Income Support Access Project
The goal of the Income Support Access Project is to remove barriers for low-income working families to accessing public benefits programs. CIR is working with the Boston-based agency Community Catalyst that has developed RealBenefits, an Internet-based tool for applying to public benefits in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Florida. CIR is conducting research and evaluation on the use of RealBenefits by community-based organizations throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. CIR's research will assist Community Catalyst, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and community agencies in their efforts to improve access for working families to income support programs. view detail

School Health Centers Study
In partnership with the Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers and the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition, CIR is conducting a study of the health, academic, and fiscal impacts of school health centers. In addition to developing a cost-benefit analysis of the centers, CIR will interview health care staff, educators, parents, and students for their feedback on the efficacy of school health centers in Illinois. The study's findings will be used by project partners to inform forthcoming advocacy campaigns.

Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC)
CIR is conducting an evaluation of CLOCC, a consortium of 400 member agencies involved in childhood obesity prevention in Chicago. Evaluation activities include stakeholder interviews, focus groups, the compilation of a productivity inventory, and an online survey of CLOCC members. Evaluation findings will inform consortium building activities in Chicago and assist other communities interested in launching similar obesity prevention initiatives.

Senior Caregivers Project
In collaboration with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and its Office of Inspector General, CIR conducted a study of elder caregivers of DCFS wards, examining the challenges confronting older individuals as they are increasingly called upon to raise their grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and other children. Policy makers, advocates and service providers will use these data to best support both the children who are being raised in these families and the individuals who are taking on the enormous responsibility of caring for these children.

Removing Barriers to Employment after Reentry
CIR is working with the Developing Justice Coalition to identify and advocate for innovative programs and policies that reduce the number of persons imprisoned for nonviolent drug offenses, assist persons reintegrate with their communities after release from prison, and increase access to substance abuse treatment programs. CIR is also providing research and technical support for a project in collaboration with the Protestants for the Common Good that is examining the implementation of recent legislation designed to assist persons with nonviolent criminal records obtain professional licenses.

Domestic Violence and Mental Health Project
In collaboration with the Domestic Violence and Mental Health Policy Initiative, CIR is conducting an outcome evaluation of a pilot program on a trauma-informed approach to mental health and domestic violence issues. The results of the study will provide the Initiative with data and analysis to inform project partners and Chicago Department of Public Health about the impact of expanding the capacity of domestic violence and mental health agencies to provide services that are sensitive to trauma experience of clients.

Violence Prevention Project
At the request of the Trauma and Emergency Medicine Departments of Cook County Hospital, the CIR is carrying out a series of focus groups with health care providers (administrators, nurses, social workers and doctors) both in the hospital and community clinic settings to assess their understanding of, comfort with, and response to elder abuse, domestic violence and youth violence. The information compiled from these focus groups will be used by the Emergency and Trauma Departments to reassess their current screening and response procedures to make them more effective and consistent.

First Accounts Project
This project examined barriers to banking and savings. Data from this project is being used to develop financial education curriculum and to advocate for improved banking services. view detail

Fragile Families Project
This project provided data and best practice recommendations based on demonstrations at two sites providing services to unemployed men that are now assessing and providing services for domestic violence.  view detail

Homeless Youth Project
This project assessed the needs of homeless youth from the perspectives of the youth themselves. The final report, "Wherever I Can Lay My Head: Homeless Youth on Homelessness" was the catalyst for the new Commissioner of CYS to meet with the Department of Housing and the Department of Human Services to identify who was currently serving these youth and how services can be improved. view detail

Kraft Domestic Violence Grant Program
The Kraft project supports collaborations between domestic violence service providers and job training agencies in Chicago, Houston, and Seattle, offering women in welfare-to-work programs better access to domestic violence services. CIR provides research expertise and technical assistance to program sites and will report on project findings.  view detail

Lead Poisoning Project
This project, through interviewing a sample of health providers in the North Lawndale community, seeks to determine why so many providers do not routinely test young children for lead poisoning, in order to make recommendations for new policy and procedures around lead poisoning testing of young children in Chicago. view detail

Medicare Project
This project looked at Medicare recipients' access to and understanding of medical services and health care information. The final report was presented at the Make Medicare Work Summit, informing federal, state and local policymakers and advocates about how best to provide health care information to the most vulnerable Medicare recipients. view detail

North Lawndale Community Research and Advocacy Project
The Alternatives to Incarceration Project involves ongoing collaboration with community-based organizations around criminal justice issues. In conjunction the North Lawndale Employment Network, CIR completed a major community research report establishing that nearly 60% of North Lawndale adults were involved in the criminal justice system during 2001. The report advocates for expanded access to substance abuse prevention and treatment programs and alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug-related offenses.

Project for Research on Welfare, Work and Domestic Violence
This project, a collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Social Work's Research Development Center on Poverty, Risk, and Mental Health, serves as a national clearinghouse for research information and best practices around the issue of domestic violence and welfare reform.  view detail

Services for Teen Girls
This project is researching the housing, service and educational needs of low-income teen girls in Chicago and Illinois, as well as identifying the systemic barriers to providing services to this population. view detail

US/UK Welfare Reform Working Group
The US/UK Welfare Reform Working Group compared the course of welfare reform in the U.S. and the UK, with the aim of generating new ideas that can inform welfare reform policy advocacy in the two countries.  view detail