This research report from the Economic Research Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture examines the evolution of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over the years and uses the historical perspective to examine several major program design issues. It analyzes these design issues and examines the various policy decisions that have shaped the program as it is today.

SNAP to Skills will host the webinar Better Jobs and Increased Incomes: Integrating SNAP E&T into Career Pathways Programs on March 22, 2018 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EST. The webinar will focus on how career pathways can help SNAP participants upgrade their skills and advance to higher paying jobs by completing training and obtaining credentials in industries with strong employment opportunities. Webinar participants will learn how SNAP E&T can integrate with career pathways programs to create expanded opportunities for SNAP participants, leverage other funding, and fill service gaps to increase impact. It will include opportunities to hear from specific communities on how they have integrated SNAP E&T with career pathways to create opportunities for participants to obtain better jobs and increase earnings.

Please join the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) for a webinar reaffirming and renewing its partnership with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and between the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Head Start (HS), and Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) programs. The webinar will go over a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that describes how WIC, CACFP, HS, and CCDF can work together to promote and support regional, State, and local efforts to improve program coordination and service delivery for low-income children and their families. When: Wednesday, January 31, 2018; 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (EST) Presented by: FNS & ACF Headquarters Staff. Short remarks to be provided by FNS and ACF Senior Leadership. Log-on information will be provided at a later date. This webinar will be recorded, and the presentation will be made available following the webinar date.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to low-income individuals and families. SNAP funding also includes resources dedicated to employment and training services. SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) can be a significant source of flexible funding to help recipients increase income so they can transition off SNAP benefits. Due to seemingly complex funding access, SNAP E&T tends to be an underutilized resource. This guide prepared by the Heartland Alliance’s National Initiatives on Poverty and Economic Opportunity is designed to help community-based organizations (CBOs) and state governments navigate the process of accessing SNAP E&T and 50/50 funding to support employment outcomes and economic advancement for people experiencing homelessness, as well other jobseekers facing barriers to employment.

Through statistics gathered from American Indian and Alaskan Native children living on or near reservations and comparing them with general population statistics, this report describes the scope of hunger, obesity, and Type II diabetes rates. It also discusses how federal nutrition programs can improve the lives of children living in tribal lands.

ETA is excited to announce the launch of a national cohort of states focusing on partnership of WIOA Titles 1 & 3, TANF Employment & Training and SNAP Employment & Training agencies and programs. This is a prestigious opportunity to work with your peers from across the country in an organized setting to tackle the challenges faced by states in leveraging funding and resources and integrating services—and explore models to develop an action plan to help advance your goals. Both states that consider themselves “leaders” and “learners” are encouraged to apply! This will be a highly engaging, peer learning cohort.

For more information, to request and submit applications, please contact cohorts@mahernet.com. Applications due by January 22, 2018.

On Tuesday, October 10, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) hosted an event on the state of safety-net programs under the Trump administration to include the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The discussion was moderated by AEI’s Robert Doar with a panel of Wade Horn, the former assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families; Robert Rector from the Heritage Foundation; and Ron Haskins from the Brookings Institution.

This study from the Wisconsin HOPE Lab was designed to help practitioners and policymakers understand the extent of food and housing insecurity at different community colleges across the country. The researchers analyzed data from 33,000 community college students at 70 community colleges in 24 states. They found that two-thirds of students were food insecure, about half of students were housing insecure, and about 13-14% were homeless. There was very little geographic variation in the hunger and homelessness that community college students experienced, but former foster youth experienced homelessness at a higher rate than other community college students. The researchers recommend improvements in policy and practice to ensure the basic needs of community college students are met.

This Urban Institute brief examines the experiences of clients applying for work supports, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Medicaid, and child care assistance. Applying for these benefits can be a daunting process for low-income families, so six states participated in the Work Support Strategies initiative to streamline and improve the application and service delivery process. The authors describe the experiences of families applying for work supports, then they identify three areas where the process could be improved. Those areas include minimizing wait times so families can receive their benefits sooner, improving customer service so families applying for benefits are treated with respect, and providing clearer information about the process of applying for benefits. The authors recommend that states provide a range of options for applying for benefits and aim for providing benefits on the same day that a client applies.

Senate Resolution 2013-62 (Appendix A) directed the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to consider the effect of major federal and state programs in assisting low-income families to achieve self-sufficiency and reduce the number of families living in poverty. In particular, the Committee was asked to determine if and how such programs mitigate the “cliff effect.” “Cliff effects” occur when program benefits are not phased out on a sliding scale basis, or increased earnings are not sufficient to cover the full cost of the lost benefit. With one exception, the Committee focused on programs available to all that apply and meet eligibility requirements: TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), SNAP/Food Stamps (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program), several federal tax credits, and Pennsylvania’s Special Tax Forgiveness Program. The one exception, the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), is a discretionary federal program offering child care subsidies for low- income families, with the number of eligible individuals served limited by available funding.