Mathematica conducted an exploratory study for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service, to determine existing measures for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) modernization initiatives. These initiatives included call centers, online systems, document imaging, kiosks, partnering, waiving the face-to-face interview, shortened interviews, and online expedited applications. An integrated report summarizes findings on initiatives across the 45 States participating in the study, including how they monitor and measure performance. It also includes suggestions for performance measures and standards to consider.

Out of work, no diploma and struggling in poverty just three years ago, Quinton Sanders now has a full-time career in the medical field thanks to the Affordable Care Act's Health Profession Opportunity Grants program.

The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities recently released an updated report reviewing State government SNAP Web sites. States across the U.S. provide general information to the public on their SNAP programs via the Internet, including information on their application process and State policy manuals. In this report, the CBPP reviews all the States' web pages to determine what information and services they offer. In addition to this, the report provides links to the addresses for each States' SNAP web pages and an overview of the types of information and services that State provides.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently published their revised version of "Online Services for Key Low-Income Benefit Programs: What States Provide Online with Respect to SNAP, TANF, Child Care Assistance, Medicaid, CHIP, and General Assistance." This report makes available to the public basic program information in these five main State-administered low-income benefit programs for most States. Application forms and data on the number of program participants is provided, as well as links that will provide additional information on eligibility and benefits.

Child Welfare Information Gateway published "Online Resources for State Child Welfare Law and Policy" to provide web addresses for State statutes that are accessible online. These addresses list part of the code for each State and territory that contains the laws addressing child protection, adoption, child welfare, legal guardianship, and services for youth. It also provides web addresses for States' regulation and policy sites, State court rules, Tribal codes, and judicial resources. Information for each State and territory can be accessed on the State Statutes Search page.

The MDRC recently published a report on early findings from a program for housing voucher recipients in New York City. In 2007, New York City's Center for Economic Opportunity launched Opportunity NYC-Work Rewards, a new test of three alternative but related ways of increasing employment and earnings for families who receive Housing Choice Vouchers to subsidize their rent. This report addresses five key findings from the first two and a half years of followup, informing future research on family self-sufficiency. The Work Rewards program will continue to track participants' outcomes through 2013, with future reports including additional information on results.

In 2012, the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) launched a major research initiative designed to enhance understanding of how policies and programs can build economic self-sufficiency by increasing employment, wages, labor market skills, and earnings. It is one of three such integrated research projects that extend over three-year periods with a range of activities that are focused on topics related to three themes identified by IRP as key trends in poverty and policy: Economic Self-Sufficiency, Family Change and Poverty, and the Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty.

Based on data reported by more than 3,000 cities and counties across the United States, HUD recently released their report on the national estimate of homelessness for 2012. While the United States was experiencing a historic housing and economic downturn, local communities reported a statistically significant seven percent decline in the number of homeless veterans and individuals experiencing long-term chronic homelessness.

The "Annual Statistical Report on Children in Foster Homes and Children in Families Receiving Payments in Excess of the Poverty Income Level from a State Program (Funded Under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act)" is now available for fiscal year 2012 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families' Office of Family Assistance. This information can be identified by State and/or territory. This report is required annually of all State agencies administering or supervising administration of TANF and child welfare programs.

States and jurisdictions work with Tribes on child welfare issues in many different ways. In some cases, Tribes run their own child welfare systems; in other instances, Tribes receive different degrees of funding and services from the State or counties. In all cases, workers from non-Tribal cultural backgrounds will benefit from learning about Indian history, relevant Federal laws, and cultural considerations. This resource page from the Child Welfare Information Gateway is designed to help non-Indian child welfare workers and agencies find resources on issues relevant to working with American Indian and Alaska Native children and families.