To simplify program administration, an applicant who already receives SNAP (formerly food stamps), Medicaid, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance is automatically considered income-eligible. For a family to participate, it must have gross income of no more than 185 percent of the federal poverty level (now $40,182 for a family of three) and be at nutritional risk. Part of the nation’s nutrition safety net for over 45 years, WIC now serves over 6 million pregnant and post-partum women, infants, and children through their fifth birthday.
WIC provides nutritious foods, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and referrals to health care and social services for millions of low-income families, and it plays a crucial role in improving lifetime health for women, their infants, and young children. This effort is designed to inform discussions about new investments in anti-poverty programs as well as reforms of, and funding levels for, existing programs.
We synthesize and amplify the work of poverty researchers around the country on program effectiveness. As part of Policy Futures, we examine “what works” when it comes to federal and state policies and programs to reduce poverty and promote opportunity for low-income Americans.
