Pilot projects in 10 states across the nation will spend three years trying different ways to help food-stamp recipients acquire training and find jobs, or better-paying jobs, so they no longer need help buying groceries, said the USDA. Two research firms, Mathematica Policy Research and MDRC, will evaluate the results to see which approaches would be successful for a wide range of food-stamp participants. “The most effective strategies could then be undertaken across the country,” said the USDA in announcing a total of $200 million in grants to projects in California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington State.
Assessment of the projects could be completed in time for the drafting of the next farm bill, in 2018, although conservative Republicans have said they want a vote this year on whether to convert food stamps to a block grant that states would run. The pilot projects all call for partnerships with state and local bodies. A small part of the food stamp budget goes to employment and training. Sixty percent of food-stamp recipients are elderly, disabled or children. The USDA says 20 percent of recipients work full- or part-time, live with another employed adult or are “subject to a meaningful work requirement.”
The homepage for the “E&T” pilots, including a link to descriptions of the projects, is available here.