View Research by Author - Sandi Nelson

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/SandiNelson

Executive Report:Food stamps are a significant source of food assistance for families with incomes below 130 percent of the poverty level. The average participating household received roughly $200 a month in benefits during fiscal year 2004. Despite the value of the benefit, many eligible persons do not enroll in the Food Stamp Program (FSP). This report summarizes the findings from 18 local outreach projects the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded in 2002 to test outreach strategies. The projects, which were implemented at different locations across 15 states, included a technological component and/or partnerships with other organizations to expand the scope of outreach. All projects aimed to increase awareness of the FSP and increase the number of food stamp participants.

Food stamps are a significant source of food assistance for families with incomes below 130 percent of the poverty level. The average participating household received roughly $200 a month in benefits during fiscal year 2004. Despite the value of the benefit, many eligible persons do not enroll in the Food Stamp Program (FSP). This report summarizes the findings from 18 local outreach projects the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded in 2002 to test outreach strategies. The projects, which were implemented at different locations across 15 states, included a technological component and/or partnerships with other organizations to expand the scope of outreach. All projects aimed to increase awareness of the FSP and increase the number of food stamp participants.

This paper discusses the utility of the SIPP in disability analyses, including a summary of descriptive statistics on people with disabilities from multiple SIPP panels, including the most recent SIPP panel (2001). The findings provide insights into the various health, employment, income, and program participation outcomes that may be associated with different definitions of disability and illustrate the potential for using SIPP data in further disability analyses. Our descriptive findings highlight the differences in the demographic composition and outcomes across disability definitions, underscoring the importance of carefully selecting an appropriate disability conceptualization in generating disability statistics.

This report, prepared for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, reviews existing data sources and prior research on six programs operated by the Department that provide food assistance to American Indians living on or near reservations. The purpose of the review is to help identify future research needs and opportunities to exploit administrative data systems and recurring national surveys. The programs covered are the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), the Food Stamp Program (FSP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Research topics of continuing importance include the impacts of reservation food assistance on health and nutrition, the characteristics that make nutrition education effective on reservations, the dynamics of program participation, and the contribution of tribal administration to program coordination.

Data from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families show that over 70 percent of the difference in poverty, low-income status, and food insecurity between children living with married and cohabiting couples can be attributed to differences in work status, education, age, and race/ethnicity of these couples. The remaining difference can be attributed to unmeasured family characteristics and the intrinsic benefits of marriage.

Data from the 2002 round of the National Survey of America's Families show that food hardship affected 51 percent of low-income parents in 2002. Housing hardship among single low-income parents increased from 32 percent in 1997 to 35 percent in 2002.

Using data from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families, the authors find that the majority of the gaps in poverty, low-income status, and food insecurity between children living in cohabiting and married couple families is accounted for by differences in characteristics such as parental education, age, and the number of hours worked. The benefits of marriage and unmeasurable characteristics, such as attitudes towards commitment, account for the rest of the difference. The authors conclude that successful marriage promotion efforts aimed at cohabiting parents could improve the outcomes for their children, but only to a limited extent.

This paper uses data from the 1990 and 1996 Survey of Income and Program Participation to assess whether changes in welfare policy affected welfare entry rates. It also assesses whether changes in entry rates are accompanied by improvements in the circumstances of families that choose not to receive welfare. The authors conclude that policy shifts and changes in attitudes toward work and welfare are the most likely explanations for the drop in welfare entry rates. The bulk of the change came after the implementation of welfare reform. Declining entry rates are not accompanied by substantial improvements in the well-being of low-income single mothers who are not on welfare.

Data from the 2002 round of the National Survey of America's Families documents that the working poor are struggling to cover food costs. Over 4 million nonelderly low-income families reported using a food pantry in the past year. Working parents with children made up nearly half the families that turned to food pantries. Forty-six percent of low-income families using food pantries also reported receiving federal food stamps.

The share of children five and under living with single mothers declined from 21.0 percent in 1997 to 17.3 percent in 2002. The share of young children living with married parents increased by 2.5 percentage points between 1997 and 2002. The share living with unmarried parents increased by 1.2 percentage points.

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