Research Brief: We Can Make 2022 the Year We Reduce Child Poverty by Half Equitably

Posted by Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity on March 1, 2022

Researchers from Brandeis University released a brief exploring the inequitable distribution of pandemic relief and other safety net programs over the past year. Undocumented children and US-born children in immigrant or mixed-status families have suffered greatly due to policies and guidelines that keep them from accessing necessary resources. Factors that have exacerbated this inequity include: “policies that explicitly bar undocumented or recent immigrants, policies with stricter income eligibility limits, and a heightened anti-immigrant climate that dissuades even eligible families from accessing programs.” The researchers offer eight recommendations that can help improve the child poverty rate while ensuring relief is distributed equitably, including removing discriminatory waiting periods for lawfully present immigrants to access federal programs and providing cash assistance during health and economic crises to all children with Social Security numbers.

Read more.