This paper focuses on poverty in the last 40 years in the United States, focusing on policy and poverty in the African American community. Between 1968 and 2005, the black poverty rate fell from 35 percent to about 25 percent. However, in 2005, blacks were more than three times as likely as whites to be in “deep poverty,” meaning incomes below 50 percent of poverty. Additionally, Hispanics were twice as likely as whites to be poor (8.6 percent versus 3.5 percent).

Currently, most measures of poverty focus mainly on income and income level and do not include other aspects of economic status such as assets or debt. From the National Center for Children in Poverty, this fact sheet reviews the current measures of poverty in the United States. Authors also provide alternative ways that economic hardship can be measured to accurately portray poverty.

This brief presents research findings from the SAMHSA 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and provides information on illicit drug use among youth. The Survey found that youth who did not participate in any extracurricular activities had higher rates of past month cigarette and illicit drug use than those who participated in 4 or more activities.

This study was completed through the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, and explores how local management of TANF programs has adapted practices to address changing needs of the TANF population in the local areas. This study was conducted in five sites across the country, including Phoenix, Arizona; Macon, Georgia; Kansas City, Missouri; Newark, New Jersey and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Findings conclude that the implementation of TANF varies across the sites, and that programs will have upcoming changes in response to the Deficit Reduction Act.

Government safety-net programs provide income, health, education or other forms of assistance to individuals, families, and households. The AARP Public Policy Institute authored this resource looking at the distribution of work-related and need-related benefits among American families in 2004. While most older Americans are covered by Social Security and Medicare, need-related government programs are still important for low-income, older Americans.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network sponsored this Roundtable on May 9-10, 2007, in Boise, Idaho. The principal goals of the Roundtable were to build and enhance partnerships statewide between social services providers, Idaho TANF Agency, business leaders, faith-based organizations, etc., with an aim toward helping low wage earning families achieve financial self-sufficiency.

Isabel Sawhill, of the Brookings Institution, testified before the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss poverty reduction strategies. She cited three priorities to alleviate poverty in the United States: expanding early childhood education, reducing teen pregnancy and early, out-of-wedlock childbearing, and encouraging work.

Mathematica authored this resource on vouchers and gives an overview of how vouchers are used in public programs. Information is provided on the design and implementation of voucher programs and outcomes associated with existing voucher programs, specifically regarding the Child Care and Development Fund and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs.

From the Urban Institute, this report reviews historical and current funding trends of 100 federal programs, including TANF, Supplemental Security Income, Food Stamps, Section 8 Low-Income Housing Assistance and Low Income Home Energy Assistance, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program. Through the data, authors offer insight into how children fare in the Federal Budget for 2007.

This report was completed by the Program Review and Investigations Committee on Connecticut’s Welfare Reform Initiative. Authors describe the Jobs First program in detail as well as provide caseload trends, recipient demographics, and funding trends. Connecticut has utilized the earned income tax credit as a anti-poverty strategy, and authors also provide recommendations for improving work participation among the caseload.