Policy Brief Policy Brief: The Role of CalFresh in Stabilizing Family Incomes By Caroline Danielson, Tess Thorman, Vicki Hsieh Sep 21, 2022 As policymakers consider ways to strengthen the connections between safety net participation and economic mobility, a better understanding of the job and income instability CalFresh participants face is critical.
Report The Role of CalFresh in Stabilizing Family Incomes By Caroline Danielson, Tess Thorman Sep 21, 2022 CalFresh—California’s largest safety net program—helps mitigate income instability for many low-income families. But those without recent employment often do not experience this stabilizing effect. Additional efforts to automate income reporting and ensure that individuals can access CalFresh as soon as they are eligible could strengthen the program’s reach and impact.
blog post Inflation Is Undercutting Pandemic-Era Increases in Food Assistance By Tess Thorman, Eliana Blachman Aug 18, 2022 Rising food prices have substantially eroded the value of recent increases to CalFresh benefits. Participants should see some relief in October, when benefit levels are adjusted for inflation.
Report Employment Patterns for CalFresh Adults By Tess Thorman, Caroline Danielson Jul 13, 2022 CalFresh provides food assistance to about 4.5 million low-income Californians. While many adults who access CalFresh are working, their jobs may be temporary or unstable. Understanding changes in employment before, during, and after adults enroll in CalFresh can help policymakers and administrators better align the program with workers’ needs.
blog post How Did Pandemic Stimulus Funds Affect Income Inequality in California? By Sarah Bohn, Tess Thorman, Joseph Herrera Jul 12, 2022 Income inequality initially increased in the 2020 recession, but federal stimulus payments helped to reduce the worst effects—especially for low-income families.
blog post Making Water Affordable for Low-Income Households By Sarah Bardeen Jun 21, 2022 Carlos Torres is a program specialist with the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), a new federal program that assists low-income households with water and wastewater bills. We spoke to him about what it’s like working with the first-ever federal water assistance program.
blog post Homeownership Trends in California By Hans Johnson, Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Julien Lafortune, Cesar Alesi Perez Jun 14, 2022 California’s homeownership rate is among the lowest in the nation, but varies widely across the state. The share of families owning the home they live in has changed little in the past 60 years.
blog post What Do Enrollment Declines Mean for Transitional Kindergarten? By Emmanuel Prunty, Laura Hill Jun 9, 2022 During the 2020–21 school year, transitional kindergarten saw the steepest enrollment decline of any grade level. The largest drops were among African American and Native American children.
blog post School Meals May Help Families Fight Food Inflation By Caroline Danielson, Niu Gao Jun 1, 2022 The rising cost of food and other necessities is an especially large challenge for low-income families. For households with schoolchildren, school meals can help address the impact of higher prices and increase access to nutritious food.
Report Understanding the Effects of School Funding By Julien Lafortune May 18, 2022 Funding for California’s K–12 public schools has reached record highs, but gaps in student outcomes remain. Understanding the benefits of additional funds, and how to distribute those funds, are key concerns for policymakers. This report offers insights from a robust body of research on the extent to which higher spending improves outcomes.
