| safety net | a collection of public policies ensuring that the basic physiological needs of citizens are met
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| direct provision | the policy tool whereby the government that creates a policy hires public servants to provide the service
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| cash transfer | the direct provision of cash (in forms including checks, debit cards, and tax breaks) to eligible individuals or to providers of goods or services to eligible individuals
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| in-kind assistance | a cash transfer in which the government pays cash to those who provide goods or services to eligible individuals
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| noncontributory program | a benefit provided to a targeted population, paid for by a proportion of the money collected from all taxpayers
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| contributory program (social insurance program) | a benefit provided only to those who paid the specific tax created to fund the benefit
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| entitlement program | a government benefit guaranteed to all who meet the eligibility requirements
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| direct subsidy | a cash transfer from general revenues to particular persons or private companies engaged in activities that the national government believes support the public good
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| environmental racism | the term for the higher incidence of environmental threats and subsequent health problems in lower-income communities, which frequently are also communities dominated by people of color
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| greenhouse effect | the heating of the earth's atmosphere as a result of humans' burning of fossil fuels and the resultant buildup of carbon dioxide and other gases
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| global warming | rising temperature of the earth as a result of pollution that traps solar heat, keeping the air warmer than it would otherwise be
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| indexed benefit | a government benefit with an automatic cost of living increase based on the rate of inflation
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| means-tested benefit | a benefit for which eligibility is based on having an income below a specified amount, typically based on a percentage of the poverty guideline
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| living wage | a wage high enough to keep workers and their families out of poverty and to allow them to enjoy a basic living standard
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| feminization of poverty | the phenomenon of increasing numbers of unmarried, divorced, and separated women with children living in poverty
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| poverty guidelines | a simplified version of the Census Bureau's poverty thresholds developed each year by the Department of Health and Human Services; used to set financial eligibility criteria for benefits
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| food insecurity | situation in which people have limited or uncertain ability to obtain, in socially acceptable ways, enough nutritious food to live a healthy and active life
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| housing insecurity | situation in which people have limited or uncertain ability to obtain, in socially acceptable ways, affordable, safe, and decent-quality permanent housing
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