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Commentary

The Biden Administration's Chance to Improve SNAP and Nutrition Support

May 19, 2021

If policymakers were to make permanent the relaxed rules forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be a start to increased racial equity in SNAP. Given broad public support for SNAP, making benefits easier to access, particularly for those already eligible, could be a bipartisan priority.
Essay

Rethinking How Police Respond to Homelessness

Mar 4, 2021

Around one-fifth of people experiencing homelessness have a severe mental health disorder. Almost as many have a substance-use disorder. Police need better policies and community partnerships to help make their response to homelessness safer, more humane, and more effective.

Explore Social Services and Welfare

Report

Veterans Experience Food Insecurity

Food insecurity is associated with poorer mental and physical health, as well as homelessness. Some veterans are at higher risk, including women, those who have been homeless, and those with serious mental illness. Few veterans receive support from federal programs designed to prevent food insecurity.

Jul 21, 2021
Commentary

Should Mothers Work? We've Been Asking the Wrong Question

As schools and day cares closed due to the pandemic, millions of women were driven from the labor market. What is it worth to the United States to have mothers in the workforce?

May 10, 2021
Journal Article

SNAP Participants and High Levels of Food Insecurity in the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic

We examined how people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly Black participants, and participants residing in food deserts.

Apr 2, 2021
Journal Article

Rapid Prioritisation of Topics for Rapid Evaluation: The Case of Innovations in Adult Social Care and Social Work

This paper aims to describe and discuss a process of rapidly identifying and prioritising a shortlist of innovations for rapid evaluation applied in the field of adult social care and social work.

Mar 18, 2021
Commentary

Domestic Violence Support Staff Need More Help

During the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns, European Union states had a 60 percent increase in emergency calls about intimate-partner violence. Amid a protracted second wave that has led to further lockdowns, it may not be too late to provide the funding and legislative changes necessary to ensure domestic violence service providers can offer crucial support.

Mar 15, 2021
Journal Article

Is the Rise in Illicit Opioids Affecting Labor Supply and Disability Claiming Rates?

Researchers examined how increased use of illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl affected labor market participation and claims for disability insurance.

Mar 10, 2021
Commentary

Striking Rates of Food Insecurity in Two Pittsburgh Neighborhoods

The number of Americans experiencing food insecurity has increased since the pandemic began. And rates are higher among African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. Proactive and aggressive policy actions could help reduce the inequities in places like Pittsburgh's Hill District and Homewood neighborhoods.

Feb 9, 2021
News Release

Troubles Paying Rent or Being Forced to Move Linked to Lower Levels of Sleep

People who are unable to make their rent or mortgage payments sleep less than their peers who don't have such problems, and those who are forced to move because of financial problems sleep even less.

Feb 1, 2021
Journal Article

Measuring Public Preferences Between Health and Social Care Funding Options

Additional funding will be needed to meet the growing demand for health and social care in the UK. What is the most acceptable way to raise it? Options range from taxation to mandatory insurance, voluntary insurance and user charges. We sought to analyse the preferences of the UK general public.

Dec 31, 2020
Multimedia

Was Unemployment Insurance Designed to Exclude Black Workers?

RAND economist Kathryn Edwards discusses whether the exclusion of Black workers in the design of the unemployment insurance program was incidental or intentional.

Dec 21, 2020
Commentary

A New Way to Manage the Growing Global Refugee Situation

As of 2020, a full 1 percent of humanity is living in displacement—as refugees, internally displaced persons, or asylum-seekers—because of conflict or persecution. The world's existing strategies for managing the displaced are no longer sufficient, but the next U.S. administration has an opportunity to lead the world in creating a new way forward.

Dec 17, 2020
Journal Article

Developments in Child and Family Policy in the EU in 2019: European Platform for Investing in Children

This third annual trend report outlines and summarises 2019 policy developments in the area of child and family policy in the 27 EU Member States and the UK.

Dec 1, 2020
Commentary

How Better Support Can Be Provided to Ex–Service Personnel in the Criminal Justice System

Former armed forces personnel make up the UK's largest group of male prisoners by occupation. What can police and government do to provide targeted support in the criminal justice system to those from a military background?

Nov 30, 2020
Commentary

Unaccompanied Women Become an Official Homeless Subpopulation in LA County

Unaccompanied homeless women are more likely than other subgroups to be chronically homeless, to have mental illness, and to have work limitations. Los Angeles County is now recognizing these women as a subgroup in the official homeless count. An assessment will also be conducted to identify this group's unique needs.

Nov 23, 2020
Multimedia

Mobile Technology: A Tool for Alleviating Homelessness

RAND senior behavioral scientist Sarah Hunter explains how policy could help improve the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness by providing increased access to mobile technology.

Nov 19, 2020
Commentary

Learning from Existing Novel Approaches to Solving the Adult Social Care Crisis Is Better Than Reinventing the Wheel

The growing gap in the UK between the need for social care for older people and the provision of support arises not only from a crisis of funding, but also from a failure to learn from what is already being done well. Closing the gap might be achieved by learning from creative approaches already being tried and then implementing them.

Oct 14, 2020
Journal Article

Innovations in Adult Social Care and Social Work Report

Researchers identified and prioritised a shortlist of top priority innovations to evaluate in adult social care and social work.

Sep 17, 2020
Commentary

Access to Mobile Technology Could Help with Homelessness

The vast majority of people experiencing homelessness have cell phones, which often serve as their lifelines. Providing technological supports, such as Wi-Fi access and opportunities to charge devices, could result in better access to social services and, ultimately, better quality of life and outcomes.

Sep 16, 2020

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RAND Topic:
Social Services and Welfare

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