California must not backtrack on COVID safety net

OPINION – Families across California experienced a decline in violence and poverty in the wake of COVID-19, but according to the Public Policy Institute of California, the rate of poverty has since grown from 11.7% in 2021 to 13.2% in 2023. Similarly, the nation as a whole experienced the largest spike in poverty in our history – rising from 7.8% to 12.4% in 2022. Many experts have connected this rise in poverty at both levels to ending pandemic-era government assistance to struggling families.

The link between poverty and violence is well documented, so the news about California’s increasing poverty rate raises particularly frightening prospects for those already living on the economic cliff.

Government-assistance programs implemented during the pandemic helped provide security for thousands of Californians and it also played a part in the downward trend of violence in our state. Thanks in part to economic aid to support families, California’s rate of violence declined from 8% to 5% over the past year, according to the annual statewide California Violence Experiences Study (CalVEX) from the University of San Diego’s Center on Gender Equity and Health. But this progress is fragile, as the specter of food insecurity, housing insecurity and eviction looms over countless households.

Fortunately, California’s legislature has extended both the state’s economic and violence protection programs through April 2024, so unemployment and nutrition benefits, rental assistance, and child tax credits will continue to ease these burdens. But many states already have shredded their COVID-era safety nets, raising the likelihood of the return of increased poverty and violence across the nation.

For California families, the CalVEX study makes the dual danger clear: families that experienced financial disasters—particularly eviction and food or housing insecurity—were at anywhere from two-times to eight-times greater risk for physical violence, sexual violence, and intimate partner violence. And we know that these experiences with violence can have negative impacts on a person’s mental health.

The link between poverty and violence is well documented, so the news about California’s increasing poverty rate raises particularly frightening prospects for those already living on the economic cliff.

For instance, we saw significant health impacts reported by the Californians who experienced physical violence. Most alarmingly, 25% of people who experienced violence reported that they seriously considered suicide in the past year. Moreover, two-thirds of respondents experiencing violence reported recent substance misuse. These data show the deep and potentially long-lasting impacts of violence on our communities that will require funding and coordinating multiple services including health, social services and public safety.

As is always the case, violence hits some groups much harder than others, as the CalVEX data illustrated. Non-binary and transgender individuals suffer disproportionately from gender-based violence. Statewide, 9% of adults said that they have been a victim of sexual harassment or assault in the past year, but non-binary and transgender adults reported devastatingly higher rates, at 56% and 40%, respectively.

Younger people are also disproportionately damaged by intimate partner violence, including children who inevitably witness it. In the CalVEX data, 18% of California adults report having witnessed IPV as a child.

With gun-control laws under assault, the prospect of increased gun violence could exacerbate these dangers. The pending Supreme Court case, United States v. Rahimi, will determine whether people who are under domestic violence restraining orders will continue to be prohibited from gun possession – or will once again have access to lethal weapons. The decision in this case could loosen gun restrictions, which will have real repercussions for the nation and California.

Federal, state, and local anti-poverty and violence protection programs have made a huge difference in the lives of millions of Californians. For the time being, we are seeing lower levels of poverty than the rest of the nation and our level of violence is on a corresponding decline. California needs to remain smart and forward thinking about the value of the economic supports that have made such a big difference for so many. Our future depends upon it.

Anita Raj, PhD, MS, is a professor at the University of California San Diego. She leads the Violence EXperiences (VEX) study, now operating in California and Louisiana, to assess state-wide data on experiences of violence, discrimination, and mental health, to support data-driven policy decision-making on these issues.