The nation's largest nutrition program has undergone significant changes in recent years. Since the onset of the pandemic, Pennsylvania has expanded eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the federal government has increased payments. Despite steady population growth in the state and record unemployment nationally, SNAP participation has reached an all-time high with two million residents benefiting.
The key question is why SNAP participation has increased, even with recent measures and the economic backdrop. Local advocates, such as Colleen Young, director of government affairs for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, argue that food insecurity remains a critical problem, and current efforts are not enough to address it.
"We continue to see those numbers go higher and higher," she said. "That simply indicates that the amount of money people are receiving through their benefits is not enough."
A recent report by the Independent Fiscal Office has shed light on Pennsylvania's record SNAP participation since the start of the pandemic. The report suggests that several policy changes at the state and federal levels may have contributed significantly to this increase.
One of the most recent policy changes, mentioned in the report, took place in 2023, when the state announced greater flexibility in SNAP requirements to include more college students, as long as they were enrolled in a qualified employment and training program.
Since November 2019, the number of SNAP recipients has seen a 16% increase, and the average monthly benefit has increased by 52% , the report reveals. In 2022, Pennsylvania also raised the income threshold for SNAP from 165% of the federal poverty income guidelines to 200%, making an additional 420,000 residents eligible for the program.
In the previous year, most SNAP households experienced a modest increase in their benefits when the USDA reevaluated the Thrifty Food Plan for FY 2022. This adjustment, based on the finding that the cost of a nutritious, practical, and cost-effective diet was 21% higher than the current plan, resulted in an increase of $12 to $16 per person per month.
Although SNAP benefits experienced an increase, rising from $119 in 2019 to $181 in 2023, Ms. Young notes that this amount still falls considerably short of what is needed for families to cover living costs. In addition, the average monthly benefit, which had exceeded $200 in the past two years thanks to SNAP emergency allotments, declined significantly when those additional payments were phased out.
It now averages around $6 per person per day, according to his statements. "Imagine trying to buy all the food for you or your family for $6 per person per day," he said. "Anyone who goes to the grocery store knows that the cost of food has continued to rise. Even though the rate of growth slowed in the last year, the overall cost of food has not slowed at all."
Some populations were hit harder than others. In particular, for seniors, the minimum monthly benefit increased during the pandemic to $281. When those pandemic-era benefits expired, the minimum benefit dropped to $23.
"Approximately 90 percent of the people who use SNAP are children, people with disabilities and seniors," he said. "These are people who are in the most vulnerable situations, have limited access to resources and really need this benefit to be able to afford food for themselves and their families."
Regarding the recent initiative in Pennsylvania to expand SNAP coverage to people below 200% of the federal poverty level, Ms. Young emphasizes that it is still a modest number. The monthly income limit is $2,430, equivalent to less than $30,000 a year.
The report also highlights that SNAP participation continued to rise even as unemployment declined, but this does not surprise Ms. Young. She argues that most people who use SNAP benefits and are able to work do so. Those who do not work while receiving SNAP are mostly children, seniors and people with disabilities, who would not be counted in the unemployment rate anyway.
Sally Ellwein, director of basic needs fulfillment at United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, highlights an often overlooked population: the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Restrained, Employed) population. These are people who work and earn more than the federal poverty line, but still struggle to cover basic expenses.
Ellwein believes the measures taken by the state and federal governments are steps in the right direction, but there is still work to be done. "I think raising the revenue limit was the right move," he said. "I think raising the benefit itself was the right move. We certainly could do more. And it's not just SNAP. It's the combination of all the other things that are going on right now, with stagnant wages, the loss of other benefits, like the child tax credit. All of these things contribute in some way to the struggle people are having to put food on the table."
Some groups, such as the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, advocate reforms to the Farm Bill, which Ms. Young considers the "number one piece of federal legislation" to address food insecurity. The previous Farm Bill expired last September, but federal lawmakers extended it for another year.
Among the proposed changes is tying the Thrifty Food Plan directly to inflation. "USDA could use its authority to periodically adjust the Thrifty Food Plan, so that as food costs continue to rise, or if they fall, that would also mean that the food plans would be adjusted downward," he said. "Congress must ensure that SNAP's purchasing power provides adequate resources to support families and that it aligns with grocery prices."
Ms. Young stresses that SNAP is 100% federally funded, so there is no direct cost to Pennsylvania. In fact, she maintains that it is a local economic engine. "For every dollar spent on SNAP, $1.50 to $1.80 is returned to the community," she said. "It's not just supporting households that are experiencing food insecurity, but because of the economic growth these funds generate, it's really benefiting the entire community."