Place, Poverty and Program Participation: Food Resource Access and Receipt of SNAP Assistance

• In Event: 1549 - The Reach and Consequences of Social Welfare Policy

Abstract

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a core element of the contemporary safety net, has expanded significantly over the past decade and reaches more than 44 million persons today. Although research has examined the role of structural economic change and policies expanding program eligibility as factors shaping SNAP participation, very little research has considered the relationship between spatial proximity to food resources and SNAP receipt. Drawing on survey data from the first two waves of the Michigan Recession and Recovery Study (MRRS) in metropolitan Detroit and unique information about the local food assistance resource environment in Detroit, we examine the relationship between spatial access to local SNAP administrative offices, food retailers, concentrations of SNAP recipients, and receipt of SNAP among a sample of poor, near-poor, and moderate-income households during the Great Recession. We find poor households and households receiving SNAP are closer to SNAP administrative offices, SNAP retailers, and other SNAP recipients than near-poor and moderate-income households and those not receiving SNAP. Even when accounting for other household factors shaping SNAP receipt, we find that greater spatial access to SNAP administrative offices, concentrations of SNAP recipients, and food retailers accepting SNAP is associated with a higher likelihood of receiving SNAP benefits. Apart from providing a pathway through which scholars might continue to explore how spatial context shapes program participation, our findings suggest that understanding the contours of the local food assistance resource environment may help policymakers improve enrollment in SNAP among eligible households and thereby reduce food insecurity among families in need.

Authors

• Scott W. Allard, University of Washington

• Maria V. Wathen, Loyola University-Chicago

• Sandra K. Danziger, University of Michigan