Is the Housing Crisis Preventing Families with Children from Receiving Food Assistance?

Start Date: July 2022

ID #: 283-5107

Principal Investigator: Matthew Desmond, PhD

Co-Principal Investigator: Carl Gershenson, PhD

Organization: The Trustees of Princeton University

Funding Round: 2021 Special Solicitation on COVID-19 and Socioeconomic Recovery Efforts

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Housing and food insecurity are tightly linked. As housing advocates prepare for and respond to the surge of evictions in 2022, it is important to understand how usage of SNAP, WIC, and other programs is affected by families experiencing evictions. The study aims to answer the following questions: What effect do evictions have on receipt of food assistance via SNAP and WIC? How does this effect vary by the presence of children in the household, by race of household, and by rural/urban status? In states that impose larger administrative burdens, is there a larger negative effect of evictions on SNAP and WIC participation rates?

Start Date: 6/15/2022

Keywords: COVID-19, Housing, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Focus Areas: Food Access, Nutrition Policy & Programs

Resource Type: Grant Summary

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