For 20,000 spots on Los Angeles’ Section 8 voucher waiting list in 2018, about 188,000 people applied. Only 1 in 30 low-income applicants actually score a voucher to help cover the cost of rent, and out of those, only about half actually sign a lease within the required six months because most landlords refuse to accept vouchers.

As an addiction psychiatrist in Washington state, Dr. Mark Duncan sees patients struggling with opioid addiction every week. He described a recent patient who began overusing opioid painkillers because of an aortic dissection—a serious condition in which blood vessels tear near the heart. The patient’s provider stopped prescribing the drugs, so the man bought any opioids he could find off the street to manage his withdrawals and anxiety. His missed work and poor performance caused him to lose jobs, and he lost relationships as he tried and failed at treatment.

The United States leads the world in generous giving, but the Great Recession, declining church attendance, and the wealth created by the booming tech industry have contributed to a shift in how Americans give.

As COVID-19 and a wave of unemployment hit the country a year ago, many charities began scaling back their budgets. But Mission Triangle, a resource center for nonprofits in the Raleigh, N.C., area, encouraged them to rally instead.

President Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to reverse Trump-era immigration policies, but the changes he is making could land the country back in the same chaotic situation as when his predecessor took office.

Dr. Omari Hodge practices family medicine in Gainesville, Ga. These days, he spends a lot of time sharing information and answering patients’ questions about the COVID-19 vaccines. Hodge said many of his older African American patients “don’t necessarily trust the vaccine, because they were alive during some of the times when science wasn’t as kind … to them.”

States and cities are working to get the vaccine to minority communities hardest hit by COVID-19. But a lack of trust and barriers to access are slowing those efforts.

In late January, authorities in Marion County, Ore., arrested 16-year-old Gerardo Trujillo-Torres on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, intentional first-degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of 24-year-old Joshua Steward.