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Social Services and Welfare

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Commentary
The Biden Administration's Chance to Improve SNAP and Nutrition Support
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.
May 19, 2021
Essay
Rethinking How Police Respond to Homelessness
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.
Mar 4, 2021

Explore Social Services and Welfare

Brochure
Spotlight 2022–2023
The events of 2022 underscore the continuous nature of change and the constant need for policy informed by evidence. Spotlight 2022-2023 highlights selected projects that we undertook in our 30th anniversary year to address some of today's most pressing policy issues.
Jan 24, 2023
Report
Alternative Approaches for Expanding the Air Force's Task Force True North Program
This report identifies approaches to expanding the Air Force's Task Force True North program, which seeks to provide prevention and treatment programs to airmen in need by embedding health care providers directly into units.
Dec 22, 2022
Report
Evaluation of Los Angeles County's L.A. Dodgers 2022 Mental Health Campaign
This evaluation indicates that the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health–Dodgers partnership to expand the reach of the WhyWeRise program successfully reached county residents and raised awareness of county mental health resources.
Nov 30, 2022
Report
Evaluation of Los Angeles County's 2022 WeRise Mental Health Events
This evaluation indicates that the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health WeRise events and outreach successfully reached county residents, mobilized them around mental health, and may have boosted awareness of mental health resources.
Nov 30, 2022
Report
A Scoping Review of Guidelines and Quality Measures to Screen for Social and Caregiver Support and Cognitive Impairment in Primary Care
The authors conduct a review to identify measures, guidelines, and tools that (1) assess social support, the need for caregiver support, and the need for referral to social services and (2) screen for cognitive impairment among high-risk patients.
Nov 2, 2022
Commentary
Los Angeles Mayoral Debate Misleads on Approaches to Homelessness
They may not mean to, but Los Angeles politicians continue to imply that there is a primary “fix” for homelessness, be it temporary shelters or permanent supportive housing. But those are just pieces of a very complex puzzle. The region needs a robust continuum of care. Although some efforts exist, they have not been scaled up to meet the need.
Oct 26, 2022
Journal Article
Do Temporary Workers Experience Additional Employment and Earnings Risk After Workplace Injuries?
We find large and persistent earnings and employment losses after workplace injury for temporary workers over and above losses for direct-hire workers at the same job. Workers' compensation benefits reduce, but do not eliminate, this income loss.
Oct 19, 2022
Journal Article
Effects of Medicaid Automatic Enrollment on Disparities in Insurance Coverage and Caregiver Burden for Children with Special Health Care Needs
We analyze how Medicaid automatic enrollment policies for children with special health care needs who are enrolled in Supplemental Security Income reduce disparities in health insurance coverage and caregiving burden.
Aug 23, 2022
News Release
L.A. Program to Divert Homeless from Jail into Supportive Housing Decreases Use of County Services
A program that diverts some people with a history of homelessness from Los Angeles County jails into permanent supportive housing can significantly lower taxpayer spending on services such as hospital care and shelter use.
Aug 16, 2022
Research Brief
Supportive Housing Program Broke the Jail-to-Homeless Cycle and Mostly Paid for Itself
The Just in Reach Pay for Success program diverted people with a history of homelessness from Los Angeles County jails into permanent supportive housing. It achieved a one-year housing stability rate of 82 percent. And most of its costs were offset by a reduction in the use of other county services.
Aug 16, 2022
Report
Just in Reach Pay for Success: Impact Evaluation and Cost Analysis of a Permanent Supportive Housing Program
This report examines a Los Angeles County initiative to provide long-term housing and supportive services as an alternative to jail for individuals with a history of homelessness and chronic behavioral or physical health conditions.
Aug 16, 2022
Multimedia
Addressing Homelessness Among Individuals Incarcerated in Los Angeles County
This video provides an overview of the RAND study that evaluated impact and costs of the Just in Reach Pay for Success program.
Aug 1, 2022
Report
Evaluation of Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health's 2020–2021 L.A. Dodgers Mental Health Campaign
This report presents an evaluation of a Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers that focuses on early intervention for mental health challenges—an effort specifically aimed at the team's diverse fan base.
Apr 6, 2022
Commentary
The Marriage Plot
For more than a quarter century, the U.S. government has been sending an unmistakable message to poor, single mothers: Get married. If America genuinely wants to address poverty and achieve gender equality, this has to change.
Apr 4, 2022
Commentary
With the Ukrainians, Avoid the Mistakes of Other Refugee Crises
Because of Russia's invasion, millions of Ukrainians have fled their country or are internally displaced. At this critical moment, European Union countries have an opportunity to avoid some of the worst pitfalls of how the world has handled other refugee crises.
Mar 25, 2022
Report
Evaluating WhyWeRise 2020 and 2021
WhyWeRise is a social marketing campaign conducted by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. It is focused on prevention of, and early intervention for, mental health challenges among county residents. Surveys suggest that this campaign reached a racially, culturally, and economically diverse group of county residents; fostered a feeling of support among those exposed to the campaign; and boosted residents' awareness of local resources.
Mar 10, 2022
Essay
The Lives of Veterans Experiencing Homelessness
The United States pledged in 2009 to end veteran homelessness. The numbers have fallen by nearly half since then, but there are still more than 37,000 veterans living in their cars, in temporary shelters, or in makeshift camps. Researchers followed 26 of them for one year to see how they live and what keeps them on the streets.
Feb 25, 2022
Report
Support for National Security Families
In this report, RAND researchers review the set of support programs and services available to nonmilitary national security families, comparing it with the robust portfolio of resources provided to military families by the Department of Defense.
Jan 21, 2022
Journal Article
Juggling Work and Childcare During COVID-19: How EU Member States Supported Working Families in 2020
This report outlines existing evidence about the experiences of working parents and families in Europe during the COVID-19 outbreaks in 2020 and reviews the policies set out by 10 selected EU member states in response to these challenges.
Jan 11, 2022
Commentary
Why Are U.S. Veterans at Heightened Risk of Food Insecurity?
U.S. veterans are at great risk of food insecurity, but there is limited understanding of exactly how many veterans lack resources to attain adequate and nutritious food and why. If resources are to be directed more effectively, the United States needs better clarity into the magnitude of the problem.
Nov 24, 2021

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RAND Topic:
Social Services and Welfare

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