Strengthening Supports, Identifying Gaps: How Place and Policy Shape Access to Human Services

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

The American social safety net operates through both government transfer programs and in-kind nonprofit human services. Access to both varies substantially across states and communities, shaped by policy design, state discretion, and local institutional capacity. The four papers in this panel examine how place, public policy, and human services interact to shape access to economic supports, health coverage, and basic needs assistance. Connecting to the conference theme, this panel investigates how state and local policy variation produces unequal access to human services and explores interventions to improve outcomes for low-income adults, families with children, and communities with limited nonprofit infrastructure.

The first paper examines whether enrollment in SNAP and Medicaid is associated with changes in income among Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). Using 2010–2019 data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort and individual fixed effects models with an interrupted time series design, the study tracks changes in the household income to poverty ratio for ABAWDs during periods of dual enrollment and tests whether the 2014 ACA Medicaid expansion altered that relationship. The results speak to current policy debates about whether reducing safety net benefits for ABAWDs promotes financial independence.

The second paper examines resource allocation in regional food banks, asking how these organizations distribute spending across programs serving different vulnerable populations over time. The study draws on IRS-990 data from regional food banks nationwide and semi-structured interviews with financial decision-makers at food banks across select states representing diverse regional and demographic contexts. It applies Punctuated Equilibrium Theory to test whether nonprofit spending patterns exhibit extended periods of incremental adjustment punctuated by sharp reallocations following major disruptions to food supply and demand, such as the 2013 SNAP benefit cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The third paper examines Family Resource Centers (FRCs) in Wisconsin, neighborhood-based organizations that connect families with social supports, public programs, and community resources. The study asks whether FRCs reduce the practical and psychological barriers families face in accessing healthcare, means-tested programs such as Medicaid and childcare subsidies, and other services. It uses interview data from families served by FRCs alongside multi-wave survey data to assess whether FRCs improve families' connection to resources and service providers.

The fourth paper investigates whether communities underserved by one component of the safety net are also underserved by the other. Using county-level IRS-990 data on nonprofit human services and Bureau of Economic Analysis data on government income transfers, this descriptive study tests whether a "double disadvantage" pattern exists. The results suggest that it does. Once county characteristics are accounted for, counties with lower government transfer spending also have lower nonprofit human services expenditures, extending earlier findings into the current policy environment.

Together, these papers examine the safety net from several angles, including state policy variation in health coverage and nutrition assistance, nonprofit spending decisions, community-based service delivery, and the geographic distribution of public and nonprofit resources. Each paper offers implications for policymakers and practitioners working to strengthen human services for populations experiencing poverty and material hardship.

Policy Area

• Poverty and Income Policy

Chair

• Sarah Charnes, Westat

Discussants

• Jamie Koenig, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Christopher L. Pulliam, CUNY Graduate Center

Organizer

• Shoshana Shapiro, University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Individual Presentations

• The Safety Net's Two Parts: Exploring the Association Between Income Transfer Programs and Nonprofit Human Services - Presenting Author: Shoshana Shapiro, University of Michigan Ann Arbor; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Scott Allard, University of Washington

• Are They Deserving of Support?: Dual SNAP and Medicaid Enrollment and Household Financial Standing Among ABAWDs - Presenting Author: Jennifer Renee Daniels, Morgan State University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Frania Mendoza Lua, California State University Fullerton

• Punctuated Stability? Expenditure Allocation Patterns in Regional Food Banks - Presenting Author: Yuwei Zhang, Syracuse University

• Family Resource Centers and Young Families’ Resource Support Needs - Presenting Author: Anna Walther, Arizona State University