Student Corner: The Role of Technology in CED Service Delivery – Help or Hindrance? The Example of SNAP Benefit Enrollment

Community and Economic Development – Blog by UNC School of Government

https://ced.sog.unc.edu

Student Corner: The Role of Technology in CED Service Delivery – Help or Hindrance? The Example of SNAP Benefit Enrollment

By CED Program Interns & Students

Published June 10, 2022

There is no question technology has improved the ability of Community and Economic Development (CED) professionals to provide services. However, technology skill levels of CED professionals and their clients vary greatly, which means many may not be able to take advantage of the technological benefits, or the program benefits themselves.   When does technology switch from being a benefit to a barrier for CED programs?  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, may provide some insights.

SNAP is an essential component of American social services, helping low-income individuals and families access nutritious food. The program provides participants with Electronic Benefit Transfer cards (EBT), which send money directly from a government funded account to a food retailer—like a debit card. SNAP not only assists those facing food insecurity, but also stimulates the economy by transferring money back to grocers.  In North Carolina, the program is referred to as Food and Nutrition Services.

Unfortunately, according to data from the U.S Department of Agriculture, while 82% of those eligible participate in the program nationally, only 69% of eligible North Carolinians do–one of the lowest levels in the country.   Of the eligible working-age individuals in North Carolina, the take-up rate is 65%, and for the eligible elderly, the participation rate drops to only 35%.

Many eligible individuals do not apply for SNAP because they are unfamiliar with the program or believe they are ineligible.  A critical point in the process is simply being able to apply.  Research has shown it is common for SNAP participants to need help in applying, whether through government social services offices or external sources such as social workers, food banks, and non-profit organizations (Bartlett 2004).  But which specific aspects of the application process present a barrier?

Eligible individuals can apply for these benefits in-person at their local DSS as well as on-line. Barriers to applying in-person, such as transportation and scheduling, may make the online application a more desirable and (theoretically) accessible route for some folks.  To test this idea, in February and March, 2021, a UNC School of Government MPA student conducted a series of in-depth interviews with food bank professionals across North Carolina on the accessibility question. Across the interviews, interviewees pointed to different aspects they had personally observed people struggle with in the application process.  Technology rose to the top as the single biggest barrier to a successful application for eligible individuals.  It stemmed from applicants’ limited access to technology, which was caused by limited access to the internet or limited familiarity with technology.

What exactly was the problem?  In some cases, it was a client’s ability to navigate websites and on-line enrollment.  If applications require signatures, paperwork must go back and forth or electronic signatures must be used – which circles back to the person’s access to and facility with technology.   The technology barrier seems to most significantly impact the elderly and individuals who were newly released from incarceration, both of which may have less experience with the technology that seems commonplace with other populations.  What is convenient to some represents a barrier to others.

A team at the Urban Institute has been studying the role of technology in SNAP access. Technological barriers can be present on any “side” of the system.  For SNAP, that includes state governments, EBT processors, grocery retailers, among others.   In a 2020 report, the team found EBT processors are increasingly experiencing outages and other quality challenges (p. 7).  In addition, there are questions about the ability of the system to adapt well to the growth of on-line marketplaces in response to COVID.  The report states, “The principles of equity and inclusion require a balance between (a) following changes in the commercial sector such that people can shop without stigma and (b) maintaining access through existing technology so that no one loses access to food. (p. 11)”

There are many hurdles to participating in any government program, and officials strive to make participation easy and accessible, as well as efficient and effective.  It is difficult to balance the potential benefits of new technology with the limitations of the capacity of the infrastructure in which it is placed and used — imagine the problem of the wrong type of power cord available for the wonderful new computer system — or with the ability of the target population to use it.   The example of technological barriers to SNAP applications is not unique or a function of the program itself, but a reminder of the need to always keep all the targeted end users in mind in CED work.  If it doesn’t work for them, the entire system may need rethinking.

Carly Lappas is student with the Master of Public Administration program at UNC – Chapel Hill.