Through the Policy & Development program, the Coalition determines the causes and implications of hunger in New York City and the United States and proposes innovative yet practical ways to tackle the problem. Coalition staff have worked extensively on legislative research and analysis for the New York City Council, New York state legislature, and U.S. Congress. Recently, Coalition staff advised City Council members in a successful effort to make the process of obtaining food stamps less labyrinthine.

The Coalition conducts extensive field research for its annual hunger survey, which is the city's most comprehensive annual study of hunger. The results of the survey are made available to policymakers and have been used in efforts to pass anti-hunger legislation at multiple levels of government. For more information about our Annual Hunger Survey Report, you may contact Kerry Birnbach at 212-825-0028 ext. 212 or kbirnbach@nyccah.org.

Take action!

• The American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009, Your EFP, and Your Community - An Explanation of the Economic Stimulus Bill and What it Means for You and Communities in New York State
• Advocacy 101 for EFPs - A Guide to Current Anti-hunger Issues and What You Can Do to Be An Effective Advocate
• Contact Governor Paterson - Urge the Governor to Accept the ABAWD Waiver to Allow All New Yorkers to Receive SNAP (f.k.a. Food Stamps) Benefits While They Search for Work
• Help end child hunger - Contact your Congressional leadership today to support a strong Child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill. (PDF)
• Contact your child's principal - Contact your child's principal to support expanding in-classroom breakfasts to ensure that all children in New York start the day with a healthy breakfast. (PDF)

Publications:

• Hunger Catastrophe Avoided (For Now):Soaring Demand at Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens Counter-Balanced by Food Stamps Surge and Extra Recovery Bill Funding - The results of the Coalition's 2009 citywide hunger survey. (PDF)
  Appendix: Policy Recommendations (PDF)

• No Bailout for the Hungry: Funding Slashed to Emergency Food Programs As Hunger in NYC Continues to Soar - The results of the Coalition's 2008 citywide hunger survey detailing a sharp rise in need and decline in government funding. (DOC)
• No Bailout for the Hungry: Funding Slashed to Emergency Food Programs As Hunger in NYC Continues to Soar - The results of the Coalition's 2008 citywide hunger survey detailing a sharp rise in need and decline in government funding. (PDF)
• The Hunger Squeeze - The in-depth results of the Coalition's 2007 citywide hunger survey. (DOC)
• The Hunger Squeeze - The in-depth results of the Coalition's 2007 citywide hunger survey. (PDF)
• Welfare Reform: The Promise Unfulfilled - A speech delivered by Executive Director Joel Berg at the Iowa College of Law in October 2006 on the unfinished work of welfare reform.
• Hunger Hangs On - The in-depth results of the Coalition's 2006 citywide hunger survey.
• Mapping an End to Hunger - A groundbreaking report using GIS mapping technology to examine access to nutritious food in three NYC neighborhoods, as well as an interactive citywide map and full public dataset.
• Ending U.S. Child Hunger by 2012 - A new position paper demonstrating how to break the "political logjam" surrounding anti-hunger legislation, co-written by Executive Director Joel Berg.
• Hunger and Obesity in East Harlem - The Coalition's groundbreaking report on the links between hunger and obesity in East Harlem.
• The Faces Behind the Statistics - A report detailing the difficult lives of food pantry clientele in their own words.

Testimony:

• See recent public testimony here.