In 2016, The Center for Community Solutions released a report on syringe services programs (SSPs) in Ohio, which provided information on the programs that existed at that time, including those developed in response to the state’s 2015 change in regulations authorizing the programs.[1] Syringe services programs prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C by...
Research Priority: Health and Human Services
February 11, 2019
Implementing a trauma-informed approach in public assistance programs
Trauma-informed care has become more widely adopted throughout the human services field, but public assistance programs like TANF and SNAP have largely not adopted a trauma-informed approach. For some individuals, the experience of living in poverty is a form of chronic trauma, resulting in negative health outcomes and creating additional barriers to self-sufficiency. Could states...
January 14, 2019
Ohio community groups face challenges helping needy Ohioans navigate new benefits system
Introduction Community-based organizations play a critical role in connecting low-income families to public benefits, such as food, medical and cash assistance, that help make ends meet. Accessing these benefits often requires navigating complex rules and paperwork at County Job and Family Services (CJFS) offices, leading many vulnerable families to turn to trusted intermediaries for help....
January 7, 2019
Trauma, Toxic Stress and the Impact: Defining Adverse Childhood Experiences
Introduction In the mid-1990s the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente joined to conduct a study that focused on the history of exposure to trauma in 17,000 adults. Data from physical examinations was combined with a percent question survey that focused instances of abuse or neglect that occurred when each participant...
December 6, 2018
Racial Disparities
December 3, 2018
The $44,000 Question: Examining Disengaged Youth in Cuyahoga County
Most people establish a stable attachment to the workforce during their late teens and early twenties that sets them on the path for their career. They finish their studies, obtain employment and begin to live independently. Unfortunately, some youth do not make the transition from student to employee. These young adults are disconnected from both...
October 8, 2018
Who Receives Food Assistance in Ohio? Implications of Work Requirements for SNAP Enrollment across Racial, Ethnic and Geographic Divisions
KEY TAKEAWAYS The majority of families receiving food assistance in Ohio are white, but African-American families are overrepresented. SNAP enrollment rates exceed poverty rates for most racial/ethnic groups across Ohio. Counties exempt from SNAP work requirements have even wider margins between poverty and SNAP enrollment rates, particularly among minority populations. Counties exempt from SNAP work...
October 1, 2018
Majority of Ohioans living in deep poverty don’t receive cash assistance: Temporary Assistance For Needy Families in Ohio
By: Tara Britton, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy Brie Luscheck, Associate, Public Policy & External Affairs Introduction In 1996, President Bill Clinton fulfilled his promise to end “welfare as we know it,” and now, more than 20 years later, the change is evident. Welfare as an entitlement has ended, but the program that replaced...
October 1, 2018
18 Questions for the 2018 Election
July 9, 2018
Ohio at a Crossroads: Three years later, an update on the state’s developmental disabilities system
INTRODUCTION The past decade has been a period of remarkable change for Ohio’s developmental disability system, as views continue to shift around how to best promote the integrity and independence of individuals served by the system. However, significant change is often accompanied by resistance and discord. Rifts remain among individuals served, family members, providers and...