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Participation
of the Latino/Hispanic Population in the Food Stamp Program
Safdar
Muhammad, Fisseha Tegegne and Enefiok Ekanem
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research
Seminar Series
Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
November 18, 2004
The
Latino/Hispanic population in the U.S. generally and the southern region
particularly is growing rapidly, but is characterized by high poverty
rate and poor living standards, especially among those with children. A
large number of Hispanics are living below the poverty level, which is
about two times more than the total U.S. population. The above
characteristics indicate their need for public assistance and raise
concerns about the impact of rapidly growing population on the Food
Stamp Program (FSP). The goal of this study is to acquire an
understanding of the dynamics of the Latino/Hispanic population’s
participation in the FSP. The state administrative data (county level
and monthly) for food stamp participation in TN and primary survey was
used for this study. Preliminary results show that about 45% of the
total Hispanic participation in the FSP in TN is located in three large
metropolitan counties. There is a 32% increase in Hispanic participation
in the FSP between Jan. 2003 and Dec. 2004, compared to only 11.12% for
the total population. The total number of Hispanic households receiving
food stamp also increased by 37% during the same period. The study also
indicates that improving services and providing staff with Spanish
language skills at the local food stamp office will help increase FSP
participation of the Hispanic population. The results will help
researchers and state public food assistance administrators to design
programs and policies to meet the needs of the rapidly growing
Latino/Hispanic population.
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