Published: Sunday, November 27, 2011
By Star-Ledger Staff
STATEWIDE— The number of New Jersey residents receiving food stamps has doubled in the past four years and is at its highest level in more than a decade as the nation’s still sputtering economy continues to take its toll on the poorest residents of the Garden State, state and federal data show.
As of September, the most recent data released by the state Department of Human Services, more than 400,000 households and nearly 822,000 people were enrolled in the food stamp program, meaning nearly one out of every 10 residents in New Jersey receives assistance.
Larena Reed a 49-year-old Newark resident, has been on food stamps since 2007. The former county worker, nurse and security officer now spends much of her time tending to her elderly mother, and although she doesn’t like being enrolled in the food stamp program, it’s become a necessity.
"All over the economy is so bad. We need these food stamps, there just isn’t enough money or jobs," Reed said Saturday while shopping at ShopRite in Hillside. "I don’t want welfare, (and) I can’t get unemployment anymore. We at least need food stamps to feed our family."
It’s a stark reminder that even one of the nation’s wealthiest states — New Jersey ranked number two in household income last year — is far from immune to the effects of the sustained economic slump.
And although there has been a slight dip in what has been a stark increase in food stamp recipients since 2008, state officials caution that it would be "presumptuous" to interpret the slightly lower increases as a sign of an improving economy. "We would have to see this sustained for several consecutive months to establish any verifiable trend," said Nicole Brossoie, a spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services.
New Jersey has seen large annual increases in food stamp participation rates each month since late 2008, according to the state data. The Department of Human Services releases monthly reports comparing the enrollment in the food stamp program with the same month in the previous year. Since November 2008, the number of households enrolled has grown by double digits year over year and peaked in March when the number of households receiving food stamps was 28.6 percent higher than it had been 12 months earlier. In July, the increase dropped to 18.2 percent before moving north once again to 19.4 percent in September.
Frank Pinto, director of the Morris County Department of Human Services, agreed that it’s far too early to draw conclusions.
"There seems to be signs of things picking up, but until there’s significant job creation in Morris County and throughout New Jersey, you are going to see a large increase in those seeking assistance," Pinto said.
A problem everywhere
Part of the growth in the food stamp program may be attributable to outreach efforts by the Department of Human Services. The agency has changed the income requirements for food stamps, making them available to more New Jersey residents, Brossoie said.
The state increased the income requirements from 130 percent above the federal poverty level to 185 percent in last year, meaning a family of four with an annual income of $41,364 is now eligible. The state has also streamlined the application process and launched a public awareness campaign over the past couple of years.
But it’s impossible to tell what impact a public awareness campaign had on enrollment rates, she added.
All of these moves could explain a portion of the increase, but the economy is still the main force, said Phyllis Tonnesen, management specialist at Morris County’s Office of Temporary Assistance.
"Everyone is dealing with the same thing — increases in caseloads — so this isn’t just New Jersey," she said.
Regardless, New Jersey still fairs better than many other states when it comes to residents seeking public assistance to put food on the table.
Despite growing economic hardship in the state, New Jersey ranks near the top in income and the bottom in poverty. The overall New Jersey poverty rate rose from 9.4 percent in 2009 to 10.3 percent in 2010. The Census poverty rates probably understate true poverty in New Jersey because the cost of living is higher here than in most parts of the country. The Census Bureau is in the process of revising the way it calculates poverty levels to take that into account.
In 2010, according to a separate report by the U.S. Census Bureau, 35 states had 10 percent or more of their population enrolled in the federal food stamp program.
The Census’ American Community Survey data, released earlier this month, show that an estimated 13.6 million American households reported receiving food stamp benefits last year — a 16 percent increase from 2009. In all, 45 states had increased food-stamp use.
"I think people are just desperate and looking for whatever’s going to put food on their tables," said Patricia Espy, executive director of the Center for Food Action in Englewood.
Still not enough
Espy said food stamps on average work out to $1.45 per meal, and for some, the benefit can be as little as $16 a month. She said she just spoke with a senior citizen who uses that $16 to buy three boxes of cereal and eats it for breakfast and dinner.
"For very few people, food stamps cover all of their food costs during the month and many of them find themselves at a soup kitchen or an emergency center like ours," Espy said.
Reed said she has learned how to work with her razor-thin budget. She said supermarkets will often mark up prices early in the month, when people receive their food stamps, before lowering them later in the month as people run out.
"When you’re on food stamps, you have to know how to shop and stretch your budget. You have to be a shopper and be smart," she said.
Cecilia Zalkind, executive director of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, sees some good in the fact that more people are using food stamps.
"It’s positive in that more families are accessing that assistance — it’s very important," she said. "But it also speaks to increased need. More families need it, more families are eligible, and that’s certainly a result of the economic downturn."
By Eric Sagara and Stephen Stirling/The Star-Ledger
Star-Ledger staff writer Jessica Calefati, and Jean Rimbach and Dave Sheingold
of The Record contributed to this story.
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