This research includes 27 cities and the status of hunger and homelessness. The research is based on information from the cities on the demand for emergency food and shelter and the capacity to handle the need, the causes of hunger and homelessness, programs to combat hunger and homelessness, the availability of affordable housing, and the outlook for the future.

This research includes 25 cities and the status of hunger and homelessness from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The research is based on information from the cities on the demand for emergency food and shelter and the capacity to handle the need, the causes of hunger and homelessness, programs to combat hunger and homelessness, the availability of affordable housing, and the outlook for the future.

Since welfare reform, there has been a significant decrease in food stamp participation, especially among families moving off welfare. Authors suggest that the low participation may be tied to the fact that families who are able to meet the food needs of their families are unlikely to apply for benefits. This paper offers a new approach to help encourage participation among working families.

Barbara Devaney, Laura Kalb, Ronette Briefel, Teresa Zavitsky-Novak, Nancy Clusen, Paula Ziegler, authors. Features articles related to this study that Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. conducted for Gerber. The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) provides a wealth of data on the food and nutrient intakes, background characteristics, growth and development milestones, and feeding patterns and transitions for a nationally representative sample of infants and toddlers.

Authored by Carole Trippe, Liz Schott, Nancy Wemmerus, and Andrew Berwick. This study examines the experiences of four States--Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, and Ohio--that use the simplified reporting option of the Food Stamp Program; Arizona also uses the transitional benefit option. States reported reduced staff workload, improved client access, and reduced quality control errors with simplified reporting but faced some operational challenges that made realizing the option's full potential difficult.

Authored by Anne Gordon, Heather Hartline-Grafton, and Renee Nogales. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides supplemental food, nutrition education, and health and social service referrals to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, as well as to infants and children younger than five. This study describes a range of innovative practices at 20 State or local WIC agencies focusing on breastfeeding promotion and support, nutrition and health education, and service delivery. For each program, the report provides background information and discusses the source of the innovation, key challenges, implementation lessons learned, evidence of success, and the feasibility of replication.

Authored by Craig Gundersen, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University; Dean Jolliffe, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service; and Laura Tiehen, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. This report, as part of the Working Paper Series of the National Poverty Center (NPC), explores variation in State policies and data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to analyze food insecurity rates between Food Stamp program participants and non-participants.

This resource, through Mathematica Policy Research, reviews State food stamp participation rates to measure the effectiveness of the food stamp program and the program's ability to reach its target population.

This article, through the Urban Institute, reviews information on the Food Stamp Program, which provided $200 a month on average to participating households during fiscal year 2004. However, many eligible families do not enroll in the program. The authors summarize the effectiveness of 18 local outreach projects to reach out to those who do not apply for the program through technology and partnerships.

This year, the food stamp program is currently serving 25 million people across the country. This represents an increase of 8 million participants since 2000. This article from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities reviews reasons for such growth and implications for the future.