Monterey, CA Food Stamp Assistance (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Reliance Is Dropping

View From  Nonprofit Serving Senior Citizens In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

There has been a wide debate about how fast the economy is growing.  However, the latest government data shows that reliance on food stamps is waning, which is a good thing.  May 2014 data shows that there were 47.8 million food stamp recipients (now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP), down 1.6 million from the record of 47.8 million in December of 2012 (15.3% of the population, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture).  To qualify, you need to make 130% of the federal poverty level or less, $23,492 for a family of four.  To calculate income, you are allowed to deduct things like medical expenses for elderly family members and above average rent.  Although things are moving in the right direction, the bad news is that, looking at history, the numbers are still high. 14.8% of the population is now on SNAP versus a range of 8-11% before the financial crisis hit.  Hopefully we can get back to those levels.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.