Public Knowledge (PK) is working with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and the Urban Institute on a new Ford Foundation initiative. PK is assisting CBPP by conducting site visits in four states to assess how low-income families with children access and retain public assistance benefits. The goal of the site visits is to gather input from state and county staff, community organizations, and clients on how to streamline and integrate eligibility practices in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid and other core public assistance programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and childcare.
The results of the site visits will culminate in a paper published by CBPP on eligibility integration best practices for a new Ford Foundation initiative. The paper will accompany a grant opportunity the Ford Foundation and Urban Institute will make available to states and counties in 2010. The grant will fund demonstration projects in 5 to 10 states interested in implementing the best practices in order to integrate access and retention in the core public assistance programs.
PK completed the first site visit in Cuyahoga County, Ohio in November. Site visits in Washington State and Oklahoma are planned for January. The location of the fourth site visit is still being finalized.
For more information on the Ford Foundation initiative, see this NY Times article or go directly to the Ford Foundation’s Press Release.