Once Stigmatized, Food Stamps Find Acceptance
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Patrons line up grocery carts to wait for the opening of a food pantry in Harlem. Since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office, city food stamp rolls have doubled.
More Photos >
A decade ago, New York City officials were so reluctant to give out food stamps, they made people register one day and return the next just to get an application. The welfare commissioner said the program caused dependency and the poor were “better off” without it.
Now the city urges the needy to seek aid (in languages from Albanian to Yiddish). Neighborhood groups recruit clients at churches and grocery stores, with materials that all but proclaim a civic duty to apply — to “help New York farmers, grocers, and businesses.” There is even a program on Rikers Island to enroll inmates leaving the jail.
“Applying for food stamps is easier than ever,” city posters say.
No comments:
Post a Comment