Both the House and Senate are considering farm bills that would cut spending on food stamps, one of the most expensive government programs. But people disagree on how much the changes would affect recipients.

The number of poor people living in America's suburbs now surpasses those in cities or rural areas. Long focused on the urban poor, social service agencies are now trying to respond to the basic needs of a much more far-flung population.

Housing authorities across the country have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with across-the-board spending cuts. Many newly issued vouchers have been rescinded, leaving some people homeless or doubled up with family and friends.

Immediately after the Boston Marathon bombing, local officials set up the One Fund Boston to collect and distribute donations to help the victims. The fund was set up by Mayor Thomas Menino and Gov. Deval Patrick to help coordinate aid, and to avoid some of the acrimony over donations that has followed past tragedies.

Advocates for the people living on the city's streets were very skeptical two years ago that much could be done. But some substantial progress has been made since then. Now, as new people turn to the streets, can the county still help?

President Obama commented on the long lines for some voters during his re-election acceptance speech last November. And at his State of the Union address, he promised to seek solutions. The new commission will make recommendations to states, but it will not have the power to enforce any changes.

As this year's tax deadline approaches, hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans are relying on free services to help with returns. The services are an alternative to schemes that often prey on people who need quick cash.

Tony Lithgow and Andrea Mayer live under a highway overpass in Baltimore. They're among a growing number of the nation's homeless who are reaching what's called "premature old age." They're in their late 40s and 50s, but suffer from ailments more common for those in their 70s.

If you're homeless, you can be on your feet for hours, forced to sleep in the frigid cold, or seriously ill with no place to go. But increasingly, the nation's homeless population is aging — more than half of single homeless adults are 47 or older. Linwood Hearne, 64, and his wife have been homeless for four years, sleeping near Interstate 83 in Baltimore.

It happens after every disaster. People want to help, but their donations often turn out to be a burden. Newtown, Conn., for example, was so inundated with gifts, it asked people to stop sending them. Instead, disaster aid groups are trying to figure out a better way to channel good intentions.

Bad weather was making its way across the eastern part of the U.S. on a busy post-Christmas travel day. Hundreds of flights were canceled and roads were treacherous in many East Coast and Midwestern states.

Some charitable organizations that were in the path of Superstorm Sandy were left in as bad shape as their clients. With Thanksgiving around the corner, they wonder how they will feed the storm's victims and the poor.

With the presidential election looking to be very close, the outcome could come down to relatively few votes in a battleground state. That has the political parties, state election offices and lawyers for the campaigns preparing a post-Tuesday strategy.

Neither President Obama nor Republican Mitt Romney has focused much attention on the poor. They've talked about creating jobs and opportunity, but mostly for the middle class. Advocates say Obama's stimulus spending has helped, but Republicans argue that government aid helps keep people in poverty.

Poverty among single mothers is an astounding 66 percent in Reading, Pa., where Jennifer Stepp is raising three children by herself. To survive, Stepp relies on a safety net of support from the government, charities, family and friends. Without help, the odds are stacked against her and her family.

At a Thursday hearing, lawmakers said the federal government isn't doing enough to prevent fraud in the food stamp benefit program. The hearing comes after a recent news investigation found that numerous retailers who illegally deal in food stamps were allowed to stay in the program.