In our series of safety net confessionals, the story of a man who says hard work and sacrifice were the safest nets for him.

Researchers have found many Americans believe they don't benefit from the 'social safety net' when, in fact, they are collecting some sort of benefits from government social programs.

Listener Kurt Deutscher, a 49-year-old web developer who grew up in a low-income family in Portland, Oregon, discusses his economic safety net, which came in the form of a unique graduation gift.

Government programs aren't the only safety nets that people fall back on. In the first of our "Safety Net Confessionals" we hear from Frank Paiano and one of the cousins he helped financially.

Tax breaks like the home mortgage deduction confer financial benefits, and some argue they're part of the government safety net.

'Welfare' used to simply mean 'well-being'. These days it often has negative connotations and multiple meanings.

'Entitlement' has almost contradictory meanings in casual conversation – and also, depending on your views, in political discourse about the social safety net

Current recipients have different reactions. Some scholars say basing the amount of payments on need could make the program less popular.

A new study from Pew on economic mobility examines how unemployment affects black and white families differently.

How did that phrase — the safety net– become a household term for social programs in the first place?