Thousands of Wyomingites leaving food assistance on table

CASPER — More than 31,000 potentially eligible households in Wyoming are not using food assistance benefits.

Some of the individuals refuse benefits because of the stigma, others simply find the application process too difficult to navigate. The data revealing this discrepancy comes from the 2024 SNAP Gap report produced by the Wyoming Community Foundation and the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a state-run federal program that provides funds for the purchase of food items. To be eligible for the program in Wyoming, an individual or household must make less than 130% of the federal poverty line.

“SNAP is an important tool to make sure our friends and families have the food they need to be healthy, productive community members,” said Micah Richardson, associate director of policy at the Wyoming Women’s Foundation.

However, people are not automatically enrolled in this program.

Enrollment requires an application to be submitted to a local Wyoming Department of Family Services office.

The “SNAP gap” is the difference in the number of eligible individuals compared to the number of people or households actually enrolled.

The Wyoming Community Foundation and the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming gathered data and completed surveys to determine how many households are not receiving SNAP benefits and why.

Nearly 5% of all Wyoming households are enrolled in SNAP. In Natrona County, 5.6% of households are enrolled.

Meanwhile, around 14% of the state in 2023 faced food insecurity, according to the Community Population Study by Feeding America. However, Feeding America estimates only 33% of the food insecure individuals were eligible for SNAP benefits.

“In Wyoming, SNAP is a lifeline,” Director of Food Bank of Wyoming Danica Sveda said in a news release. “It can be difficult to navigate, but for the neighbors who do the work needed to receive it, the program is vitally important. SNAP gives families the dignity to choose the foods they need, just like anyone else shopping at the grocery store.”

Of the 31,725 SNAP eligible households, more than half of those have individuals older than 60 or have a disability. This category of individuals have a much larger SNAP gap.

The number of SNAP eligible households by county was not immediately available.

The survey conducted by the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming found seven main reasons for people not using SNAP despite eligibility: lack of awareness, stigma and pride, complex application process, geography and transportation, mistrust of government, benefits don’t stretch far enough and system gaps and red tape.

The report laid out a series of solutions officials believe could help alleviate some of the above reasons.

“We know that families and children perform better, have better long-term outcomes and are generally better off when they have access to the nutrition they need,” according to the report.

The report suggests an online application portal, more information from the Department of Family Services, better education efforts, encouraging public entities like schools to share information and raising the gross income thresholds.