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Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

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Food Assistance Policy: Sarah E. Charnes, Ph.D. ’21

Sarah Charnes

Sarah Charnes finished her Ph.D. at the Evans School in December 2021, where her dissertation research focused on food assistance and food insecurity. The Evans School caught up with Sarah to talk about key findings from her research.

Your dissertation focuses on food assistance policy and food hardship in the U.S. — what drew you to those policy research areas?

Before starting my Ph.D. at the Evans School, from 2006 to 2013, I worked as a macroeconomist in the Office of Economic Policy at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in DC. While there, I worked on a wide variety of topics, including income inequality. When I decided to return to school for a Ph.D., it was with the intention of taking a deeper dive into issues of income inequality. At Evans my work around inequality initially focused on social policy and means-tested public benefits. Over time, I realized that my long-standing interests in food behaviors and my training in holistic health counseling gave me unique insights into the realities of food assistance and food insecurity – timely social policy topics.

Given your work around food assistance policy, what are some of the biggest misconceptions Americans have around food assistance and food hardship?

First, I would say the common belief that food insecurity “isn’t a problem in the United States” and that it’s only a problem in developing countries, which means it’s not a problem worth addressing through public policy solutions. To the contrary, the most recent estimate by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service estimates 10.5 percent of U.S. households are food insecure. That translates into 13.8 million households, which is a large number. The national food insecurity rate reached as high as 14.6 percent during the Great Recession. Those estimates are only the tip of the iceberg, which make food insecurity in the U.S. a problem worth investigating and addressing.

There are many other misconceptions around food assistance and food hardship that come to mind. What I have observed over the past several years is that food assistance and food hardship is a space where people often have a hard time getting past their own personal beliefs – especially if they haven’t experienced food insecurity or witnessed it first-hand. For example, if someone becomes convinced that SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the modern-day food stamp program) recipients are prone to commit fraud, it can be very challenging (if not impossible) to change that person’s mind. In reality, fraud is very uncommon.

Another misconception is that there is a one-size-fits-all, or simple, solution to food insecurity. Food insecurity arises out of a wide array of risk factors operating at different tiers. Short of creating a form of universal income for food consisting of an adequate benefit level, it seems likely that there will need to be a continuation of a rather complicated, multi-pronged approach to tackling the problem of food insecurity through public-, nonprofit-, and private-sector efforts. That said, the idea of universal income for food has gotten some traction recently, so it’s possible that a policy window for this could eventually emerge.

As you reflect on the dissertation project, which research findings stand out to you as really important for current debates around food policy?

My dissertation involved three papers that covered a fairly broad range of topics related to food insecurity and food and nutrition assistance policy. The first paper evaluated a program designed to streamline the SNAP application process for recipients of Supplemental Security Income and found evidence suggesting that different modes of implementation for the program were more effective for some subpopulations than others – a point that does not always seem to be the primary focus when interventions are designed to try to improve access to means-tested benefit programs. The second paper tested the extent to which a relatively holistic measure of food access moderates the high degree of association between household disability and food insecurity status. Here, I find that access does not account for much of this relationship (Note: this paper has been accepted for publication in Physiology & Behavior.) The third paper examined acquisitions of free food – food having no price attached to it, such as meals from family or friends – as a function of the amount of time that has passed since a SNAP household received its last benefit payment. In this paper, I find little variability in the acquisition of free food across the SNAP month. This has potential implications for current debates about the behavioral mechanisms driving what is referred to as the “SNAP cycle,” where benefits are typically redeemed in their entirety within the first few days of receipt, rather than being consumed in a smooth fashion across the month as some might expect. I’m excited to dive deeper into the third paper, in particular, as I progress forward with the portions of the dissertation that I have not yet attempted to publish.

Prior to finishing your Ph.D. at Evans, you worked in the Department of Treasury. Given your experiences in both worlds – how can researchers do a better job of presenting and translating their research for policy audiences?

Presenting and translating research to policymakers really comes down to one skill: learning how to say what you want to say within 30 seconds. By “30 seconds,” I truly mean 30 secondsThat is MUCH easier said than done – and a skill that does not always seem to be very highly valued within academia.

I think a great way to practice is to create two or three “highlights” (i.e., brief bullet/talking points) about one’s research – as is asked for by several peer-reviewed academic journals upon submission. Bonus: this encourages clear thinking all around, which is never a bad thing.

What’s up next for you?

Currently – meaning, from January through June 2022 – I’ll be an instructor in the Evans School’s MPA program. Specifically, I’m teaching both of the quantitative analysis courses in the first-year core course sequence, with which I was heavily involved during my Ph.D. (as both a pre-doctoral lecturer and a teaching assistant). I’m really happy to be working with this year’s first-year cohort. I’m also currently on the job market for longer-term employment. Please cross your fingers for me!

Fingers crossed! It sounds like there are lots of good things in the future.

New Evidence from the Seattle Minimum Wage Study

In 2014, Seattle passed a minimum wage law that raised the city’s minimum wage from the state’s minimum wage of $9.47 to $15, phased-in over several years. Mayor Murray and his Income Inequality Advisory Committee developed the minimum wage law as a strategy to lower income inequality. Evans School faculty Mark C. Long examines earnings inequality in the city over the first three years of the law in an article, “Seattle’s Local Minimum Wage and Earnings Inequality” published in Economic Inquiry. Long analyzes Washington state administrative data to assess whether Seattle’s minimum wage ordinance led to a reduction in earning inequality among the city’s workers from 2014 to 2017, a period when the local minimum phased in to $13 an hour.

Findings show that inequality among workers who earned less than the city’s median hourly wage ($26.42) was reduced modestly as workers in the lowest wage jobs saw large increases in hourly wages. There is no evidence to suggest, however, that Seattle’s minimum wage lowered the overall level of earnings inequality across all workers in the city, which substantially widened during this period. Further, Long notes that “the results in this report pertain to earnings inequality of those employed and thus do not include any additional increase in inequality produced by a reduction in the number of employed low-skilled workers.”

Findings from Long’s study are consistent with another article recently published by Evans School and University of Washington scholars entitled, “Minimum Wage Increases and Low-Wage Employment: Evidence from Seattle,” in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. In this paper, the study team examines the labor market effects of the Seattle Minimum Wage Ordinance when the citywide minimum was set to $13 an hour in 2017. Findings indicates that those earning less than $19 an hour saw wages rise by 3.4% once the city’s minimum wage was $13, while experiencing a 7.0% decrease in hours worked.

Low-wage workers employed before the policy took effect saw their wages rise more than their hours fell, yielding a net increase of around $12 per week. This increase in pay was larger for low-wage workers with more prior labor market experience. The team found evidence of a decline in the rate of hiring of low-wage workers who were not previously employed in the state of Washington as the minimum wage in the city reached $13 an hour.

Publications

Mark C. Long, “Seattle’s Local Minimum Wage and Earnings Inequality” in Economic Inquiry

Ekaterina Jardim, Mark C. Long, Robert Plotnick, Emma van Inwegen, Jacob Vigdor, and Hilary Wething, “Minimum Wage Increases and Low-Wage Employment: Evidence from Seattle” in American Economic Journal: Economic Policy

COVID-19’s Impact on Low-Income Tenants’ Housing Security

A mask and a large apartment complex

The COVID-19 pandemic and related economic recession have had a substantial negative impact on low-income tenants’ housing security. A record number of households have been unable to pay their rent on-time. To stem the threat of eviction for non-payment of rent, governments have implemented eviction moratoria. This mixed methods study, in partnership with the Tenants Union of Washington State, draws on semi-structured interviews (n=25) and a survey (n=410) with low-income tenants to examine the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and eviction moratoria have impacted housing security in Washington state.

The study led by Matthew Fowle and Rachel Fyall finds that the pandemic has led to downward residential mobility, increased rental debt, and poorer housing quality for low-income households. The pandemic has also exacerbated the negative impact of housing insecurity on health as tenants are spending more time in substandard housing that is harmful to their physical and mental health. Overall, households of color have been disproportionately affected by this worsening housing security, in particular Black and Latinx tenants. The eviction moratorium has likely been successful in preventing a surge in formal evictions during the pandemic. However, methods of informal evictions and forced moves, such as landlords changing door locks and refusing to renew leases, have significantly increased.

Read the full report

Evans researchers examine COVID-19 business grant and loan programs

Evans School Professor Crystal Hall, and alumni Puja Kumar, MPA ’20,  and Sehej Singh, MPA’20, worked with the U.S. Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES) and Small Business Administration (SBA) to conduct a descriptive study of local grant and loan programs using public information about funding programs and conversations with local officials.

Local Impacts of a Global Crisis

Mount Rainier on a sunny day

How Washington State Nonprofits Respond to COVID-19

This report confirms what those working for nonprofits already knew: Nonprofits are being asked to do more and more with less and less. Funding is down 30% and volunteerism is down 30-50%. Yet the need for, and dependence on, nonprofits continues to grow. This trend must be reversed in short order if nonprofits are going to be able to serve long-term.

The research team would like to thank the staff of all the nonprofit organizations that took the time to complete this survey. We realize that the leaders and staff of these organizations are under incredible pressure to serve their communities during this tumultuous time with increasingly tightening resources. Finally, we want to thank the nonprofit leaders and staff who piloted our survey and provided insights on how to maximize the relevance of the survey as it relates to nonprofit management, governance, and policy.

Erica Mills Barnhart
Associate Teaching Professor, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Emily A. Finchum-Mason
Ph.D. Candidate, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Mary Kay Gugerty
Nancy Bell Evans Professor of Nonprofit Management, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Kelly Husted
Ph.D. Candidate, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Executive Summary

The COVID-19 crisis has caused deep and widespread strain across sectors and individuals since taking hold in early 2020. Despite this adversity, nonprofits—especially those comprising the modern social safety net—have continued to serve their communities during this tumultuous time (Kulish, 2020). This report seeks to understand (a) the major challenges facing nonprofits in Washington state as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, (b) the strategies that nonprofits are using to mitigate the effects of the crisis, (c) how nonprofits are experiencing changes in funder relationships as a result of the crisis, (d) the degree to which nonprofits in the state have accessed assistance under the CARES Act, and (e) the most pressing needs nonprofits have as they face the ongoing uncertainty and hardship presented by COVID-19.

Not surprisingly, this report finds that nonprofits face considerable financial difficulty, with many already experiencing steep declines in total revenue and projecting declines over the next year. The average decline in total revenue experienced across nonprofits is approximately 30%. These declines are largely driven by a drop in program service revenue and are particularly challenging as many nonprofits are shifting their modes of service provision and incurring costs as they seek to prevent the spread of the disease. Declines in total revenue are projected to continue over the next year by an average of
16%, including a 4.2% decrease for health and human service organizations and a 25.6% decrease for other nonprofits.

Health and human service nonprofits are also seeing significant changes in service demand—an average increase of 28%—without a requisite increase in funding. At the same time, nonprofits are seeing a significant reduction in the number of people willing and able to volunteer in order to provide needed services. Other nonprofits, such as arts organizations, are seeing a drop off in demand that is jeopardizing their ability to survive.

Despite these challenges, we find that nonprofits are being flexible and creative in their response to the COVID-19 crisis. Many organizations have effectively reimagined what service provision looks like during this challenging and uncertain time, with nearly 64% of nonprofits changing how they provide programs and services. Approximately 58% of nonprofits have altered their short-term organizational goals, and nearly half have changed their programmatic priorities.

These changes come at a cost, and the strain on nonprofits is visible: 62% have had to pause one or more programs, and 14% have had to end one or more programs. Subsequently, many nonprofits have spent down cash reserves and made significant cuts to their number of staff, staff hours, and program capacity in order to stay afloat. Partnerships between nonprofits and local governments have become a common means of maximizing limited resources and tending to communities hardest hit by the crisis.

While some funders are moving to ease the burden on nonprofits through actions such as increasing funding and loosening grant restrictions for grantees, nonprofits reported that changes in funder/grantee relationships have been limited. A majority of nonprofits (for whom the questions were applicable) report that none of their funders have changed how existing funding can be used, reduced reporting requirements, or made new funding unrestricted so that it can be flexibly used to meet needs.
Many nonprofits—56% of our sample—have successfully accessed CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program loans to support their employees. While nearly 30% reported some difficulties in applying, 95% that did apply were approved for their loans. Qualitative evidence suggests that there is still confusion though about whether and how these loans will be forgiven, and while assistance with payroll is helpful, nonprofits note that other costs associated with operating during the pandemic are still challenging.

Finally, we asked nonprofits what types of assistance would be most useful during this time in the hopes of stimulating action on the part of policy-makers, government agencies, institutional funders, and donors. Nonprofits overwhelmingly responded that they require assistance in terms of additional funding—from foundations, government, and individuals. Nonprofits also stated that reduced restrictions on current funding streams, information about the emergent state and local regulations pertaining to COVID-19, and information and data sharing would be useful during this time.

Many nonprofits are currently struggling to cope with the hardships associated with COVID-19, the economic downturn, and an uncertain future. Based on our findings along with other recent research on nonprofit responses to the COVID-19 crisis, we recommend that:

1. Philanthropic foundations and corporate funders provide more funding to the nonprofit sector to alleviate short-term solvency concerns.

2. Institutional funders increase flexibility as nonprofits try to navigate their new implementation environment and survive these turbulent times by reducing reporting requirements, loosening restrictions on current funding agreements, and making new grants unrestricted.

3. Legislators, government agencies, and institutional funders support communities most affected by COVID-19 and the subsequent economic downturn, including Black communities, Indigenous communities, and People of Color (BIPOC), by: (1) targeting funding towards BIPOC-led and BIPOC-serving organizations and (2) developing partnerships with BIPOC-led organizations, listening to the concerns and needs of those communities and translating those needs into action.

Read the Full Report

Caring for Washington’s Older Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Caring for WA Older Adults

This study was funded by the University of Washington Population Health Initiative’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Research Grant, along with matching funds from the University of Washington School of Public Health, School of Social Work, and School of Medicine, Department of Neurology. The authors thank Nancy Hooyman for reviewing a draft of this report.

Read the Full Report

Clara Berridge, PhD, MSW
Assistant professor, School of Social Work

Carolyn M. Parsey, PhD
Assistant professor, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology

Maggie Ramirez, PhD, MS, MS
Assistant professor, School of Public Health, Department of Health Services

Callie Freitag, MA
Doctoral student, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Ian Johnson, MSW
Doctoral student, School of Social Work

Scott W. Allard, PhD
Daniel J. Evans Endowed Professor of Social Policy, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Executive Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant and costly disruptions to social service and health care systems. Eight in ten deaths from the COVID-19 virus in the U.S. have occurred in people age 65 and older (CDC, 2020). In addition to the mortality risk, the pandemic presents grave health and economic risks by disrupting services to older adults that prevent institutionalization, emergency room visits, and other negative health outcomes. This report examines how the pandemic has affected the operation of social service and healthcare organizations that support Washington’s 1.7 million older adults (60+), including 107,000 people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias (State Plan on Aging, 2018).

Drawing on surveys and interviews with 45 senior leaders of social services and health care organizations serving older adults throughout Washington State, this report identifies current challenges confronting service delivery and client care, as well as those that will persist to shape future strategy and planning. Several key findings and themes emerge relevant to policy and practice:

Senior leaders describe rapid declines in the physical and mental health and functioning of their older adult patients and clients as a result of the pandemic. Healthcare providers report that chronic medical conditions are often not being well managed, resulting in significant physical deconditioning, increased frailty, and heightened health risks.

Providers believe that a high number of older adults are not seeking care for existing or new conditions, which will have important downstream effects on the health of older adults. Care organizations are particularly concerned about people living with dementia because they are less active and engaged during the pandemic, leading to increased severity and frequency of delusions as well as worsening behavioral symptoms. Moreover, many vulnerable older adult population sub-groups may be falling through the cracks of Washington’s service systems, including those with low-incomes, those who are living alone or unhoused, Latinx immigrant and migrant older adults, people with limited English proficiency, and tribal elders.

Social isolation creates a “double pandemic” and is believed to exacerbate problems of dementia, depression, suicide risk, and disrupted care. Organization leaders described making inroads to address social isolation during the pandemic but also expect the problems created by isolation to persist for some time. Leaders want to see guidelines evolve from isolating in place to recommending ways to provide safe social interaction.

The pandemic is exacerbating service gaps and leading to caregiver strain in Washington. Demand for aging services during the COVID-19 virus remains steady and is expected to increase over time due to demographic trends and caregiver shortages. Family caregivers now have limited respite options and have to assume additional caregiving responsibilities because of service restrictions due to the pandemic.

A digital divide exists in many parts of Washington State, particularly for older adults of color with low incomes and those in rural communities, where unreliable and costly internet and cell phone services may negate well-intended telemedicine and videoconferencing efforts. Senior leaders report barriers to the use of digital tools and training among the oldest adults and those with sensory disabilities or dementia.

Social service and healthcare organizations serving older adults report urgent fiscal shortfalls and budget crises. Layoffs and furloughs have occurred in many organizations, with senior leaders emphasizing the need for additional public funds to prevent further layoffs and staffing shortages. In addition, organizations need assistance obtaining PPE and purchasing supplies or equipment to accommodate new service realities and to provide nutrition services.

Interviews identify several strategies for addressing the challenges of the pandemic and providing high-quality care to older Washingtonians:

  • Organizations leveraged targeted funding, partnerships, and transportation networks to enable delivery and drive through meals on a larger scale than previously possible.
  • Some in-person services and programming have been moved to virtual platforms, expanding their reach and capacity.
    Virtual support groups and activity-based socialization groups have been particularly successful.
  • Providing technology skills training to older adults through staff, peers, family members, and targeted tutorials has been effective for some.
  • Many organizations provide digital devices, particularly prepaid cell phones.
  • Organizations creatively adapted where trial and error showed that non-digital service delivery was needed, such as wellness and reassurance phone calls, care packages with pantry staples, outdoor distanced social events, and pod formation for limited social contact.
  • Existing and new partnerships have been leveraged to reach older Washingtonians in their homes. Collaborations formed to meet the crisis, however, could be expanded to better serve immigrants and older adults of color.

It is critical for public agencies and private philanthropy to ensure service providers in the aging network are able to continue supporting the needs of older Washingtonians. These service organizations play an essential role in alleviating loneliness and isolation, meeting nutritional needs, improving health outcomes, and enabling access to health care, long-term services and supports, care transitions, and housing. Current and future reductions in revenues from public and private sources jeopardize the sustainability of these critical organizations, particularly those serving older adult populations on fixed incomes.

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Prof. Ann Bostrom to Join NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, And Coastal Oceanography

The NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography assembles researchers in machine learning, atmospheric and ocean science and risk communication to develop user-driven, trustworthy AI that addresses pressing concerns in weather, climate and coastal hazards prediction.

“…The risk communication research team will examine how AI information influences trust and use of AI over time by decision makers in ecological and water resource management, weather forecasting and emergency management,” says Prof. Bostrom. “It’s an exciting opportunity to advance fundamental research on mental models and perceptions of AI in environmental science contexts that have critical consequences for all of us.”