The Effects of SNAP on Child Poverty in California: Modeling CalFresh Benefit Receipt on the Resources Available to Families Using a Range of Assumptions

Christopher T. Wimer, Columbia University
Caroline Danielson, Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)
Sarah Bohn, Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)

This paper utilizes augmented data from the 2009 and 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) to model the effects of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) program on material resources available to families with children in California. California's SNAP program, called CalFresh, and its population are distinct in several ways that potentially distinguish the program's poverty reduction role from its role in other states. We consider the effects of two of these: the exclusion of undocumented immigrants and the exclusion of SSI recipients. We model SNAP receipt and benefit amounts for California families using program rules as they occur, and then under separate conditions where we allow undocumented immigrants and SSI recipients to receive benefits, respectively. We then examine child poverty rates and composition under various policy scenarios and imputation techniques, highlighting how different policy decisions affect the level of economic resources available to families with children.