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.
blog post Federal Funds and California’s Budget By Patrick Murphy Apr 9, 2018 The most vulnerable Californians could bear the brunt if changes are made to direct funding received from the federal government.
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 Video: Briefing Focuses on Health and Nutrition Safety Net for Children By David Lesher Feb 25, 2015 More than half of all California children participate in at least one health or nutrition safety net program, according to a newly released PPIC report that was the focus of a recent briefing.
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.
blog post Fewer California Adults and Far Fewer Children Are in Poverty in 2021 By Caroline Danielson, Patricia Malagon Sep 22, 2022 New census data show that poverty in California declined among both adults and children last year. While economic downturns typically cause poverty to rise, pandemic relief measures drove a continued decline, especially among children.
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.
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.
