Many struggle to access safety net
Survey finds delays, hurdles for programs
Low-income Americans are struggling to obtain help from state governments when they most need it, facing long delays and sometimes insurmountable hurdles when applying for social safety net programs such as food assistance, welfare benefits and health insurance, according to a new report.
The findings come as poverty rates, while nowhere near historic highs, have climbed in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing financial crisis.
Social safety nets such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program help keep tens of millions of people out of poverty each year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But people must provide many personal documents, complete lengthy, confusing applications correctly, prove they’re eligible, and regularly update their information.
The report from the Urban Institute found most single adults earning up to $51,520 and most families with one child earning up to $87,840 applied for or received a social safety net program in 2021. The report, which is based on a survey in December 2021, analyzed a nationally representative sample of more than 5,000 adults ages 18 to 64 making below four times the federal poverty level.
Respondents said they had the most problems enrolling for unemployment insurance, SNAP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, known as TANF or more commonly as welfare benefits. More than 40% of people who applied for or received one of the programs said they had trouble proving eligibility or getting benefits when they needed them.
“We’re not talking about four in 10 people reporting difficulty enrolling in their yoga class,” said Marla McDaniel, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and lead author of the report. “We’re talking about food for their families. This isn’t trivial, what people are seeking.”
Social safety net programs are supposed to help eligible people, who often face great financial instability. But a high percentage of people who sought benefits told researchers they did not receive help as soon as they needed it.
The finding that more than 4 in 10 people who sought help meeting basic needs faced problems is “quite disconcerting,” said Neeraj Kaushal, a professor of social policy at Columbia University in New York.
The report’s other finding that 55% of surveyed adults sought benefits shows how much people are hurting, said Luke Shaefer, a leading expert on social safety nets and professor at the University of Michigan.
“The best indicator we have of whether or not families are struggling to make ends meet is when they seek out help,” he said.
SNAP and Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program are two of the largest government safety nets, according to the report.