NYS Trend Report
[Go to the Report]
RELEASE DATE: December 18, 2003
CONTACT: Cathy Roberts
Nutrition Consortium of NYS
(518) 436-8757, ext. 12
Localities in New York lose more than $1 billion per
year in federal food stamp revenues.
Counties across New York State are missing out on
millions of dollars in federal revenues due to underutilization
of the Food Stamp Program, according to a new report released by
the Nutrition Consortium of NYS.
The Consortium’s report, entitled “Don’t
Lose Out! Make Your County Stronger with the Federal Food Stamp
Program,” provides a county-by-county analysis of food stamp
participation from January 1995, a year before welfare reform was
enacted, through September 2003.
Using a conservative approach based on 2000 Census
data, the report estimates how many eligible individuals are not
receiving food stamps, notes that food stamp benefits are 100% federally
funded and assesses the financial loss to each county due to program
underutilization. According to the report, New York State as a whole
loses as much as $1.5 billion annually in unclaimed federal food
stamp revenues. The Consortium projects that each county outside
of New York City loses an average of $7.8 million dollars each year;
the annual loss to New York City is estimated at just over $1 billion
dollars.
The report offers suggestions on how counties can
maximize participation by eligible low-income households. Among
the Consortium’s recommendations:
- counties should use all available waivers to help working people,
the elderly and others with health problems or difficulties in
securing transportation, child care arrangements or other issues,
to apply for food stamps without a making a special trip to the
local district office;
- local caseworker staff should be thoroughly trained in eligibility
rules and kept abreast of policy changes, so that all the new
rules which make it easier to apply and to keep participating
in the food stamp program are followed;
- counties themselves should be encouraging participation in the
food stamp program through publicity about the new rules and supportive
local policies;
- the area waivers and individual exemptions for jobless adults
should be used for all adults who cannot find full-time work;
- All stakeholders, including members of the general public, children
of elderly parents on fixed incomes and local food merchants,
should recognize the value of participation by all eligible persons
in the food stamp program and publicize and support the program.
“We hope that this report will help local counties
recognize the importance and role of the Food Stamp Program,”
said Edie Mesick, the Consortium’s Executive Director. “We
know that it serves as an essential nutrition assistance program
to low-income families. But the Food Stamp Program also provides
a direct economic benefit to communities throughout New York State.
When more eligible people receive food stamps and use them at local
food retail stores and farmers markets, the infusion of federal
food stamp dollars boosts local economies and creates jobs. In fact,
the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that
each $1 spent in food stamp benefits generates about $1.84 in economic
activity.”
Russell Sykes, Vice President at SCAA and Chairperson
of the Consortium’s Board of Directors, cited an additional
function of the Food Stamp Program: “Just like the Earned
Income Tax Credit (EITC) and health insurance, the Food Stamp Program
serves as an important income supplement program for low-income
households, including those working families struggling to maintain
self-sufficiency. Food Stamp benefits are an important component
contributing to the state’s welfare to work effort.”
“The Food Stamp Program helps about 1.5 million
low-income New Yorkers put food on the table for their families
each month,” said Cathy Roberts, Food Stamp Specialist with
the Consortium. “The program also benefits local economies.
When eligible people don’t participate, though, families go
needlessly hungry, and localities lose out on federal revenues they
could otherwise receive.”
To obtain a printed copy of the Consortium’s
report or for this food stamp participation data for a specific
county call the Nutrition Consortium at (518) 436-8757, ext. 12.
Food Stamp
Trend Report
The following documents are MS Word
documents.
Food Stamps Trend Report
Summary Charts by County
The following documents are Adobe
Acrobat PDF files.
The following documents are MS Word
documents.
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