Social safety net

People experiencing poverty lack more than money: they also lack autonomy and power, and they are often denied dignity and respect. Urban researchers measure poverty’s several dimensions and analyze the effectiveness of social insurance and public assistance programs designed to help struggling families meet basic needs. Policymakers, advocates, practitioners, and philanthropists rely on Urban’s timely evidence to inform poverty-reduction efforts and to shape solutions for reducing barriers families face as they strive for social and economic mobility.

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Medical Debt Fell during the Pandemic. How Can the Decline Be Sustained?

In this brief, we examine the prevalence of medical debt and provide the first national estimates of changes in the share of adults with medical debt following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tags

Disability Insurance

Refundable tax credits

Hunger and food assistance

Families with low incomes

Poverty

Welfare and safety net programs

From Safety Net to Solid Ground

Research Methods

ATTIS Microsimulation Model

Featured Experts

Vice President, Income and Benefits Policy

Senior Fellow

Principal Research Associate

Events

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What Does It Take To Transform Persistent Rural Poverty into Opportunity?

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October 13, 2021
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How Might States’ Responses to the Pandemic Affect Safety Net Programs?

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April 29, 2021
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Restoring Immigrant Families’ Connections to the Safety Net

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April 1, 2021
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State of the States 2021: Pandemic Response and Recovery

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March 9, 2021
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State of the Schools 2020: The Educational Costs of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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August 12, 2020
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State of the States: Pandemic-Driven Budgeting Innovations

Display Date

July 8, 2020

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Staff

Senior Fellow
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Institute Fellow
Associate Director
Principal Research Associate
Senior Research Fellow
Senior Fellow
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Senior Research Associate
Senior Research Associate
Senior Research Associate

Chair, Urban Institute Institutional Review Board
Vice President, Income and Benefits Policy
Senior Fellow
Research Assistant
Research Assistant
Principal Research Associate
Principal Research Associate
Research Associate
Principal Research Associate
Research Associate
Principal Policy Associate
Senior Research Associate
Policy Associate
Research Associate
Vice President, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy
Policy Assistant
Research Associate
Principal Research Associate
Senior Policy Associate
Senior Policy Associate
Research Associate
Research Analyst
Senior Policy Program Manager
Policy Assistant
Senior Fellow
Principal Research Associate
Senior Policy Program Manager
Senior Fellow
Policy Associate
Senior Policy Program Manager
Principal Research Associate
Research Associate
Senior Fellow

Project Director for Maintenance and Development of the TRIM3 Model
Research Associate
Principal Research Associate
Senior Fellow
Research Analyst
Research Associate
Senior Fellow
Principal Research Associate
Research Analyst
Senior Policy Program Manager
Affiliated Scholar
Research Analyst
Senior Policy Fellow
Senior Policy Program Manager
Research Analyst
Research Associate
Research Analyst
Senior Research Associate
Institute Fellow
Senior Fellow
Research Associate
Senior Fellow, Research
Chief Information Officer

Vice President for Technology and Data Science
Senior Policy Associate
Research Associate
Research Analyst
Senior Manager, Training and Technical Assistance
Senior Fellow
Vice President, Labor, Human Services, and Population

Codirector, Opportunity and Ownership initiative
Research Analyst
Principal Research Associate
Research Associate
Research Assistant
Research Assistant
Senior Fellow, Research

Practice Area Lead: Housing as a Platform
Nonresident Fellow
Senior Fellow
Institute Fellow
Interim Vice President

Principal Research Associate

and Director, National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership
Urban Institute Associate
Senior Programmer, Research
Principal Research Associate
Institute Fellow

Director, HOST Initiative
Research Associate
Policy Associate
Distinguished Institute Fellow

President Emeritus
Senior Fellow
Senior Fellow
Principal Research Associate
Senior Research Associate
Senior Policy Fellow
Senior Fellow

Codirector, DYNASIM Microsimulation Model
Senior Research Associate
Senior Fellow
Senior Fellow

Research Director, Urban–Greater DC
Senior Fellow
Senior Research Associate
Institute Fellow
Policy Analyst
Research Associate
Senior Fellow
Research Associate
Senior Fellow
Senior Data Scientist