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The Food Card Access Project

• Nearly 400,000 people in New York City, many of them children, face the threat of hunger each week.
• Use of local food pantries and soup kitchens is at an all-time high.
• Each month, thousands of working poor families in our City choose between paying bills and putting food on the table.

Yet, statistics show that up to 700,000 New Yorkers are eligible, but do not participate in the USDA Food Stamp (also known as the Food Card) Program. Designed to ensure low-income people can afford nutritious food, Food Stamps are a significant tool for helping working families stretch their budgets.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

United Way takes a strategic approach to fighting critical issues in our City. Through our Building Economic Independence Action Area, we help working poor families in NYC get connected to resources that will allow them to lead more financially stable and independent lives. For example, to deal with the growing issue of hunger, rather than fund more soup kitchens or food pantries, we go to the root of the problem and try to prevent hunger before it happens.

In June 2003, United Way of New York City joined with community partners from the nonprofit, private and government sectors to launch the Food Card Access Project. The goal of this project is to facilitate and improve New York City residents' access to Food Stamps and ultimately to enhance the lives and economic self-sufficiency of low-income individuals, families, and communities.

Taking a Model Program to Scale

Since the Human Resources Administration (HRA) is the only agency authorized to enroll individuals for Food Stamps, United Way's efforts focus on raising public awareness about the availability of the Food Card, and preparing individuals for the application process.

FoodChange, a community-based organization, had a successful Food Card outreach model program but lacked the resources and relationships to take it to a larger scale. United Way was able to support it with enough resources and expertise to expand it to seven neighborhoods identified as having the greatest need. Today, we work closely with FoodChange to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of our efforts.

Grassroots Approach with a Hi-Tech Edge

Outreach workers from seven participating community-based organizations set up information tables at community sites (such as grocery stores, soup kitchens and senior centers) and are equipped with laptops loaded with a specially developed software tool, the Food Stamp Calculator. The Food Stamp Calculator allows outreach workers to help families quickly determine potential eligibility and assist them through the application process. The software also provides timely reminders to ensure that outreach workers perform the necessary follow-up to ensure that families get to their HRA appointment, overcome any barriers, and receive the benefits to which they are entitled.

Getting Help to Those Who Need it Most

Our project is successfully serving hard-to-reach groups eligible, but too often, not enrolled in the Food Stamp program: the working poor, the elderly and immigrants.

• 43% of enrolled FCAP client households are working/receiving an earned income, compared to approximately 27% of New York State cases.
• 63% of client households screened and eligible for Food Stamps are non-English speakers.
• 29% of client households screened and eligible for Food Stamps are elderly or disabled.

Click here to learn more about eligibility requirements. Or, to see if you qualify, call 1-866-FOOD-NYC.

Delivering Results

• As of March 2007, over 77,000 people have received Food Stamps as a result of United Way's Food Card Access Project, bringing over $138 million into the local economy.*
• We have provided detailed information about the Food Card in six different languages to over 330,000 New Yorkers in targeted neighborhoods. We have prescreened over 50,000 potentially eligible individuals.
• United Way funds and manages the development of a cutting edge software program "The Food Stamp Calculator" that outreach workers use to determine eligibility on-the-spot for individuals. The software includes a sophisticated data analysis tool that allows us to track results.
• Working closely with the HRA and other community and government stakeholders, United Way helped lead efforts to reduce the Food Stamp application form from 16 pages to 4 pages.
• Since January 2003, United Way has leveraged $6.1 million in private funding with $2.75 million from the federal government, which flows through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, to operate the Food Card Access Project in New York City.

Our Partners in the Food Card Access Project  We rely on the expertise and support of many organizations to ensure the effectiveness of the Food Card Access Project: City-wide and Other Partners United Way of New York City FoodChange JPMorgan Chase Foundation NYC Coalition Against Hunger NYC Human Resources Administration New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Seedco Urban Justice Center Community-based Partners Through a combination of management support, program development, funding and technical assistance, we strengthen the capacity of these organizations to deliver services involved in the Food Card Access Project: Chinese-American Planning Council Citizens Advice Bureau Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement Partnership for the Homeless, Family Resource Center Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council Seaman's Society for Children and Families Sunnyside Community Services

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