More than 41 million people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy their groceries. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the program ramped up.
Poverty in America has changed since the 1960s.
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The food aid program helps low-income families put food on the table and injects money straight into struggling local economies. It will be critical throughout the crisis the coronavirus is stoking.
SNAP can help low-income families eat a more balanced diet.
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States are increasingly turning to machine learning and algorithms to detect fraud in food stamps, Medicaid and other welfare programs – despite little evidence of actual fraud.
SNAP benefits help millions of families put food on the table.
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In the US, poverty is measured by income level. But that measure misses many other aspects of poverty – like unemployment, poor health and a lack of health insurance.
Most adults under 49 without kids must work 20 hours a week to get food stamps.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Anya Samek, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
When asked to donate money they had earned through participating in a study, average people tended to choose the less onerous requirements rather than big ones.
Average Walmart workers make twice the federal minimum wage but may still qualify for public benefits.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
Stressing out about potentially losing benefits can prolong financial instability. Solving this problem will help low-paid workers and everyone else.
Three-year-old Ailianie Hernandez waits with her mother, Julianna Ageljo, to apply for Puerto Rico’s nutritional assistance program.
(AP Photo/Carlos Giusti
A new federal report on food insecurity on college campuses does a good job of laying out the scope of the problem but falls short when it comes to solutions.
About 12.7 percent of Americans lived below the poverty line in 2016.
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A White House Council concluded that the war on poverty is “largely over.” But, while poverty among seniors has declined, poverty among adults and children as changed little over the last 40 years.
Associate Dean of the College of Community and Public Affairs, and Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Assistant Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan