Safety Net

When life knocks us down, we all can use a helping hand to get back on our feet. SNAP, TANF, WIC and other safety net programs provide essential assistance to hundreds of thousands of Alabamians who struggle with challenges like unemployment, health problems or wages that are too low to make ends meet. Arise studies the importance of safety net programs to our society and economy and examines the need to continue making strong investments in them.

Fact Sheet

2026 Alabama election guide – election information

Key dates for the 2026 elections Runoff election: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 May 29 was the deadline to hand-deliver a voter registration form for the runoff. June 1 was the deadline to register online or postmark registration forms delivered by mail. The election manager must receive absentee ballot applications by June 9 (by mail) or [...]
Issues
Health, Safety Net, Tax Reform, Voting Rights, Medicaid Expansion
Date
June 12, 2026
Author
Matt Okarmus
Fact Sheet

2026 Alabama election guide – candidate questions

2026 election questions Where do candidates stand? Meeting and talking with candidates as they campaign for your vote helps shape the conversation and let them know which issues are most important to their constituents. Below are some questions you can ask and info you can share when meeting candidates. Please let us know what you [...]
Issues
Health, Safety Net, Tax Reform, Voting Rights, Medicaid Expansion
Date
May 1, 2026
Author
Alabama Arise
Letters & Testimony

Alabama Arise among 44 groups urging U.S. senators to delay SNAP cost shift

Unless Congress acts, Alabama will have to provide a huge amount of additional state funding next year to maintain food assistance benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). HR 1, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, shifted significant SNAP costs from the federal government to states in an effort to finance large tax [...]
Issues
Budgets, Safety Net
Date
April 30, 2026
Author
Alabama Arise
Letters & Testimony

Alabama Arise testimony in opposition to SNAP food choice limits

Alabama Arise hunger policy advocate LaTrell Clifford Wood testified Wednesday before the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee in opposition to SB 57 by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. SB 57 would restrict which foods can be bought in Alabama with food assistance benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Here is the full [...]
Issues
Health, Safety Net
Date
March 12, 2026
Author
Alabama Arise
Fact Sheet

2026 Legislative Day – No-cost breakfast supports a strong start, strong finish for Alabama students

Every Alabama child deserves access to breakfast  About 1 in 4 school-age children in Alabama struggle with food insecurity. Access to no-cost school meals is not the standard for many children in working families and is often determined by where they live. Many schools are struggling to break even with the current maximum federal reimbursement [...]
Issues
Budgets, Safety Net
Date
February 23, 2026
Author
Alabama Arise
Fact Sheet

Federal SNAP cuts underscore Alabama’s need to protect and increase food access

Haga clic aquí para leer esto en español. Alabama’s food insecurity rates are among the worst in the country. More than 1 in 6 people in our state (17%) face food insecurity, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. And that share is even larger for children: Nearly 1 in 4 Alabama children (23%) [...]
Issue
Safety Net
Date
January 13, 2026
Author
LaTrell Clifford Wood
Resources

Las prioridades legislativas de Alabama Arise para 2026

Más de 150 grupos miembros de Alabama Arise y más de 1,500 miembros individuales eligen todos los años nuestras prioridades legislativas. Este proceso garantiza que los habitantes de Alabama más afectados por la pobreza participen de las decisiones. A continuación se enumeran las prioridades que nuestros miembros eligieron para 2025. Para obtener una versión de este [...]
Issues
Budgets, Criminal Justice, Health, Public Transportation, Safety Net, Tax Reform, Other Issues, Economic Opportunity, Voting Rights, Coronavirus, Medicaid Expansion
Date
December 18, 2025
Author
Alabama Arise
Member Resources

Alabama Arise 2026 legislative priorities

More than 150 Alabama Arise member groups and nearly 2,000 individual members choose our legislative priorities each year. This process ensures that Alabamians most impacted by poverty have a seat at the table. Below are the priorities that our members selected for 2026. For a PDF version of this document, click here or click the [...]
Issues
Budgets, Criminal Justice, Health, Housing, Public Transportation, Safety Net, Tax Reform, Other Issues, Economic Opportunity, Voting Rights, Medicaid Expansion
Date
November 4, 2025
Author
Alabama Arise
Resources

Keep your EBT benefits safe from cyber attacks

Here are some tips to prevent criminals from stealing EBT benefits, plus some steps to take if you believe someone has stolen your benefits.

Issue
Safety Net
Date
November 4, 2025
Author
Alabama Arise
Fact Sheet

What we know about the SNAP changes in the new federal budget law

The federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act does not immediately cut or end food assistance benefits for people who now receive them. People who are now getting food assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should continue receiving their monthly benefits normally for the foreseeable future, just as they have in the past. But [...]
Issues
Budgets, Health, Safety Net
Date
July 9, 2025
Author
Carol Gundlach
All Issue Resources