The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way public sector organizations in the United States need to function, as they have had to transition to remote platforms to stay safe while, simultaneously, the needs of the communities they serve have increased significantly. According to the Pew Research Center in April 2020, “overall, 43% of U.S. adults now say that they or someone in their household has lost a job or taken a cut in pay due to the outbreak…among lower-income adults, […] 52% say they or someone in their household has experienced this type of job upheaval.”

The estimated economic impacts of the COVID-19 emergency are staggering—millions of Americans are out of work or experiencing a decrease in hours. Thousands of businesses are shuttered and some may never reopen. Over 16 million new people have applied for unemployment since March, roughly half of the number of claims filed during 2008’s Great Recession.

The spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is having major impacts on states and counties across the U.S. Both the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) present opportunities for states to support families and individuals in need during this emergency.

For public sector health and human services agencies, change is inevitable – whether it is driven by new legislation, administration turnover, or just continuous process improvement of government programs. One such change in legislation on PCG’s mind is the 2018 Farm Bill, passed by Congress and signed by the President in December 2018, which reauthorizes SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) through 2023.