James Sullivan, economics professor at the University of Notre Dame, said that families near the poverty line could see their income increase by more than 25% in the second half of the year.
"Such families tend to spend additional resources on necessities such as food, housing (i.e. paying back rent), and clothing," he said, adding that any additional income could also provide the cash to make a down payment on bigger-ticket items, such as cars, that may typically be out of reach.