USCM Finds Need Up

During the last year, requests for emergency food assistance increased in 100 percent of cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM). In "Hunger and Homelessness 2002," USCM reported that, across the cities, requests increased an average of 19 percent. USCM collected the data for the period November 1, 2001 through October 31, 2002. The annual survey, released on December 18th, also documented increased needs among families with children and elderly persons as well as insufficient resources to fully meet needs in many cities.

Action Urgently Needed To Address Hunger

The USCM report underscores the urgency of action to address hunger. City officials made a number of recommendations of policies the federal government could do to help alleviate hunger. These included: increased benefit levels and participation rates in the Food Stamp Program; raise the minimum wage to a living wage; and enact policies to create more jobs and increase household incomes.

Other groups recently calling for greater government response to hunger have included the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), the Child Nutrition Forum, and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL). These all have asked the President and Congress to provide an additional $1 billion annually for targeted improvements in federal Child Nutrition Programs.

FRAC and NBCSL also have called on states to fully implement options in the Food Stamp Program for simpler application and reporting procedures, to support food stamp outreach, and to enroll legal immigrants newly eligible in 2003. Greater utilization of federal nutrition resources can help boost local economies: each $5 of new federally financed food stamp benefits generates an estimated $10 in economic activity.

Requests for Assistance City by City

USCM documented emergency food request increases in the following survey cities: Kansas City (52 percent); Miami (49 percent); Chicago and Salt Lake City (28 percent); Los Angeles and St. Paul (25 percent); Boston and Washington, D.C. (24 percent); Charlotte (22 percent); Norfolk, Phoenix, and San Antonio (20 percent); Philadelphia (19 percent); Trenton (16 percent); St. Louis (15 percent); Cleveland (14 percent); Providence (12 percent); Portland (11 percent); Denver, Nashville and New Orleans (10 percent); Burlington (6 percent); Louisville and Seattle (5 percent); Charleston (3 percent);

Profile of Those Needing Assistance

The number of families with children requesting emergency food assistance increased in 100 percent of the survey cities. The average increase for families with children requesting emergency assistance was 17 percent. Across survey cities, 48 percent of those requesting emergency food assistance were either children or their parents. Survey cities report 38 percent of adults requesting emergency food assistance were employed.The number of elderly persons requesting emergency food assistance increased in 92 percent of survey cities. Across the cities, requests for emergency food assistance by elderly persons increased by an average of 19 percent.

While not all providers report on clients' immigration status, cities that cited emergency food needs among immigrant populations included Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Louisville, Portland, Providence, and Seattle.

Emergency Providers

During the last year the number of emergency food assistance facilities increased in 40 percent of the survey cities. Overall, the level of resources, such as food and/or volunteers available to emergency food assistance facilities, is estimated to have increased by 18 percent in cities reporting increases. Resource levels, however, declined in 52 percent of cities. All cities reported that emergency food assistance facilities were used both for emergencies and as a steady source of food over long periods of time.

Exemplary Programs

The survey identified exemplary programs that respond to problems of hunger. These include universal school breakfast and afterschool feeding programs in Boston; web-based prescreening for food stamp benefits in Chicago (supported by a USDA grant to the statewide Illinois Hunger Coalition); and the Summer Food Service Program in Kansas City.

Unmet Needs

Despite many successes in boosting resources, gaps in assistance remain. An average of 16 percent of the demand for emergency food assistance is estimated to have gone unmet in survey cities during the last year. Unmet need numbers were highest in St. Louis (45 percent); Louisville (25 percent); and Miami, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City (20 percent).

Thirty-two percent of the cities report that emergency food assistance facilities may have to turn away people in need because of lack of resources. Fifty-two percent of cities said emergency food assistance programs are not able to provide an adequate quantity of food. Sixty-four percent of the survey cities report that emergency food assistance facilities have had to decrease the quantity of food provided and/or the number of times families or individuals can come to get food. Sixty-four percent of the survey cities reported that the food provided is nutritionally balanced.

Causes and Outlook

The leading causes of hunger cited in order of frequency by survey cities are high housing costs, low-paying jobs, unemployment and other employment-related problems, economic downturn or weakening of the economy; medical or health costs, homelessness, poverty or lack of income, substance abuse, reduced public benefits, child care costs, mental health problems, and limited life skills.

Officials in 100 percent of the responding cities expect requests for emergency food assistance to increase during 2003. They unanimously agree that the nation's weak economy will continue to have a negative impact on the problems of hunger and homelessness.

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Source: U.S. Conference of Mayors, "Hunger and Homelessness 2002, 12/18/02.
Prepared by Food Research and Action Center, 1875 Conn. Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20009; 202-986-2200; www.frac.org.