In response to several proposed federal changes to safety net program requirements, the Urban Institute developed a Well Being and Basic Needs Survey (WBNS) and published a report on the status of individual and family health and well-being. The data serves as a baseline against which to measure deviations as a result of potential policy change. Despite a low unemployment rate and growing labor market, the first round of WBNS data from 2017 shows that nearly 40 percent of adults had trouble meeting at least one basic need, a number which may increase due to proposed safety net changes. Hispanic, black, female, young, ill, and less educated demographics are the most likely to face hardships. The survey will continue to measure potential effects of policy changes and highlight areas of programmatic need.

This interactive tool provided by the National Center for Children in Poverty allows users to identify current legislation and policies across states regarding these following key policy areas and others: child care and development fund subsidies, family and medical leave, SNAP eligibility, Medicaid income limits, and TANF eligibility criteria. The tracker enables policy and decision makers to learn about policies in the social and poverty domain.

This Urban Institute report notes the positive effect that safety net programs have on program recipients and their families. When reviewing program participation in TANF, SNAP, and public health insurance, the researchers discovered that the number of hardships that participating low-income families with children faced dropped by 48 percent, and food insufficiency decreased by 72 percent. The number of hardships was defined as the inability to meet essential expenses such as rent and utilities.

This U.S. Department of Agriculture policy brief outlines the employment and training barriers faced by SNAP participants experiencing homelessness or housing instability. The brief also illustrates models of effective employment and training services supported by SNAP programming. Other discussion centers on how SNAP E&T programs can work in partnership with public housing and homeless assistance programs, citing collaboration between Massachusetts’ SNAP Path to Work and the Secure Jobs Program as an example.

This joint report by the Center for Law and Social Policy and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities offers guidance on how to improve the administration of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid at the state and local levels. Rather than critiquing existing programs, this report illustrates implementation of management reforms in the intake and renewal processes.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to Skills Project (S2S) provides states with technical assistance to help them build employer-driven SNAP Employment and Training (E&T) programs. FNS will offer a new opportunity in 2019 geared toward State SNAP agencies interested in advancing an aspect of their SNAP E&T program, even if they are not one of the 10 states participating in S2S. This Call for Applications provides information on how interested State SNAP agencies can apply for the 2019 SNAP E&T State Institutes. Letters of interest should be submitted to the SNAP to Skills Project by 5 p.m. ET on January 7, 2019.

This working paper from the Upjohn Institute identifies how over half of registering households in multiple states leave SNAP within one year of entry, rather than complete administrative requirements to receive benefits. The paper’s author studied Michigan and combined administrative SNAP and Unemployment Insurance records; findings are relevant for case managers in states other than Michigan.

This report from Prosperity Now provides information about why creating savings penalties towards welfare programs such as SNAP and SSI actually harm families instead of aiding them. Studies have shown that low-income families with savings are able to more easily handle financial shocks. Most states are in the process of eliminating savings penalties due to the fact that eliminating them reduces administrative costs and caseloads.

This report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation is a required annual report to Congress on indicators and predictors of welfare dependence. The report provides data on benefits provided only by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Security Income, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The indicators reported on are mostly current through 2015, and some select indicators are current through 2016; the report summarizes the changes to the data over time.