Food stamps … bringing work into focus

Food and Nutrition, Summer, 1988

In an earlier interview in this magazine, Anna Kondratas, administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), assessed USDA's food assistance policies in these words"There is no doubt that our programs provide a nutritional safety net for low-income people, and spending on that net has expanded substantially since 1980."

But food programs, she noted, must be viewed in the context of the overall welfare system. And the growing consensus among both the general public and officials at every level of government is that such programs should encourage self-sufficiency and provide a ladder out of poverty. Welfare should help people help themselves.

Changes strengthen work requirements

The Food Stamp Program has had some form of work requirement since 1971, when able-bodied recipients between the ages of 18 and 60 were first required to register for work. Then, as now, mothers of young children were among those exempt from the requirement, as well as persons enrolled in other work and training programs.

Despite token compliance, registering alone did not put many people to work. To strengthen the work incentive, states were subsequently given the option of requiring nonexempt food stamp recipients to search for jobs.

In 1981, the law was again amended to authorize any political subdivision in any state to operate a workfare program. As of 1986, 40 states were requiring job search, and 17 sites with program jurisdictions were operating food stamp workfare programs.

In April 1987, states began implementing provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985, which calls for expanded efforts to help food stamp participants prepare for and obtain productive employment. The new rules require that every state have an employment and training program.

Federal grants and matching money have enabled states to plan and launch meaningful activities to help food stamp recipients move into regular employment. The law allows states broad discretion in shaping programs according to their available resources and the specific needs of their registrant pool.

Nationally, this "pool" represents about 10 percent of all food stamp recipients. As a group, it is distinct from those who participate in the work programs required under Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC).

Food stamp work registrants are predominantly young and male, with a high school education. They tend to have a work history and to receive food stamp assistance for relatively short periods. The new employment and training programs can be tailored to this group's special characteristics.

States are expected to provide basic, inexpensive services to as many eligible people as possible. Such services may be successful in moving the more employable recipients toward independence, and identify, in a way that a mere office visit cannot, those who need the extra help of more costly intervention.

Variety of services provided by states

Currently, all states have approved plans in place, but specific components vary.

The largest group of recipients are enrolled in "job search." This component requires individuals to independently contact employers in search of employment and may include job counseling and referrals.

Almost all states have included a job search component in their 1988 plans. These components will serve an estimated 920,000 participants.

As federal managers explain, this basic level of individual job search is already a significant notch above mere work registration. Regional food stamp staff who are reviewing the implementation of state employment and training programs have reported that sites visited had supportive, courteous, and enthusiastic staff. Some job counselors, they say, go beyond referrals to drum up possible positions.

Ron Pelissier, one of the reviewing staff in FNS' Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, says the focus is no longer on conforming to a rule having food stamp recipients register for work-but on actually putting them to work. In many cases, that means finding ways to deal with special circumstancessuch as poor work skills or a lack of child care that have made it difficult for recipients to take jobs.

He also notes that states that already had job search in effect before the employment and training requirements have gotten off to a faster start. Their task, he says, is to refine and refocus their programs.

Many states have job search training

To help participants find employment, 41 states have special training on job search. Through workshops, job clubs, and other activities, participants learn successful job hunting techniques. In 1988, nearly 285,000 people will be involved in this training.

Don Cundiff, chief of Food Stamp Program operations in the Southwest Regional Office, speaks favorably of this component.

"A primary value of this type of training is the structure it provides," he says. "Whether clients have been unemployed for 3 weeks, 3 months, or 3 years, the training definitely adds structure to their lives and their job search.

"This seems to be particularly true of the experienced workers who may have forgotten some of the skills required in seeking work." He adds that younger recipients, who may lack both work experience and skills, sometimes require more intensive intervention.