Strategies to Improve the Effectiveness of SNAP's Employment and Training Program

N

19

Federal Programs; Nutrition; Employment Programs; Job Training; Low Income; Racism; Minority Groups; Federal Aid; State Policy; Program Improvement; Change Strategies; Welfare Services; Barriers; Program Effectiveness; COVID-19; Pandemics; Federal Legislation; State Legislation; Eligibility

Mississippi; Kansas; Oklahoma; Arkansas; North Carolina; South Carolina; Florida; West Virginia; Ohio

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; Families First Coronavirus Response Act 2020

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps people with low incomes avoid hunger and afford food. It stimulates the economy, improves individuals' success at school and work, and promotes better health. SNAP's Employment and Training (E&T) program is designed to assist participants in gaining skills, training, or work experience that helps them obtain regular employment. States operate these programs and have flexibility in the services they provide, who receives them, and the entities that deliver these services. However, SNAP E&T has onerous restrictions and entrenched biases that most hurt communities of color. Several policies are rooted in racism and classism. By perpetuating systems of oppression, SNAP E&T pushes critical nutrition aid out of reach. These obstacles keep the program from serving as a supportive pathway to opportunity. In this report, we analyze these challenges and offer recommendations to advance racial equity within SNAP E&T and make it function more effectively.

As Provided

2024

ED639913