Making the news across Michigan this past week has been the efforts in the Michigan House and Senate to require the state Department of Human Services (DHS) to distribute food stamps twice per month instead of once. The article in the Holland Sentinel (March 10, 2008 – see link below) explains well the two primary reasons this change is being promoted, namely to encourage food stamp recipients to spread their food spending out more evenly throughout the month and thereby purchase fresher and healthier products, and to help grocery stores better predict demand (which is currently heavily weighted during the first week of the month when food assistance benefits are distributed state-wide). If the bill becomes law, as appears likely, Michigan will become the first state in the country to institute this change.
First, on a parenthetical note, food stamps in the form of actual stamps have not existed for some time now. Michigan, like most states, instead issues EBT (electronic benefits transfer) cards to eligible food assistance recipients. This card, used like a debit card, allows families to shop and pay for their purchases without the stigma of using cumbersome “stamps” that looked like play money and drew unwanted attention from others. The problem however, albeit small, is that no one has come up with a suitable replacement name for "food stamps." "Food Assistance" seems to be the best name suggested so far, but it sounds more like a descriptor than a program title and is confusing to those of us who provide other forms of food assistance.
The change to twice per month benefit allotments should indeed help families budget their assistance funds more evenly throughout the month. The person who shops with their assistance funds typically only once per month would have a difficult time buying fresh products and making those last beyond a week or so. Still, the program change has the feel of the state micro-managing people’s lives, but I don’t believe that is the intent of the bill sponsors. To me, using this change to “encourage” shopping practices that will result in improved nutritional intake while also helping the small inner-city grocer better manage their inventory outweigh arguments made against the change.
Under the current system incidentally, while some grocers experience a rush of demand during the first week of each month when EBT funds are distributed, CAH food pantries experience their greatest demand during the last week of the month when we commonly hear that "the food stamps ran out.” We too would welcome a leveling out of our pantry activity and inventory throughout the month.
While the state is right to be giving this issue consideration, I agree fully with one advocate interviewed for the AP article in the Sentinel who stated that the more important issue is that increases made to food assistance allotments over the years have not kept pace with inflation. The great majority of families receiving DHS food assistance simply do not receive a sufficient amount to meet their essential food needs for the entire month, even when factoring in available income. Families must routinely supplement these funds with other funds (money that is needed for rent, medications, etc) or resources (food pantries). Making sure families have access to the resources needed to meet their most basic needs should be at the top of the list of issues needing attention by state and national lawmakers. Nationally, the food stamp/assistance program is funded through the Farm Bill, the near-final version of which is being debated currently in the congressional conference committee. The current version on the table at present does, fortunately, include modest increases to the program, but I predict we will find when the final bill is passed and signed by the president that it will still be lacking in the eyes of our poorest neighbors who have litte choice but to rely on this vital safety net program.
What are your thoughts on the Michigan food stamp bill? Feel free to post a comment using the comment link below.
(Link to Holland Sentinel article: http://hollandsentinel.com/stories/031008/local_20080310003.shtml )
Mark Kornelis
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2 comments:
Mark, I loved your take on this, some good food for thought (excuse the pun). Apart from the law changes what is happening on a local level to equip those in poverty with better habits and understanding of budgeting and their continual reliance on the system?
Thanks for the comment. There is actually quite a lot available with respect to helping persons with economic struggles to budget and spend more wisely. The difficulty is getting information about the availabity of such services and programs to those in need of them. When someone requests food assistance at Community Action House, our assessment will explore their budget and caseworkers are likely to point out options for saving on standard expenses, reducing expenses, etc. We've also begun offering classes on healthy meal planning, smart food shopping, gardening, etc, along with many other life skills subjects as part of our Super Tuesday program. Incidentally, the matter of families or individuals relying on food stamps and cash assistance indefinetly is much less of a widespread problem than in the past. With the Clinton era "welfare reform" legislation, the welfare system disallows long-term use in most instances, other than for those with very low, typically fixed incomes, such as persons on disability.
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