Over 50000 Additional New Yorkers Receiving Food Stamps Following Innovative Outreach Campaign

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 2:20 pm

City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Human Resources Administration (HRA) Commissioner Robert Doar, Food Policy Coordinator Benjamin Thomases and nutrition advocates today announced that one year later over 50000 additional New Yorkers are now receiving food stamps, following the Medicaid/Food Stamp data match conducted by the City Council and HRA since the summer of 2008. The data match, an initiative announced by Speaker Quinn in her 2008 State of the City address, identified households throughout all five boroughs that would likely qualify for food stamps but were not enrolled. HRA completed the data match in June 2008 and mailed letters to these households beginning in July 2008. Households received a letter explaining that due to their enrollment in the Medicaid or Family Health Plus program, they may be eligible for the Food Stamp Program as well. The eligibility requirements for Medicaid and food stamp enrollment have similar criteria. In addition to the letter, households received a brochure detailing the Food Stamp Program and providing information on the application process. HRA, City Council staff and community partners provided targeted outreach after letters were sent. Final results show that 66939 people in New York City who were targeted by the data match applied for food stamps in the last year. 51100 of them nearly 76% of those who applied received a food stamp benefit. This means that in one month as much as $15 million in additional federal food ...

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