ProjectState of the Safety Net
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    • The United States’ public safety net includes more than a dozen programs intended to help people and families with low incomes meet their basic needs. These programs provide assistance for food, housing, child care, and much more. But who is eligible for and ultimately receives these benefits can vary dramatically across states, and many who need benefits do not receive them.

    To understand the state of the safety net—both how effective programs are at keeping people out of poverty and who these programs could support but currently do not—policymakers need up-to-date data and analysis. This initiative uses Urban’s Analysis of Transfers, Taxes, and Income Security (ATTIS) microsimulation model to estimate safety net participation across states and demographic groups and shows how increased participation could reduce poverty nationwide.

    Our analysis covers seven safety net programs and two federal tax credits. Programs we provide data for include the following:

    • Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)
    • Public and subsidized housing assistance
    • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
    • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
    • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
    • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
    • Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
    • Child tax credit (CTC) refundable portion
    • Earned income tax credit (EITC)

    Explore who is eligible for benefits, who ultimately receives benefits, and how those benefits affect poverty levels across demographic groups using our interactive data tool.
     

    View Data Tool
    Research and Evidence Tax and Income Supports
    Expertise Social Safety Net Microsimulation Modeling Immigration
    Tags ATTIS Microsimulation Model Data analysis Quantitative data analysis Asian American and Pacific Islander communities Assistance for women and children Black/African American communities Child care Child care and early education Child care subsidies and affordability Child tax credit Children and youth Children's budget Earned income tax credit Economic well-being Families with low incomes Family and household data Federal housing programs and policies Federal tax issues and reform proposals Federal, state, and local immigration and integration policy Food insecurity and hunger Housing stability Housing subsidies Housing vouchers and mobility Hunger and food assistance Immigrant access to the safety net Latinx communities Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Older adults’ economic well-being Poverty Public and assisted housing Race, gender, class, and ethnicity Racial and ethnic disparities Racial barriers to accessing the safety net Refundable tax credits Rural people and places Spending on children State and local tax issues State programs, budgets Supplemental nutrition - Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Welfare and safety net programs Work supports