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Q&A
Discussion on rising food costs, SNAP benefits, and NYC's enrollment rate
1:31:46
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Council Member Ayala and Scott French from HRA discuss rising food costs, potential cuts to SNAP benefits, and New York City's high SNAP enrollment rate. French expresses concerns about proposed cuts to SNAP and highlights NYC's success in SNAP enrollment.
- Potential $230 billion in cuts to SNAP over ten years discussed
- NYC's SNAP enrollment rate of 94.9% highlighted as highest ever
- Collaboration with NYC benefit partners for community-specific outreach mentioned
Diana Ayala
1:31:46
So the the so I want to talk a little bit about the food access and affordability issues.
1:31:51
So the cost of food has continued to rise across the country and many New Yorkers struggle to afford groceries.
1:31:56
How is the ESSA supporting New Yorkers facing this affordability crisis and what kind of outreach does the city do to ensure that New Yorkers are aware of the services and support that they may be eligible for?
Scott French
1:32:07
Certainly.
1:32:08
So we too are very concerned about rate the cost of food prices and how they're increasing.
1:32:13
We're equally concerned with parts of the House bill that not only would result in potentially $230,000,000,000 in cuts to snap over ten years, but also the proposal to do away with the Thrifty Food Plan, which is, you know, the a plan that really allows for SNAP benefits to be adjusted not just for cost of living adjustments, but also when food prices change, when dietary restrictions change, as well as preferences.
1:32:39
And all of those are very much at risk right now, which makes us extremely concerned.
1:32:46
I will say when it comes to access to SNAP though, New York City is really far and ahead of many other places around the country.
1:32:54
The USDA has a indicator called the program access indicator, which measures what percentage of individuals at or below 25 of the federal poverty level are accessing SNAP.
1:33:08
For 2023, which is the most recent data, New York City's rate was 94.9%, which is the highest we've ever had.
1:33:16
And it was well ahead of the states, which was 85% and the nation overall which was 80%.
1:33:22
So while there's always more we can do and we're always looking to identify ways in which there are communities we might not be reaching to the best of our abilities, I think it's also important to really highlight what amazing work New York City is doing.
1:33:35
That's not just the work of HRA, it's the work of the council, our community partners, and all of those.
1:33:40
So those are very much ways in which we, you know, we feel like we are doing well, but we continue to try to amplify, you know, those pieces, definitely utilizing also our partnerships with the 36 NYC benefit partners who really are within the communities in which they operate is where, you know, they serve and they are best attuned to really identify as well what might be specific outreach activities that would resonate best in that community.
1:34:08
And so we rely and partner with them quite a bit as well.