“When parents identify, seek, and receive respectful and timely concrete support in times of need, this helps to ensure they and their children receive the basic necessities everyone deserves in order to grow (e.g., healthy food, a safe environment), as well as specialized medical, mental health, social, educational, or legal services.”

California Poverty Measure (CPM) data from 2013-2015 show that 23% of children statewide lived in poverty and 5% lived in deep poverty. In the absence of social safety net programs, it is estimated that the child poverty rate would have been 14 percentage points higher and the deep poverty rate 13 percentage points higher during this period.

Safety net programs generally supplement earnings to help families avoid severe economic need. These programs—which include cash assistance, nutrition assistance, housing subsidies, and low-income tax credits—make up 44 percent of poor families’ resources statewide and substantially mitigate poverty.

Given the rise in the suburbanization of poverty, there is an increased need for inter‐jurisdictional coordination and capacity building among suburban nonprofits and foundations.

Making Ends Meet is an interactive tool that shows the cost of supporting a family in different parts of the state.