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.
Report How Hospital Discharge Data Can Inform State Homelessness Policy By Shannon McConville, Hemal Kanzaria, Renee Hsia, Maria Raven Sep 19, 2022 Discharge data from emergency departments provide information on where people experiencing homelessness go for hospital care and on the conditions for which they are treated. If linked with data from homeless assistance programs and safety net services, this information can help policymakers make targeted investments and evaluate outcomes.
blog post Basic Needs Centers at California Colleges Can Help Fight Student Hunger By Eliana Blachman, Caroline Danielson Sep 19, 2022 California’s community colleges, which serve a large number of low-income students, are using basic needs centers to increase students’ access to CalFresh food assistance.
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 Community College English in California’s New Era of Student Access By Marisol Cuellar Mejia, Olga Rodriguez, Hans Johnson, Cesar Alesi Perez Aug 15, 2022 Major assessment and placement reforms at the state's community colleges have all but eliminated remedial prerequisites. As a result, students are much more likely to complete college composition—the “gateway” transfer-level English course. However, more work is needed to address persistent racial equity gaps and pandemic challenges.
blog post Repaying Student Loans a Struggle for Those Who Do Not Graduate By Darriya Starr, Jacob Jackson Jul 20, 2022 Initially enacted to ease the economic shocks of the pandemic, a pause on federal student loan payments could end later this summer. Restarting payments could pose a challenge for many borrowers, especially those who do not complete their degree.
Report Exploring the Potential for Water-Limited Agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley By Caitlin Peterson, Cameron Pittelkow, Mark Lundy Jul 20, 2022 As irrigated farmland comes out of production in the San Joaquin Valley, valley residents will face increased pests, weeds, and dust—as well as a loss of employment and economic activity. Water-limited cropping is one alternative to fallowing that can improve soil health and air quality, create habitat, and keep land in production.
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.
event Health Care Access among California’s Farmworkers Jun 23, 2022 Farmworkers are a key link in the food supply chain and important contributors to California’s economy. As farmworkers age and settle with family, their health care needs are changing—and cost and lack of insurance are often barriers to care. PPIC researcher Paulette Cha will present findings from a recent report and moderate a panel discussion on policies that could insure more farmworkers, and on health concerns farmworkers faced with COVID-19.
