U.S. Responses to the Economic Crisis: Social Safety Nets

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As a result of the current economic crisis, emergency legislation was passed by Congress, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which will help to improve the American social safety net. Additionally, there are two elements to the U.S. social protection system; there are permanent social protection programs and those social protections that are introduced during a financial crisis.^[1]  This suggests that many of the social safety net (SSN) programs created under ARRA may be temporary. SSNs are only one of the responses to the global economic crisis implemented by the U.S.

Table: U.S. Social Saftey Nets

This table links to social safety net programs in the United States. Each of the programs are separated into four main categories which include: Food-Based Programs, Community Support Programs, Family/Childcare Benefits, and Public Works.

Food-Based Programs
Aging Services Programs: Congregate Nutrition Services	The Congregate Nutrition Services provide meals to older Americans in congregate facilities such as senior centers, adult day centers, and faith-based settings.
Aging Services Programs: Home Delivered Nutrition Services	Home-Delivered Nutrition Services help seniors to maintain their health and avoid hospitalization and nursing home placement.
Aging Services Programs: Nutrition Services for Native Americans	These nutrition services are an efficient means to help Native American elders remain independent and in their own homes.
Community Support Programs
Community Health Centers	The funds will support new sites and service areas, increase services at existing sites, and provide supplemental payments for spikes in uninsured populations.
Community Services Block Grant	The CSBG Recovery Act funds will provide assistance to states and local communities, working through a network of community action agencies and other neighborhood-based organizations, for the reduction of poverty, revitalization of low-income communities, and empowerment of low-income families and individuals in rural and urban areas to become fully self-sufficient (particularly families who are attempting to transition off a state program carried out under part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act).
Strengthening Communities Fund	The purpose of this initiative is to enable nonprofit organizations to contribute to the economic recovery and help Federal, state, and local governments ensure that the information and services described in the Recovery Act reach disadvantaged and hard-to-serve populations.
Family/Childcare Benefits
Child Care and Development Fund	The fund is receiving $2 billion in supplemental funding from ARRA for grants to states, territories, tribes, and tribal organizations for child care assistance for low-income families.
Childhood Immunization Program	The program aims to expand access to vaccines and vaccination services by making more vaccines available, primarily to under-served children or their under-insured parents, increase national public awareness and knowledge about the benefits and risks of vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, and strengthen the evidence base for vaccination policies and programs.
Foster Care	Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), an estimated additional $806 million will be provided to states to increase the federal match for state maintenance payments for foster care, adoption assistance, and guardianship assistance.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families	Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), $319 million was appropriated for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Supplemental Grants.
Public Works
Capital Grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation	The objective of the capital grants to Amtrak authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is to improve and expand Amtrak's fleet, track, bridges, tunnels and signals, as well as improve the safety and security of its facilities.
Capital Investment Grants	To support the capital needs of public transportation systems in both urbanized and rural areas. To make investments that reduces the overall energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of transit systems.
Facilities and Equipment	FAA's facilities and equipment program finances major capital investments related to modernizing and improving air traffic control and airway facilities, equipment, and systems.
Fixed Guideway Infrastructure Investment Program	Provide capital assistance for the modernization of existing fixed guideway systems such as heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, monorail, trolleybus, aerial tramway, inclined plane, cable car, automated guideway transit, ferryboats, and that portion of motor bus service operated on exclusive or controlled rights-of-way, and high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes.
Grants in aid for Airports	Grants-in-Aid for Airports (Recovery Act) funds the planning and development of a safe and efficient national airport system to satisfy the needs of U.S. aviation interests.
Highway Infrastructure	The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is positioned to administer the Highway Infrastructure Investment portion of the Recovery Act; in particular, the goal to “invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide longer term economic benefits.”
Supplemental Discretionary Grants for a National Surface Transportation System	Under this new program, grants are awarded for transportation projects (including highway, transit, rail and ports) that will contribute to near-term economic recovery and job creation, maximization of long-term economic benefits and impacts on the Nation, a region, or a metropolitan area, and assistance for those most affected by the current economic downturn.
Supplemental Grants for Assistance to Small Shipyards	The purpose of the grants is to make capital and infrastructure improvements at small shipyards that facilitate the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and quality of domestic ship construction, conversion, or repair for commercial and federal government use.
Transit Capital Assistance	To support the capital needs of public transportation systems in both urbanized and rural areas. To make investments that reduce the overall energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of transit systems.