Food Stamp Outreach

Contact:
Sydelle Zove, Interim Food Stamp Campaign Manager
Coalition Against Hunger
215-430-0555
szove@hungercoalition.org

Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger Offers
Food Stamp Program Screening and Application Assistance

Background

After several studies noted a decline in local Food Stamp Program participation, the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger undertook a comprehensive food stamp screening and application assistance project. In 2000, the Coalition conducted an informal survey at Philadelphia-area food cupboards and determined that nearly half of the cupboards' clients were not receiving food stamps. Recognizing these statistics as a call to action, the Coalition hired a bilingual food stamp screener to work directly with the community and help individuals determine if they were eligible for food stamps and if so, provide application assistance.

This sole food stamp screener was the start of a major education, outreach, and advocacy initiative for the Coalition. In the fall of 2002 the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger was one of 19 organizations nationwide to receive a two-year research grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the grant was to determine the efficacy of using student and faith-based volunteers to screen low-income people for food stamp eligibility - estimating their benefits, explaining documentation needed to apply, helping fill out applications, and referring eligible people to the appropriate neighborhood County Assistance Office. During the grant period, over 8,000 people were screened for food stamps, of whom 75 percent appeared eligible.

Screening Process

Trained volunteers screen candidates for the Food Stamp Program in person at various sites around the city and via the telephone at 215-430-0556. During the grant period over 200 volunteers actively supported this initiative, screening and assisting eligible candidates throughout the entire application process. Using information about the household size and composition, income and basic expenses, screeners can preliminarily determine participant eligibility and estimate monthly benefits. From start to finish, the screening usually takes ten minutes. Below is a chart showing the income eligibility thresholds and the maximum monthly benefit available to families who qualify.

Gross Income Guidelines

Family Size

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Monthly Income Limit
48 States, DC, Guam, Virgin Islands

$1,107

$1,484

$1,861

$2,238

$2,615

$2,992

$3,369

$3,746

After determining eligibility, screeners provide prospective applicants with contact information for their County Assistance Office and a document checklist. The checklist delineates all necessary verifications the individual must present to complete the official application. Applications can be submitted for review in person, via mail, or online to the County Assistance Office. Most applicants must make their way into the County Assistance Office for an interview. Coalition staff are available to assist candidates during all phases of the application process through the Philadelphia Food Stamp Information Hotline at 215-430-0556.

Pennsylvania was one of the first states to offer an electronic application, COMPASS, for food stamps and other public benefits. Whenever possible, Coalition staff and volunteers assist eligible clients in submitting a food stamp application online through COMPASS at www.compass.state.pa.us to apply online.

Today's Food Stamp Enrollment Campaign

Although the Coalition's USDA-funded food stamp outreach grant ended two years ago, the Food Stamp Enrollment Campaign has hardly missed a beat; its outreach, screening and application assistance continue to move ahead at full speed. Since January 2003, Campaign volunteers and staff have screened over 15,000 households for food stamp eligibility, and 72% of those households qualified for the program.

Volunteers continue to provide this screening service at various sites in the community, and other clients receive similar information via our Food Stamp Hotline. Many have heard about the hotline through advertisements on the SEPTA public transit system, which generate more calls than any other referral source.

The Coalition has learned a tremendous amount since it began this work three years ago: which community sites are best for conducting outreach and screenings, the significance of an information hotline in outreach efforts, the value of screening experiences for college students enrolled in service-learning courses, and the importance of maintaining a client database. We also learned, to our disappointment, that outreach and screening are not always enough. Even when armed with information about their eligibility for significant benefits, clients still may not apply for food stamps, due in part to obstacles they face in the application process.

Reducing barriers to enrollment in the Food Stamp Program is a long and complex process, but one that will help the program function better and serve all those who are eligible for benefits. As the Coalition moves forward with the Campaign, it remains committed to working with partners to address these issues and to improving access to the program for eligible Philadelphians.

To learn more about the successes and challenges of the Food Stamp Enrollment Campaign, you can download a copy of Making Food Stamps Work, a report recently published by the Fox Leadership Program at the University of Pennsylvania.