Food stamp use on the rise 'Welfare' stigma remains
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By Robin Palmer Times Argus Staff - Published: February 7, 2005
Anna grew up on welfare. As an adult, she never wanted the state assistance for herself.
But when this 37-year-old Berlin resident, who prefers not to have her real name published, lost her job at Cabot Hosiery in Northfield last year, she found herself in need. She was five months pregnant when her employer of 17 years downsized with the downturn in the economy, she says.
Following the birth of her son, she sought health insurance from Dr. Dynasaur last June, and signed up for other assistance, including food stamps.
"I didn't want to be there. 'I don't want to have to be doing this. I worked my whole life,'" Anna says she told the state workers.
With only a high school education and unable to work nights because of her baby, Anna had little choice when it came to accepting state help.
She's not alone.
The downturn in the economy, coupled with educational outreach and rules changes, has increased Food Stamp Program participation in Vermont, says Reneé Richardson, Vermont food and nutrition program chief.
Food Stamp Program participation in Vermont is up more than 13 percent so far this fiscal year, which began in July, and was up 8.1 percent last year over the previous year, says Richardson, who is with the Children and Families' Economic Services Division within the Vermont Agency of Human Services.
Vermont is not the only state to see increases. Each state in the nation, except Hawaii, has seen numbers of food stamp recipients rise. Since 2000, the number of Americans on foods stamps has increased 39 percent, following a seven-year decline.
Richardson, and food stamp sponsor the U.S. Department of Agriculture, want to see the numbers climb even more. "Food Stamps Make America Strong" and "Eat Right When Money's Tight" are USDA slogans adorning Richardson's Waterbury office walls.
Richardson estimates about two-thirds of Vermonters who qualify for food stamps take advantage of the program – a large percentage compared to most other states. In 2001, about 39,066 Vermonters were on food stamps. Last year, an average 42,233 Vermonters, or 21,122 households, collected a total $39,583,935 in federal food stamp aid.
This year the number of people receiving aid is over 44,000 on average on any given day. "But that doesn't mean we can't do better," says Richardson.
"Food stamps is a huge part of the safety net. It's the first line of defense against hunger," Richardson says.
Richardson argues that food stamp usage strengthens the economy, kids do better in school when they're well-fed and with that education have a better chance for success later in life. And food stamps bring money into the economy.
"What people don't often realize is there's a multiplier effect in the economy for food stamp use," she says.
For each dollar the federal government spends on food stamps, another 84 cents is generated through, for example, a grocery store being able to add an employee and that employee then spending his or her earnings, or through the food stamp recipients having more income to use on other services.
According to Richardson, that multiplier means that the $39.5 million in federal food stamp aid in 2004 resulted in $72.8 million coming into Vermont's economy. And the federal government is putting no limit on how much money states give out in food stamps.
Funding amounts per household are based on a formula and applicants must meet a set of income and asset criteria to qualify, however.
For those who do qualify, the average monthly food stamp household benefit is $160 a month. The money is credited to a card that resembles, and is used just like, a credit card or ATM debit card. The state, and nation, did away with actual food coupons in 1998.
Food stamps can only be used on food, and some foods, such as hot prepared meals, are excluded.
Food stamp deposits can also be made right into bank accounts for seniors over age 65 and disabled people who qualify. The average benefit for a Vermont senior living alone is $77 a month. The money is intended for food purchases but can be used for anything, Richardson says.
According to data from the Food Stamp Program, single-person households make up 52 percent of the state's case load, and 71 percent of households are just one or two persons. About 27 percent are households where the recipients are earning an income, or working.
"We are reaching more people who are earners, who have an income," Richardson notes.
More women participate than men. Thirty-nine percent of participants are children. And 13 percent are age 60 or older.
"We're really struggling to reach the elderly population," says Richardson, who estimates that only a third of eligible elderly apply. "We do not have a good saturation rate on the elderly," she says. She thinks that's because seniors are hesitant to receive state aid. "A lot of elderly folks went through the Depression and they're accustomed to surviving on their own."
Other segments of the population the state would like to reach are more workers and immigrants.
In the early- to mid-1990s numbers of participants were even higher than today. Welfare reform then caused numbers to plummet in the late 1990s because many who got off welfare thought they were no longer eligible for food stamps.
Rules changes and the poor economy are not the only reasons numbers are climbing again. Community agencies are working hard to reach potential food stamp recipients, says Richardson and Food and Nutrition Program Coordinator Mary Carlson. A federal grant also recently paid for the creation of a Web site on the Food Stamp Program, www.vermontfoodhelp.com.
At Central Vermont Community Action Council, headquartered in Barre, public service announcements, posters and personal communication are used to tell folks about the food stamp benefit, says David Lester, CVCAC family and community supports services grants manager.
"We're what we like to refer to as a gateway. They come in here because of the increase of fuel (costs), which means gasoline and heating fuel. They come in because they are on a fixed income (such as) disability or some type of social security. We've got the working poor. We've got people who are working 25 or 30 hours on minimum wage," Lester says. "People can be employed, but they can't maintain their household on what they're earning."
Lester also sees people like Anna who have lost their jobs. When Bombardier in Barre closed, he had people who used to give to the agency now asking for its help, he says.
He also sees people who have been injured and can no longer work.
"Unless you're put in that situation, you don't realize how close you are to poverty," Carlson says.
"I kind of feel I took a step back in life," says Anna, calling using food stamps embarrassing, especially at grocery store check-out lines. "It's got quite a bit of stigmatism to it. You don't want to tell people."
But while Anna worries other customers are staring at her food stamp card in the grocery store line, Jim Harrison, president of the Vermont Grocers' Association in Rutland, says he thinks other customers are none-the-wiser.
"The card really is no different than any type of payment," Harrison says, praising the electronic card over the former paper coupons. "From most retailers' perspectives, the switch to the electronic process is smoother and perhaps takes away some of the stigma … . It's really no different than any other ATM card out there."
Still, Anna says she's working hard to get off the program.
She's taking classes, hoping to earn a college degree in computer analysis, and is volunteering at a local community action agency to help repay some of the living expenses the state awards her.
"I was raised on welfare. I want to be on this for the least amount of time as possible by getting an education, getting a job and getting off it," she says.
Despite any concern about stigma, Food Stamps help Anna survive in her current situation. She receives $240 a month from the food stamp program to feed herself and her young son, who has a fervor for vegetables and little else, she says. "That generally covers the month," says Anna of the food stamp allotment. "If I didn't have them we wouldn't be eating anything but (less expensive) bread and pastas."
Contact Robin Palmer at robin.palmer@timesargus.com or 479-0191, ext. 1171.
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