– Ex-convicts are hopeful as they apply for temporary census jobs after the Census Bureau says less-severe transgressions may not cause someone to be automatically dropped from the hiring process.  According to this Washington Post article, of the 16,000 ex-cons living in the District, half can’t find work.

At last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama took the opportunity to hit the reset button on his presidency and propose a long and varied list of goals for the future.  Today, we take a look at the speech and highlight the proposals that will have the greatest impact on our region’s women and girls.

– Homeless outreach workers have started their annual census, counting the number of people living in shelters, transitional housing and on the streets.  In addition to the count, workers also offer access to assistance and medical care.  The results of the census will be reported in May.  Click here for more details.

– Fairfax County has come up with a new plan to maintain and expand affordable housing.  The “Housing Blueprint” includes an option to spend more than $10 million on affordable housing next year.  Click here for details.

Earlier this week we learned that the unemployment rate continued to climb in December, breaking records in Washington, DC for the number of jobless residents.  (DC had a 12.1 percent unemployment rate last month, the highest it’s been since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking unemployment numbers in 1976.)  While those numbers show our region is behind the national average (10 percent), there is one group that’s faring even worse.  The teen unemployment rate climbed to about 28 percent last fall, making young workers one of the hardest hit groups in the country.  And for minority teens from low-income families, the likelihood of finding a job is even lower.

The latest news, analysis and opinion on the state of low-income women and their families from Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.  Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty. Here’s this week’s news:

– A survey out today from the Food Research and Action Center found that nearly one in five Americans was unable to buy the food they needed at some point last year.  A record high number of Americans (38 million) now receive food stamps.  The District of Columbia ranked 15th in FRAC’s list of states with the highest rates of food hardship in 2009.  Virginia and Maryland ranked 35th and 44th, respectively.  Click here to read the report.

– At the annual D.C. Veterans Affairs Health Fair for Homeless Vets, a growing number of aid recipients were women.  According to the VA, eight percent of homeless vets they help are women.  That’s up from two percent before Operation Desert Storm in 1991.  Click here to listen to a report with more details.

In the film “Inglourious Basterds,” Lt. Archie Hicox loses his life for counting on his fingers.  I’m pretty sure that won’t happen to me, but it’s a habit I’m going to break anyway.

– Later today, a group of foster teens will testify before the D.C. council about their lives in the foster care system.  They’ll also have recommendations on ways the city can improve programs for them.  The teens have been working with The Young Women’s Project — a Washington Area Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner — on their testimonies.  Click here to read more about them.