Pam Fessler

Former first lady Nancy Reagan died Sunday at her home in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure, according to the Reagan Foundation. She was 94.

Like most first ladies, Nancy Reagan was the target of both praise and criticism. She brought an elegance to the White House that some ...

Voters have to deal with some confusing new voter laws, including photo ID requirements. Election officials and voter advocates are trying to get the word out to avoid problems at the polls.

President Obama backed a bill in Illinois last week that would automatically register people to vote when they apply for a driver's license or state ID.

"That will protect the fundamental right of everybody," he said. "Democrats, Republicans, independents, seniors, folks with disabilities, the men and women of our military ...

Get ready voters: It's time to be confused. Even as Americans start heading to the polls for this year's presidential primaries, laws remain in flux in a number of states — including North Carolina and Texas, where voter ID requirements are being challenged in court.

Now ...

It's a challenge making sure that low-income children who get free- and reduced-priced meals during the school year continue to get fed during the summer.

Government meal programs served 3.8 million children on an average summer day last year — far fewer than the 22 million children who got subsidized ...

There's no dancing or passing the hat at these new rent parties. There is music — and online fundraising. Recently, a classical violinist played a concert in an Annapolis apartment to help the tenant.

Communities along the East Coast are trying to recover from this weekend's storm. Some areas were getting back to normal, but officials warned that it could be days for others.

New laws in 35 states will allow more than 5 million Americans with disabilities to begin setting aside money for disability-related expenses without being penalized. Right now, many ...

Thousands of homeless military vets have government vouchers for rent. But landlords aren't always willing to accept them, partly because of tight housing markets and stereotypes about the tenants.

John and Katrina Vowell used their small savings to start Major Chords for Minors in Saginaw, Mich., because they were worried about the city's youth. Now they have 130 students and a long wait list.

NPR provides an update on the picture of homelessness in the U.S. While there have been many successful efforts championed to get people housed, some cities continue to criminalize homelessness.

One thing that has struck me covering poverty in the U.S. is the number of people I've met who are poor and disadvantaged themselves, who have decided to do something to make life better for those around them.

That's the genesis for this series, Doing More With Less.

We profile ...

Over 560,000 people lived on the street or in homeless shelters this year — a 2 percent drop, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Still, many say the numbers are unreliable.

Public housing residents would be banned from smoking, not just in public spaces on the premises, but in their own apartments under a proposal Thursday by the Department of Housing an...

Combating homelessness isn't just about shelter. Lately, some affordable housing projects are getting decidedly upscale — to help residents heal, adjust and build bonds with their new neighbors.

Some local laws make it illegal to sleep or eat outside. Advocates have fought these laws in court. Now, the federal government is taking a stance, pushing ways to help, not criminalize, the homeless.

Don't expect Congress to shell out any money when it comes to replacing aging voting equipment. That's what Christy McCormick, chairwoman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), says her agency is telling state and local election officials, even though a bipartisan presidential commission warned last year of ...

Pope Francis spent time with homeless, immigrant and other low-income clients of Catholic Charities on his last day in Washington, D.C., Thursday.

The Census Bureau released its annual report on income, poverty and health insurance coverage for 2014 on Wednesday. Poverty in the U.S. was unchanged last year, despite more jobs.

Almost every state bought new computerized voting equipment after the disputed 2000 election. But the machines are coming to the end of their useful lives, and there's little momentum to replace them.