Report California’s Food Stamp Program: Participation and Cost Challenges for the State By Caroline Danielson, Jacob Alex Klerman Sep 16, 2011 California’s food stamp program, known as CalFresh, is a critical piece of the state’s safety net and serves 3.8 million Californians. More than half are children. Yet compared to other states, fewer eligible Californians actually participate, and the state’s administrative costs are higher. Examining historical data from all 50 states, the authors find that ending mandatory fingerprinting of adult CalFresh enrollees would likely increase participation and reduce costs.
Fact Sheet The CalFresh Food Assistance Program By Caroline Danielson, Daniel Tan Sep 1, 2020 Participation in CalFresh—which helps millions of low-income Californians buy groceries—has risen amid the coronavirus pandemic. This fact sheet provides a snapshot of the program, including its impact on poverty and recent changes to expand access.
Report Reform Reversed? The Restoration of Welfare Benefits to Immigrants in California By Thomas E. MaCurdy, Margaret O’Brien-Strain Dec 1, 1998 The 1996 federal welfare reform legislation called for many substantial changes in the welfare system. However, some of these changes were not carefully considered, and subsequent legislation has already modified or reversed several of the original reforms. In this report, the authors examine one such instance—the denial and reinstatement of benefits to noncitizen immigrants under the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Food Stamps programs. The authors argue that the lack of thoughtful program design was the most disturbing feature in both the denial and restoration of benefits to immigrants. If legislators are to accomplish the stated goals of welfare reform, they must develop their strategies more carefully as other opportunities for rethinking and revising the welfare system arise in the future.
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 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.
press release Not Married, But Not Single – Surprising Numbers of Unmarried Parents Report Living Together Jul 24, 2001
blog post Video: Reaching Children in Poverty By Linda Strean Mar 6, 2017 Understanding how child poverty varies geographically can help address this challenge. At a PPIC event, local service providers describe their approaches.
blog post Is California the Poorest State? By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Sep 29, 2014 One poverty measure ranked California as the poorest state in the U.S. But according to the latest official estimates, 16 states had higher poverty rates. How do we make sense of this?