Making the Case: States Must Close the Senior SNAP Gap

Home > Blog Posts > Making the Case: States Must Close the Senior SNAP Gap

Making the Case: States Must Close the Senior SNAP Gap

By Susan Beaudoin, Senior Program Manager, WIC & Root Causes

Program Manager, Root Causes and Specific Populations

April 12, 2019

Across the country, millions of older Americans struggle against hunger. These seniors experience a range of challenges — they include running out of food, or having to choose between buying food and purchasing medicine or choose between food and rent — that can lead to poor health and nutritional outcomes.

As people age, they should be able to look forward to living healthy, happy, and hunger-free lives, not lives burdened by food insecurity. Fortunately, solutions are available for addressing senior hunger, and one of the most effective solutions is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

SNAP is a vital resource for combatting hunger and improving nutrition, health, and economic security. Even as overall SNAP participation has decreased in recent years, seniors have continued to show that SNAP matters to them: between fiscal years 2013 and 2017, SNAP participation among households with seniors increased by approximately 25 percent.

These gains are cause for celebration, but more work needs to be done.

Around the nation, millions — nearly 3 in 5 — of eligible seniors aren’t accessing SNAP and its wide range of benefits. Why? Many SNAP-eligible seniors aren’t aware of the program, may feel stigma about receiving food assistance, or have difficulty navigating the application process.

As reflected in FRAC’s new interactive data tools, launched in collaboration with AARP Foundation, more needs to be done in every state to connect additional eligible seniors to SNAP. In 15 states and the District of Columbia, the rates of SNAP participation among eligible seniors were higher statistically than the national rate of 42 percent, while 25 states had rates that were lower statistically than the national rate. The data demonstrate that while participation rates among eligible seniors vary across the country, all states have substantial room to grow senior SNAP participation.

What can be done to boost senior SNAP participation? States, localities, health care providers, social service agencies, and nonprofit organizations can work to close the senior SNAP participation gap by adopting and promoting available best practices to reach more seniors with information about the availability and benefits of SNAP.

Use FRAC’s new interactive tools to begin to take action to ensure that more food-insecure seniors in your state are able to put food on the table with SNAP.

Tags: Hunger, Senior Hunger, SNAP

Learn From Our Research On Ending Hunger In America

FRAC Plan of Action to End Hunger in America

Recent Articles

Nov 21, 2024

Sydney Lawson, D.C. Hunger Solutions AmeriCorps Vista Fellow

Enhancing Food Access for Washington, D.C.’s Homeless With an Improved SNAP System

In the District of Columbia, homelessness and food insecurity form a difficult intersection, where finding reliable, nutritious meals is a daily challenge. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a crucial resource in reducing food insecurity across communities, but for those without stable housing, SNAP’s impact is limited.

Nov 08, 2024

Kelsey Boone, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst

All States Must Adopt Summer EBT to Address Childhood Summer Hunger

Summer 2024 marked the inaugural year of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer Program (Summer EBT). The program, also known as SUN Bucks, provides families with $120 in grocery benefits for each school-age child who is eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. A total of 37 states, two Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), and all five U.S. territories participated in the first year of implementation.

Oct 23, 2024

Kelsey Boone, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst

Afterschool Suppers and Snacks Critical to Combating Childhood Hunger

This week, the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) released its annual  Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation — October 2023 report, which looks at participation in afterschool suppers and afterschool snacks on the state and national levels. The report comes ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Afterschool Alliance’s annual Lights On Afterschool celebration on October 24, which will shine a light on the important role afterschool programs play in supporting families and communities.

All Blogs

FRAC Chat