We need your help! The Center for Community Solutions and Ohio Association of Foodbanks wants to understand what challenges Ohio families faced during the pandemic and what has helped. Please take 10 minutes to complete the online survey. Results will be available in October and we will share them widely with policy makers and...
Category: Strengthening the HHS Safety Net
July 16, 2021
Ohioans Across the State to Continue Receiving Extra Hunger Assistance, Helping Families and Economic Recovery
By: Hope Lane, Public Policy & External Affairs Associate and Emily Campbell, Associate Director and Williamson Family Fellow for Applied Research While emergency allotments in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were never meant to be a permanent fixture, their extension through the end of the federal public health emergency will ensure all Ohioans have a...
July 12, 2021
State Budget Reflection
At the beginning of 2021, when The Center for Community Solutions shared its state budget priorities, I don’t think we expected such a wild ride to reach the conclusion of the budget process. The versions of the budget presented by Governor Mike DeWine and those passed by the House and Senate certainly advanced some issues...
June 28, 2021
Need to address college student hunger gains well-deserved attention and momentum
Throughout the pandemic, federal and state government have worked together to ensure that individuals and families impacted by this unprecedented time in history were not plagued by food insecurity. Much of this work involved guaranteeing that those already eligible for benefits had numerous ways to access food, that the benefit was sufficient for a household’s...
June 21, 2021
SNAP already employs strong anti-fraud measures to ensure program integrity
By Rachel Cahill, Consultant Tara Britton, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy | Edward D. and Dorothy E. Lynde Fellow Despite no evidence of widespread fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Ohio or nationally, the Ohio Senate added last-minute provisions to the state budget that would restrict access to the...
June 1, 2021
Federal aid through the American Rescue Plan Act begins to take shape
Throughout the past year, The Center for Community Solutions has written about the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed in March 2020 to aid the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed in March 2021, was meant to be a supportive catalyst for America’s...
May 24, 2021
Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence
By: Patrick Kanary, Human Services Consultant, Former Director, Center for Innovative Practices at the Begun Center for Violence Prevention/Research The evolution of Ohio’s children’s, youth and family system of care continues with the addition of the new Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (COE).[1] The center, located at Case Western Reserve University, will...
May 23, 2021
An opportunity for Ohio to knock out child hunger this summer
By: Rachel Cahill, Consultant Hope Lane, Public Policy & External Affairs Associate Overview Additional federal resources will be available to Ohio families this summer to cover the rising cost of groceries while school is out. The Center for Community Solutions (Community Solutions) estimates that the Summer Pandemic-EBT program (Summer P-EBT) will provide approximately $400 million...
May 17, 2021
Mixed results for health and human service levies across the state
Seven of the nine countywide levies supporting health and human services on the ballot in the May 4 election passed. According to unofficial election results from County Boards of Election, most passed with wide margins during primary and special elections. The only two that failed were additional levies seeking new funding. Results are listed below....