SNAP Enrollment Assistance - North Texas Food Bank
Locations
- North Texas Food Bank, Texas
Focus Area
- Health
With access to food and food resources, neighbors can thrive! It's hard to work, be a good parent, or be healthy if you don’t have regular consistent access to healthy food. And while the process is tedious, we know our work helping to enroll in SNAP can help. We want it to be better and easier for our neighbors.
The Issue
Food insecurity poses significant challenges to health and educational outcomes for low-income families. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation's foundational hunger assistance program. Despite the vital role of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in addressing food insecurity, barriers such as lack of awareness, complicated application processes, and stigma prevent many eligible individuals from enrolling. In 2018, only 82% of eligible individuals for SNAP benefits actually participated in the program, leaving millions without access to essential food assistance.
This problem is particularly urgent in Texas, where almost 5 million Texans experienced food insecurity over the prior year. Despite such a high number of food insecure individuals, Texas has a disproportionately low utilization rate of SNAP.
The Intervention
The mission of the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is to close the hunger gap in North Texas by providing access to nutritious food. Last year, NTFB served 80,000+ unduplicated households through their food distribution affiliates. Of those clients, almost 25,000 participate in SNAP, many through the help of NTFB’s SNAP Enrollment Assistance program. This initiative provides personalized support to guide individuals through the application process, ensuring they receive the benefits they are entitled to. By simplifying access to SNAP, NTFB aims to alleviate food insecurity and improve the overall well-being and economic stability of families in North Texas. To address low utilization of SNAP, NTFB has developed a text message reminder system to encourage enrollment and recertification.
Research Question
Do individuals applying for SNAP with assistance from the North Texas Food Bank team have an improved SNAP enrollment rate if they receive text message reminders to submit pended items?
Intended Outcomes
Individuals receiving the text message reminders to complete SNAP enrollment will see a higher rate of approval for SNAP than those not receiving the text message reminders.
Research Study Design
LEO seeks to use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design to evaluate the impact of text message reminders on SNAP enrollment. Individuals will enroll in the study by applying for SNAP through NTFB; once they apply for SNAP, they will then be randomized.
NTFB staff will randomize these individuals into the treatment and control groups.
Individuals and families who are placed in the treatment group will receive three text messages reminding them to submit missing SNAP application documents. These messages will be sent 48-hours, 72-hours, and 5 days after they submit their application. Those assigned to the control group will not receive any text messages.