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.
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
Report Geography of Child Poverty in California By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Feb 22, 2017 One-quarter of young children across the state live in poverty. In inland regions, reducing child poverty requires efforts to improve job opportunities. In many coastal regions, increasing access to affordable housing will help.
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 America’s College Promise: An Opportunity for California By Kevin Cook May 5, 2016 Proposals to provide free community college have clearly resonated with a broad coalition of voters, policymakers, and advocacy groups.
blog post Nearly Half of the Working Poor Are Working Full Time and Year Round By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Jul 25, 2018 Many poor Californians are employed full time—the number of hours worked does matter, but poverty is also driven by factors such as the cost of living and the level of access to safety net resources.
blog post Testimony: Measuring Poverty By Sarah Bohn Jul 14, 2015 New and more comprehensive measures update a definition of poverty that is now more than 50 years old.
blog post Poverty in California Is High by Any Measure By Caroline Danielson, Tess Thorman, Sarah Bohn Sep 20, 2018 California continues to have one of the nation’s highest poverty rates. Within California, poverty is highest in certain coastal areas, including Los Angeles County.
blog post A California Earned Income Tax Credit By Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn, Sara Kimberlin Jun 3, 2015 The governor’s proposed state Earned Income Tax Credit adds to the mix of strategies policymakers are considering to address the state’s poverty rate—the highest in the nation when the cost of living is accounted for.
