The Office of the Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman (CPO) published a brief highlighting the connections between access to food assistance programs and increases in child safety. Despite the end of the 2025 federal government shutdown and resumption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments, approximately 79,000 Coloradans are still expected to lose access to this crucial program’s food benefits due to permanent changes made by the U.S. Congress. In addition to those families losing their eligibility, changes to the SNAP program are expected to also cost the state of Colorado an additional $175 million per year.
Download the full issue brief here.
The CPO is calling attention to these changes to raise awareness of their potential impacts on the safety and well-being of children in Colorado. A growing body of research shows that access to food assistance programs increases child safety. For example, one study found that states that strengthened their SNAP programs had lower rates of child protective service and foster care involvement. The CPO urges the public and policymakers to be aware of and carefully consider the harmful impacts that cuts to programs like SNAP will have on the safety and well-being of Colorado’s youth and families.