Human services are local goods and services that are directly given to Americans who are experiencing times of poverty or being short on cash. Some examples of human services are food banks and pantries, homelessness shelters, emergency rent assistance, and transportation assistance for low-income individuals. Human services are typically given out by nonprofit agencies to residents of the same county where the agency is located. While Americans experiencing poverty sometimes receive other types of cash assistance, like food stamps, direct cash assistance is limited in America and many Americans are not eligible for it. Because of this, human services agencies are often the main place Americans experiencing poverty can get assistance for basic needs like food, shelter, and transportation. This research is intended to inform policy around provision of nonprofit human services so that policymakers can make sure all Americans have access to these crucial services.

Dr. Shapiro's fellowship is under the supervision of Dr. Marah Curtis at UW-Madison's Institute for Research on Poverty.