This resource is from the Urban Institute, and researchers use data from the 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances to analyze how families fare in times of economic and financial emergencies. Prior to the current recession, many families did not have resources to support them through unemployment or other financial times of struggle. In fact, one in three families was considered asset poor in 2007, and lower-income families are more vulnerable to financial emergencies.

The Tax Policy Center, which is a joint venture of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, authored this fact sheet on tax policies designed to support working families with children. Specifically, the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit (CTC), Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), and the dependent exemption support families with children. In 2009, a single mom (or dad) with two children can receive benefits up to about $7,500 — depending on income, age of the children, and where the children live. Due to the benefits of such policies, supporting low-income families in understanding and applying for these tax supports is important.

The Economic Mobility Project authored this report on ways that students can increase their long-term earnings and the role of community colleges. Twenty-six percent of community college students come from low-income families, compared to 15 percent of four-year college students. Research shows that by receiving a community college degree, students can increase their earnings by an average of $7,900 annually, which is an earnings increase of 29 percent over those with a high school diploma.

From Public/Private Ventures, this report outlines findings from a mentoring impact study of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program. Data was collected from a large-scale, random assignment impact study of ten Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies, which included 1,139 youth in 71 schools across the country. Findings show that high school volunteers as mentors can provide attention and friendship for children lacking peer social skills or experiences. High school mentors tend to involve their mentees in decisionmaking more often than adults.

Within low-income families, around 60 percent have an adult working fulltime. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this Urban Institute fact sheet describes adolescent risk behaviors and the transition to adulthood for low-income youth from high-work families to low-income youth from moderate-work and nonworking (low-work) families. Among the findings, youth from high-work families are more likely to be connected to school or work than youth from nonworking or low-work families.

From the First Nations Development Institute, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this resource was developed to help tribal leaders build EITC campaigns in their communities. Authors provide an overview of the EITC, how the EITC can help support tribal communities and families, strategies that can be implemented to promote EITC uptake for this population, a timeline for EITC campaign implementation, and additional resources to support tribal leaders.

From Public/Private Ventures, this resource brief is designed to provide program operators and researchers with advice about how to assess a program's implementation and impact with a focus on mentoring programs, in general. However, the information can be applied across social programs. Authors provide an overview of issues that can arise in implementation as well as evaluation of a program.

From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this issue brief provides an overview of the food stamp program. In 2014, the program helped more than 46 million low-income Americans to afford a nutrionally adequate diet in a typical month. This piece provides an overview of eligibility requirements, the available benefits, the application procedures, and current food stamp caseload information. The program not only encourages work, but helps low-wage workers move above the poverty line, while also encouraging nutritional dietary intake for children.

This research article uses data from the Fragile Families Study to analyze intergenerational family relationships and stability among married and unmarried parents within five years of a child’s birth. Authors find that positive relationships between fathers and maternal grandparents is associated with a higher likelihood of marriage. The results suggest the importance for understanding broad contexts, such as intergenerational family relationships, when understanding fragile families.

The Brookings Institution authored this report on how the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) can be expanded to support families. The EITC can be an important tool for supporting working families with low-incomes, and delivers over $40 billion dollars a year in wage supplements to lower-income workers. It is estimated that more than four million people move out of poverty every year due to the EITC.