Struggling Families Can Benefit from Federal Nutrition Programs
by Laura McComas and Katie Meade
As millions of family incomes fall due to the effects of the recession, food insecurity — or the inability to meet basic food needs due to a lack of financial resources — appears to be on the rise. However, city leaders can take several low-cost steps to help residents stretch their budgets and remain financially secure during tough economic times.
One important way is to connect struggling families with federal food benefits for which they are eligible. Even with tight budgets, cities and towns can raise awareness about these nutrition programs at little or no cost by partnering with school districts to send informational materials home with school lunch menus or newsletters; stationing eligibility workers at local food pantries; placing bilingual posters and pamphlets at municipal and social service agencies; encouraging businesses to provide information to their employees; and forging partnerships with state agencies that administer the nutrition programs and with community organizations focused on reducing hunger. Federal outreach grants are also available to support city outreach.
These outreach efforts can serve as a very efficient strategy to support families while drawing additional federal dollars into the community. Research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that every dollar spent on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — formerly known as the Food Stamp Program — generates nearly twice as much local economic activity.
Participation in SNAP has grown by 5.6 million individuals over the past year, with the most recent monthly data indicating the highest participation levels on record. However, according to the Food Research and Action Center, one in three people eligible for SNAP is not enrolled.
Increases in the number of eligible residents due to the economic downturn, coupled with several changes over the last year that have expanded benefits under SNAP and other federal nutrition programs, make this a particularly important time for local leaders to focus attention on outreach and enrollment strategies for these programs.
City Leaders Promoting Access
In an effort to reach more families who may be struggling with food insecurity for the first time, the City and County of San Francisco recently launched a new Web-based tool that allows residents to apply for food stamps online. Using a USDA grant, the city/county government developed this public website to help streamline government processes related to public benefits, and to provide residents with a convenient, less stigmatized option for accessing food stamps and other public benefits. Each year, the USDA provides competitive grants to local governments and community-based organizations to fund various SNAP outreach efforts, including media campaigns and enrollment assistance initiatives.
In addition to leveraging federal resources for outreach, cities can also work with local public and private partners. This past year, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino launched a citywide Food and Fuel Campaign to help residents address the rising costs of basic necessities like food and home heating. The city works with supermarkets, utility companies, nonprofits and corporate partners to provide residents with information on tips for planning a smart grocery budget and claiming food stamp benefits and heating assistance. Since its launch, the campaign has helped the city reach thousands of residents.
New SNAP Provisions
Under the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, the federal Food Stamp Program was renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This legislation also provided additional funding, included provisions to eliminate some obstacles to eligibility — such as removing retirement and education accounts from consideration of a household’s SNAP eligibility — and shifted the focus of the program toward providing more nutritious food choices.
In addition, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included $20 billion in additional funds for the SNAP program, resulting in a temporary 13.6 percent increase in the maximum benefit amount. This increase, which took effect April 1, boosted the food stamp benefit for a family of four by about $80 per month. The increase will remain in effect until it is overtaken by regular annual increases in approximately 5 years.
Details: On its website, www.frac.org, the Food Research and Action Center has a number of resources available to city leaders who are interested in promoting federal nutrition programs. To learn more about grant opportunities available through the USDA, visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/grants.htm.
For more information about NLC’s efforts to help city leaders connect residents to federal nutrition programs and other public benefits, visit www.nlc.org/iyef or contact Laura McComas at (202) 626-3056 or mccomas@nlc.org.
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