In some of the worst performing states, almost one in five households don’t consistently have the resources to put food on the table.
In some of the worst performing states, almost one in five households don’t consistently have the resources to put food on the table.
Despite performing so poorly, many states on this list have adopted conservative policies that have made life harder for low-income families:
- States like Ohio are restricting access to food stamps for unemployed residents—even if they live in regions with few job opportunities. Governor Kasich’s administration has opted to reinstate a three-month time limit on nutrition assistance benefits for some unemployed adults ages 18 to 50 who are not disabled or raising minor children, even though some counties within the state are eligible for federal waivers of this requirement. Advocates have charged that this decision disproportionately impacts minorities, as the state accepted waivers for counties with predominantly white residents while refusing them for counties largely populated by people of color.
- Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas maintain restrictive asset tests for nutrition assistance, which decreases low-income families’ self-sufficiency by requiring them to spend down their savings or sell off assets to access assistance. Assets are important for economic mobility generally. For example, when working-age families can put aside even sums of less than $2,000—they are less likely to face hardships such as running short on food, forgoing needed health care, or having the utilities turned off.
