Report Child Poverty and the Social Safety Net in California By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Sep 29, 2014 Because economic hardship is associated with a host of adverse outcomes, particularly for children, policies that can give children a better start in life are especially important. This report focuses on measuring material hardship among children across the state. Using the California Poverty Measure—which accounts for both family earnings and safety net resources and adjusts for work expenses and housing costs—we find that one-quarter of California’s children are in poverty. An additional 26 percent of children live in households that are "near poor,” or somewhat above what is often referred to as the poverty line. In short, about half of California’s children are poor or near-poor. Poverty rates, earnings, and the role of safety net resources all vary by region. But most poor children live in "working poor” families, with one or more working adults. And, without resources from the social safety net—which includes the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, CalFresh (California’s food stamp program), CalWORKs (California’s welfare program), and housing subsidies—there would be far more children in poverty throughout California.
blog post Testimony: Poverty and the Safety Net By Sarah Bohn Feb 27, 2014 PPIC research fellow Sarah Bohn testified Wednesday before the Assembly Budget Subcommittee for Health and Human Services. She described recent poverty trends and the impact of anti-poverty programs in California.
blog post Testimony: Californians and Poverty By Mark Baldassare Feb 12, 2014 Hello, my name is Mark Baldassare and I am the president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California. Thank you for the opportunity to speak as you launch this timely, historic, and "EPIC” effort to address poverty in California.
blog post Refundable Tax Credits Ease Poverty in California By Caroline Danielson Feb 5, 2014 Poverty and income inequality have become hot topics in policy circles at the state and national levels. PPIC has been looking at these issues, too.
blog post Testimony: Measuring Poverty in California By Sarah Bohn Jan 8, 2014 On the 50th anniversary of President Johnson's declaration of a "War on Poverty," the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee held a hearing about California's food stamp program, known as CalFresh.
Report The California Poverty Measure: A New Look at the Social Safety Net By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn, Matt Levin, Marybeth Mattingly Oct 1, 2013 A new way of measuring poverty in California shows that 22 percent of residents lived in poor families in 2011. It also underscores the importance of the social safety net for many families in the state. The safety net’s impact on children is especially dramatic—without the need-based programs included in the new measure, 39 percent (or 3.6 million California children) would be considered poor. A companion report released by the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality examines regional and demographic differences in poverty. This research was supported with funding from The Walter S. Johnson Foundation. Interactive Map: California Poverty Rates by County Interactive Graphic: Poverty and Social Programs in California
press release Budget Reality Check: Huge Mismatch Between What Californians Want And What They’re Willing To Pay For Jan 31, 2007