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Research

Research is central to the mission of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities. Engaging in rigorous research informs our program development and advocacy work. The Center regularly publishes research outcomes in peer-reviewed journals and releases briefs highlighting this research and providing informed recommendations to change current local and national policies. Select a program or topic below to view these briefs.

Learn more about ongoing and emerging research projects to see what's next for the Center and its work.

Policy Briefs and Research Reports

Making the Case for Paid Family Leave

2023

Paid family leave is essential for promoting health equity and supporting family well-being. Extensive research has shown that paid family leave programs have a positive impact on adult and child mental, physical, and financial health, and the vast majority of people in America are in favor of paid leave.

Changing the Narrative to Change the Policy: Ending Hunger in America

2022

This brief represents the insight and expertise of people with lived experience and their solutions to address poverty and hunger in America.

Policy Solutions to End Hunger in America: Calling on the White House for Radical Strategy Change

2022

This policy brief outlines the solutions necessary to make true and lasting change regarding food insecurity and diet-related health through both specific programmatic changes and larger-scale philosophical shifts. 

Systemic Challenges to Implementing Universal Basic Income

2022

This policy brief explains the fundamental issues with public assistance programs such as SSI and SSDI that are creating barriers to executing Universal Basic Income on a larger scale outside of current pilot programs.

Challenges and Solutions to Public Assistance System Alignment: How Trauma-informed Programming Unveiled Barriers to Aligning TANF and Medicaid

2021

Cross-sector collaboration and systems alignment in public benefit systems can improve the effectiveness of these programs, address social determinants of health, improve family well-being, and create a more equitable society. This brief highlights a number of challenges identified in aligning public benefits such as TANF and Medicare and offers proposed solutions to address them. 

Minimum Wage is Not Enough: A True Living Wage is Necessary to Reduce Poverty and Improve Health

2021

The federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour for more than 12 years. While the U.S. minimum wage was never truly a living wage, over time it has done less to reflect the true value of workers and no longer supports families in a way that promotes health and keeps them out of poverty. Many arguments have been made against raising the federal minimum wage. This brief lays out the clear benefits to individual workers, businesses, and the community that outweigh the potential challenges that will arise from providing a living wage to all workers.

Universal Basic Income: Key to Reducing Food Insecurity and Improving Health

2021

This policy report highlights the challenges of the current public benefits programs in addressing poverty and provides an overview of universal basic income as a viable solution, including results from almost 50 years of guaranteed income pilot programs.

Financial Health: The Root of Economic Security - Defining and Measuring a New Social Determinant of Health

2020

This 2020 research brief introduces financial health as a measurable concept underlying elements of economic hardship (housing, food and energy insecurity) that can contribute to greater health equity. The study demonstrates that financial health has a significant impact on overall well-being and belongs in the discussion of social determinants of health.

Pennsylvania Cash Assistance Behind the Times

2020

This 2020 policy brief looks at the decline in Pennsylvania TANF cash grants and provides suggested changes to support families.

Reducing Food Insecurity Without Food: Trauma-Informed Financial Education Program Improves Food Security

2020

This 2020 report shows that participation in a trauma-informed educational program reduced the odds of household food insecurity for families with low or no income.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Household Food Insecurity

2019

This research report shows that families reporting Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as domestic violence, neighborhood violence, and family substance abuse, were much more likely to experience household food insecurity.

Systemic Oppression and Trauma: Why Healing-centered, Two-generation Approaches are Crucial to Poverty Alleviation

2019

Systemic racism and discrimination have been found to be root causes of poverty and hunger in the US. This 2019 report looks at healing-centered, two-generation approaches as an important part of addressing economic insecurity imposed by systemic oppression and trauma. 

From Disparities to Discrimination: Getting at the Roots of Food Insecurity

2018

In this 2018 report, research from Children HealthWatch in Philadelphia documents differences in food insecurity in relation to experiences with racial and ethnic discrimination. Additional briefs spotlight the discrimination experienced in public, healthcare, school, work, and criminal justice system.