Fact Sheet California’s Cash-Based Safety Net By Caroline Danielson May 20, 2024 Cash assistance helps keep low-income Californians out of poverty. Tax credits help those with low—and sometimes no—incomes, while several programs provide monthly assistance to children and other targeted populations.
blog post Federal Immigration Proposal Could Have Widespread Impact By Tess Thorman Dec 5, 2018 A proposed Department of Homeland Security rule change could affect hundreds of thousands of Californians who are currently eligible for social safety net benefits.
blog post Many Low-Income Families Left Out of Federal Stimulus Benefits By Tess Thorman, Caroline Danielson, Sarah Bohn Apr 24, 2020 Federal stimulus checks during COVID-19 will reach an estimated four of five California families, but many of the lowest income families won’t get assistance.
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.
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 Testimony: Safety Net Plays Key Role in Reducing Poverty By Sarah Bohn Feb 14, 2018 Poverty is high in California, and it has not improved as much as the economy has.
Fact Sheet Poverty in California By Sarah Bohn, Caroline Danielson, Sara Kimberlin, Patricia Malagon Oct 18, 2023 With the end of many pandemic relief programs, poverty rates—especially for children—have gone up in the last two years.
blog post For California’s Homeless, CalFresh Is Essential Part of Safety Net By Caroline Danielson Jun 19, 2020 CalFresh food assistance is a key support for people confronting homelessness, and efforts to expand access to CalFresh are critical.