SNAP AND THE ELDERLY

A growing number of seniors are at risk for food insecurity. They are struggling to have enough resources to pay for food, which often leads to them to choose lower quality, less expensive food. Unfortunately, only 35.1% of eligible seniors participate in SNAP. Studies suggest that these low SNAP participation rates are due to lack of awareness about eligibility, stigma associated with receiving benefits, low average benefit levels, high costs in navigating the application process (e.g., difficulty getting to application sites), and less need for SNAP than other groups. A new report outlines the problems and potential solutions.

Source: National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, 3/6/15, SNAP and Seniors