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Poverty & Economic Mobility

ASPE releases the annual U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines, which are used to determine financial eligibility for some Federal programs. Presented here are the poverty lines for every State and the District of Columbia. You will also find extensive resources on poverty estimates, trends, and analysis, plus historical information on poverty and the Guidelines. More broadly, this section also encompasses issues like poverty and income dynamics, and asset building and financial literacy.

Reports

Displaying 51 - 60 of 434. 10 per page. Page 6.

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Projections of Poverty and Program Eligibility during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and the slowdown in economic activity have impacted the well-being of many U.S. families. Unemployment peaked at 14.7 percent in April, and remained above 8 percent in August. The CARES Act and the Family First Coronavirus Response Act used several short-term policy strategies to address this challenge.

Supporting Employment among Lower-Income Mothers: Paid Family Leave and Child Care Arrangements

This is the third ASPE brief about a qualitative study examining lower-income mothers’ attachment to work around the time of childbirth and the role of state paid family leave (PFL) programs in supporting their return to employment. This brief focuses on the role of PFL in facilitating child care arrangements of a sample of mothers. Highlights are:

Facilitating Low-Income Families’ Use of Emergency Paid Family Leave: Considerations for Human Services Agencies in Supporting Workers and Their Employers

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 Congress enacted emergency paid family leave (Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act) as well as emergency paid sick leave. This brief suggests lessons for facilitating the use of emergency paid family leave by lower-income families, drawing on research by ASPE on families’ participation in state paid family leave programs.

Analysis of State Efforts to Comply with Fair Labor Standards Act Protections to Home Care Workers

Analysis of State Efforts to Comply with Fair Labor Standards Act Protections to Home Care Workers Pamela J. Doty, Ph.D., and Marie R. Squillace, Ph.D. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Edward Kako, Ph.D.
ASPE Issue Brief

An Examination of the Use and Effectiveness of Child Support Enforcement Tools in Six States

Child support programs use various strategies called “enforcement tools” to collect critical monetary support for custodial families from noncustodial parents. The enforcement of child support is intended to encourage parental responsibility so that children receive financial, emotional, and medical support from both parents, even when they live in separate households.

Illicit Substance Use and Child Support: An Exploratory Study

While child support agencies have acknowledged the rise in substance use among noncustodial parents, there is little to no research that has looked specifically at this population with substance use issues and the effects of that use on child support outcomes, including payment patterns and arrears accumulation.
ASPE Issue Brief

Aligning Federal Performance Indicators Across Programs Promoting Self-Sufficiency: Actionable Steps For Program Design And Practice

This brief outlines actionable steps that program designers at the federal, state, or local level can take to build or use aligned measures across programs in ways that can improve program management and increase service coordination.

Aligning Federal Performance Indicators Across Programs Promoting Self-Sufficiency: Key Considerations For Policymakers

This brief summarizes the current set of federal performance indicators and provides key policy considerations for policymakers and administrators within federal and state agencies who are interested in building a framework for coordinated performance measurement.

Independent Contractors and Nontraditional Workers: Implications for the Child Support Program

For child support programs, the emergence of the gig economy presents a new dimension to the longstanding challenge of establishing and enforcing child support orders for noncustodial parents working outside traditional salaried employment – in jobs that are often temporary, part-time, and contingent.