Unworkable & Unwise: Conditioning Access to Programs that Ensure a Basic Foundation for Families on Work Requirements

This working paper outlines the ramifications of taking away Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and housing assistance from those who do not document meeting new work and community engagement requirements. The paper underscores how proposals that take away basic assistance from people who don’t meet work requirements are ill-informed, ineffective, inefficient, and inequitable, while alternative policies would produce far better outcomes.

Investing in Futures: Economic and Fiscal Benefits of Postsecondary Education in Prison

GCPI and the Vera Institute of Justice make the case for how lifting the current ban on awarding Pell Grants to incarcerated people would benefit workers, employers, and states. Specifically, it analyzes the potential employment and earnings impact of postsecondary education programs in prison; identifies the millions of job openings annually that require the skills a person in prison could acquire through postsecondary education and estimates the money states would save through lower recidivism rates these postsecondary education programs would yield.

Will You Count? American Indians and Alaska Natives in the 2020 Census

American Indians and Alaska Natives have been historically undercounted for decades, in part due to the fact that roughly than one in four American Indians and Alaska Natives live in hard-to-count census tracts. Factors such as poverty, educational attainment, and housing insecurity can compound American Indians and Alaska Natives’ risk of being undercounted. Being undercounted potentially disadvantages American Indian and Alaska Native families, communities, and neighborhoods.

Will You Count? Middle Eastern and North African Americans (MENA) in the 2020 Census

In past censuses, the Middle Eastern and North African Americans (MENA) identity has only been listed as an example under the “white” racial category, if at all. Because of this, the full breadth of the MENA community is unknown and likely undercounted. Factors such as poverty, language barriers, and housing insecurity can compound the risk of MENA communities being undercounted. Being undercounted potentially disadvantages MENA families and communities.

Will You Count? Households with Low Incomes in the 2020 Census

People with low incomes have been undercounted for decades, in part due to the fact that people experiencing poverty make up almost 50 percent of the U.S. population that lives in hard-to-count communities. Factors such as internet access, racial disparities, and housing insecurity can compound the risk of households with low incomes being undercounted. The undercount of people with low incomes disadvantages families, communities, and neighborhoods.

Will You Count? African Americans in the 2020 Census

African Americans have been historically undercounted for decades, in part due to the fact that more than one in three African Americans live in hard-to-count census tracts. African American children under age five were overlooked at roughly twice the rate of young non-Hispanic White children in the 2010 Census. African American men have also been historically undercounted compared to men of other racial or ethnic groups. Being undercounted potentially disadvantages African American families, communities, and neighborhoods.