CLS affiliate faculty member Denia Garcia has recently published an article in the journal Poverty and Public Policy examining the way social capital influences the decisions poor residents of U.S. cities to seek such public benefits as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF). Drawing on data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which follows 5000 urban U.S. families who had children born between 1998 and 2000, Prof. Garcia sought to determine the relationship between benefit use and such assets as access to financial help from kin, enrollment in childcare centers, and knowing neighbors. The study found that different social assets influence decisions in different ways. For example, people with relatives who could help them financially were less likely to access SNAP and TANF than those without. Families who knew some of their neighbors were more likely to use TANF than those who are more isolated in their neighborhoods. The study highlights the importance of understanding the way different social assets influence the decisions of poor urban residents as they find ways to access resources. Denia Garcia is an Assistant Professor with the LaFollette School for Public Affairs.