Poverty groups need to reorganize

Struggling to balance a booming demand for services against a funding shortage, officials with San Fernando Valley poverty-assistance agencies said Thursday they need to reorganize and connect with a new generation of social activists. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

The discussion was part of the second annual "Mending Poverty" conference, held Thursday at Meet Each Need With Dignity in Pacoima.

Nearly 100 members from various social service agencies -- food pantries and providers of mental health, health care and housing programs -- focused on how to best advocate for the poor during a state budget crisis and an unsteady economy.