From the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this report provides information on food insecurity among children in the United States. Researchers found that around 85 percent of households with food-insecure children had a working adult, including 70 percent with a full-time worker. Around 16 percent of households with children were food insecure sometime during the year, including 8.3 percent in which children were food insecure and 0.8 percent in which one or more children experienced very low food security. Federal food and nutrition assistance programs provided benefits to four out of five low-income, food-insecure households with children.

From the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this study looks at low-income families in Detroit in relation to economic coping strategies. Conducting three rounds of interviews with 35 women, researchers found that a majority of the sample were employed at least some of the time and most had children living with them. Additionally, just under half reported running out of food at some point during the year, and many reported utilizing Food Stamp (SNAP) benefits, but did not receive TANF or unemployment benefits.

This issue brief from Feeding America offers an estimate on the prevalence of food insecurity among children in the country. The estimates were calculated from the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS FSS) for 2005-2007. Researchers estimate that 12.5 million children in the United States from 2005 to 2007 were food insecure, which equates to about 17 percent of children under the age of 18.

This report was authored through the U.S. Conference of Mayors and provides relevant information on hunger and homelessness across cities in the United States. This report includes data from 25 urban centers across the country in 2008. Specifically, it was found that 95 percent of cities reported an increase in the demand for emergency food assistance over the past year. Additionally, 83 percent of cities reported an increase in homelessness over the past year in comparison to 2007.

This bibliography was prepared for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of a 12-month assessment that looks at the feasibility of studying the consequences of Hurricane Katrina for the ACF service populations. Authored by the Urban Institute, this piece offers a list of resources that address the human, social, and economic dimensions of the storm.

This study was funded through the Department of Agriculture and provides information on food security in households that participate in the Food Stamp Program (FSP). Using data from the Current Population Survey, researchers found that Food Stamp households have higher at-home food spending and lower away-from-home-spending than comparable non-participants.

This article is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and provides information on food security among low-income households. This research was focused on assessing the extent to which low-income households are willing and able to budget for healthy foods. It was found that households with an income below 130 percent of the poverty line spend less money than higher income households on healthy foods.

Child Trends authored this research brief on food insecurity, which persists in many households across the United States with young children. While food insecurity can cause a number of negative outcomes, overweight is one of the negative consequences for children that experience food insecurity. Utilizing data from the 9-month and 24-month waves of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), authors examine the indirect links through which food insecurity may affect overweight for infants and toddlers.

This resource from the Urban Institute provides information on asset building among low-income families. Because welfare benefits and food stamps are means tested, assets and income must fall below set limits for families to qualify. This ensures that benefits go to the most needy families; however, asset limits can also discourage asset building for low-income families. Authors review how assets, such as education, a home, a car, or an individual development account (IDA), can be exempted.

This Bulletin from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reviews the characteristics of low-income households with very low food security in 2005. Food security is used to measure how effective nutrition assistance programs are meeting the needs of the population that these programs are meant to serve. As part of the strategic plan, the USDA seeks to reduce the prevalence of very low food security among low-income families.