Preliminary evidence on social safety net spending after the recession suggests that trends in support for the disabled and elderly families no longer differ to any substantial degree from those for nonelderly and nondisabled families, nor are the differences in trends in support for married-parent and single- parent families significant.
However, the poorest have seen marked declines in support since the peak of the recession, returning close to pre-recession levels. Those with the lowest incomes continue to experience declines in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) receipt since the recession as well as declines in receipt of housing benefits.
At the same time, transfers for those with incomes just above and below the poverty line have declined little since the recession peak and in some cases have not declined at all, leaving their post-recession support far above pre-recession levels. The increase in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) transfers has benefited families with incomes near the poverty line much more than it has benefited families living in deep poverty.
SNAP receipt has continued to grow for families of all types and at all income levels since the recession.
Download the full report from Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.