidence that carrying a gun makes women who have been abused safer.

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The New York Times

Can a big village full of tiny homes ease homelessness in Austin?

Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice says that tiny homes are better for homelessness than shelter but still don’t meet America’s housing standards.

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