Strong Personal & Public Safety Nets
While employment is an important pathway to financial well-being, work alone does not always provide enough income to meet basic needs. There are also times Hoosiers cannot work due to lack of opportunities, caregiving obligations, health needs, or other barriers. Assets such as home equity and emergency savings can provide a buffer against dips in income, while a strong public safety net must be available to ensure that Hoosiers that lack assets or sufficient income can still afford the basics. Our safety net work encompasses access to:
- Asset Development Opportunities
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- A Robust and Responsive Unemployment Insurance System
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
We also work on program effectiveness through strategies like:
- Mitigating the Cliff Effect
- Streamlining Reporting Requirements
- Increasing Transparency
Recent Work
The Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute has been deeply concerned by impacts arising from the recent "One Big Beautiful Bill" that caused significant changes to taxes and safety net expenditures, with deep cuts to SNAP and HIP. In addition to the featured publications linked below, we are also proud to share a series of graphics designed to raise awareness around this critical and timely issue. Please feel free to share widely on social media and through in-person events! Click here to access our graphics with information on the changes imposed by H.R. 1.
Featured Publications
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The "One Big Beautiful Bill" Changed SNAP & HIP
In 2025, Congress passed the "One Big Beautiful Bill" by a narrow margin, making dramatic changes to taxes and spending on programs, including SNAP and HIP. What do you need to know and how can you make your voice heard? We used focus groups with Hoosiers receiving SNAP or HIP to inform the development of this brochure.
June 2026 | Download Report
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The Link Between Employment and Well-Being: Hoosiers' Experiences of Job Loss and the Case for Modernizing WARN
This assessment combines statewide data from the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act with data from the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute Job Loss Survey, which provides new insight into the harms that Hoosiers experience after losing their jobs. While consensus is rare within survey studies, 100% of respondents to the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute Job Loss Survey indicated that they would have benefited from increased notice in advance of their job loss, indicating the potential need for policy intervention to better assist in job transitions. Read more for insights on how we can improve job transition experiences for Hoosiers, a policy investment that benefits both workers and employers by smoothing labor market fluctuations.
February 2025 | Report PDF
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Advancing Prosperity in Rural Indiana
The rural and small-town way of life is worth fighting for. Hoosiers across rural Indiana deserve a state government that is committed to advancing shared prosperity in their communities. As the ravages of COVID-19 recede, these rural areas stand at a crossroads—they can suffer stagnation, decline, and the loss of people who make rural Indiana so special, or, with the right state laws and policies, they can become places that flourish, grow, and share prosperity broadly among the people who live there. We wrote this report to help state leaders choose the right path for rural Indiana.
June 2022 | Download Report
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Indiana's TANF Grant & the Growing Cost of Basic Needs
Cash assistance benefits have far less purchasing power than in 1988, as the cost of basic items have increased and benefits have lost more than half of their value to inflation. | FACT SHEET
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Other Publications
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