Family Economic Security

Head Smacker: Rental Assistance to Families with Children Falls as Need Rises

High rents, especially when combined with flat wages and an economic recovery that hasn’t reached low-income families, means an increased need for rental assistance. Unfortunately, however, a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that the number of families with children receiving federal rent subsidies has fallen by over 250,000 since 2004 and is at its lowest point in more than a decade, despite rising need.

Creative • Cute • Powerful! Delivering #PaidLeave4DC Baby Onesies to the DC Council

We're on the cusp of a victory and, together, we can make sure that the DC council passes 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave this month! We can't afford to wait any longer for this important legislation.

SNAP, TANF, and a Better Path

The nation’s core economic security programs are highly effective: they cut poverty almost in half, improve nutrition and health care for millions of people, and promote work. Protecting and strengthening anti-poverty programs is of utmost importance. That’s why the Coalition on Human Needs will be hosting a live-streamed event on June 16, 1-3pm ET, highlighting the good these programs do, how certain proposals would lessen their effectiveness and ways they can be improved upon.

Fact of the Week: 1 in 3 Moms Struggle to Pay for Diapers

Everyone knows babies go through a lot of diapers. But for low-income families, the cost of diapers often forces them to go without another necessity, like food or heat. For many, it can force them to leave babies in soiled diapers longer than they’d like, leading to physical and mental health issues for baby and mom. Despite the fact that families in the bottom fifth of the income ladder with infants spend 14 percent of their income for diapers alone, there is currently no federal assistance for purchasing diapers.