Poverty and Opportunity
The nation suffers from persistent poverty and stagnant incomes of low- and moderate-income people. Policy Futures develops federal and state policies to reduce poverty and promote opportunity. It documents and amplifies what works, develops and advances reforms to address intractable poverty, and examines how to implement programs more effectively. It focuses in particular on reducing child poverty and enhancing longer-term economic success for today’s children and young adults.
Policy Brief: Labor Market Facing SNAP and Medicaid Participants Offers Low-Paying, Volatile Jobs
A new paper by two leading academic researchers shows how adults who are likely to participate in SNAP (formerly food stamps) or Medicaid are generally working, but they often earn low wages...
Most Workers in Low-Wage Labor Market Work Substantial Hours, in Volatile Jobs
A large share of the people who would face work requirements are employed, but they also experience high levels of job displacement and unemployment, and their wages have grown little, as our...
Improving the Child Tax Credit for Very Low-Income Families
The nation’s poorest, most vulnerable children should not be locked out of receiving the full benefit of tax credits intended to help families offset the costs of raising...
The INS Public Charge Guidance: What Does it Mean For Immigrants Who Need Public Assistance?
Many legal immigrants fear that if they receive various public benefits, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) or State Department will decide they are likely to become a “public...
Greenstein: “America’s concern for the poor is about to be tested”
With the 115th Congress convening today, CBPP President Robert Greenstein’s Washington Post op-ed explains that GOP leaders will likely pursue radical changes in core safety net programs...
How State Tax Policies Can Stop Increasing Inequality and Start Reducing It
Over the last three and one-half decades, income gains in the American economy have accrued largely to the richest households, while many middle- and lower-income Americans haven’t shared in the...
Online Applications Guide
The introduction to this guide follows below. For the full report, please see the PDF.
Introduction
1Why a Guide on Selecting a School Meals Online Application?
A...
Pediatricians: Safety Net Key to Children’s Health and Development
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) called on policymakers this week to do more for children’s health and development — and some of its strongest words concerned not health care but...
TANF at 20: Time to Create a Program that Supports Work and Helps Families Meet Their Basic Needs
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, established 20 years ago, is overdue for reform. TANF’s combination of nearly unfettered state flexibility, fixed block grant...
A Top Priority to Address Poverty: Strengthening the Child Tax Credit for Very Poor Young Children
Today, the poorest children qualify for only a very small CTC or no tax credit at...