Getting benefits tough for lower-income Americans
Low- and middle-income Americans often have trouble enrolling in social safety net programs because of unclear requirements and poor customer service, according to a new report. Hispanic Americans and people with disabilities have the most difficulties.
As a result, many lower-income Americans may end up not receiving unemployment insurance, food stamps, children’s health insurance and other public benefits for which they qualify. The programs are intended to help keep Americans afloat when they experience financial difficulties, but if they don’t receive the resources they may fall more deeply behind, the report by the Urban Institute said.
The report shows that instead of “pushing people out,” social safety net programs need to be improved through more streamlined requirements and improved customer service so they can better provide resources to people when they need them, said Jennifer Ng’andu, program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded the Urban Institute report.
“It’s a fundamental idea that when you need help, you should get help,” Ng’andu said.
More than half of low- and moderate-income Americans applied for or received at least one of several social safety net programs the Urban Institute studied in 2021, including unemployment insurance, disability insurance, food stamps, supplemental security income, children’s health insurance, rental assistance, cash assistance, the report said. The country was in the midst of the pandemic in 2021 and many Americans had lost employment.
“We all know someone who needed help during the pandemic, likely a family member or close friend who needed one of these programs,” Ng’andu said. The report showed that “the majority (about 55%) of low and moderate income families applied for these social programs so that they could amplify their incomes and really get some support.”
Four in 10 Americans had trouble enrolling in one or more social safety net programs, the report found.
In addition, between 20% and 40% of people surveyed for the report said they did not feel they received the courtesy or respect they deserved, depending on the program, Ng’andu said.
Adults who applied for TANF and unemployment insurance were the most likely to say that program staff never or only sometimes treated their family members with courtesy and respect, the report said.
Latino Americans were more likely than Black and white adults to report difficulties enrolling in food stamps and children’s health insurance benefits, the report said. Those two programs have the largest number of participants.
Enrollment difficulties and poor treatment were common among Latino Americans and people with disabilities, two groups that have experienced long-standing inequities, the report noted.
People who experience a lack of respect are less likely to enroll or receive benefits they need, Ng’andu said.
“When you’re seeking help ... having a stigmatized experience, having an experience that treats you in an undignified way can impact your ability to not only get those resources, but make the most out of those resources,” Ng’andu said.
Social safety net programs are funded by the federal government but are administered by federal employees or state and local employees through grants provided by the federal government to states.
Marla McDaniel, senior fellow at the Urban Institute and co-author of the report, said improving access to public benefits needs to include a shift in the way Americans trying to enroll in social safety net programs are viewed.
“The challenges and stigmatizing customer service that many people experience when they seek assistance are symptomatic of a long-standing emphasis on ‘deservingness’ in America’s public programs,” McDaniel, said in a written statement. “Policies and practices that promote respectful access to the resources for meeting basic needs is a matter of justice and equity, which is a necessity for ensuring economic well-being for future generations.”