Response of Public Benefit Programs to Rise In Parental Unemployment

The Urban Institute recently published a fact sheet on the response of public benefit programs to the increase in parental unemployment during the recent recession (specifically, 2007-2012). The researchers looked at certain programs supporting children over those five years and found that enrollment in some programs rose along with the unemployment rate while others appeared less responsive. As depicted in Table 1, the researchers found that enrollment in unemployment insurance (UI) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps) rose dramatically from 2007 to 2009, while enrollment in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) remained relatively stable.

Table 1: Growth in Public Benefit Programs Supporting Children



Source: Urban Institute, Public Supports When Parents Lose Work: A Fact Sheet



In the accompanying research brief, researchers noted that during the recession, most low-income families were able to access at least some public assistance (in the form of cash, food, or both) when one or both parents were unemployed. However, they also found that many families receiving some form of assistance still struggled economically and were food insecure. But, according to the brief, “without the safety net, unemployed parents would have found it more of a challenge to meet their children’s basic needs.”