By Erin Longchari, Director of Operations & Programs
At the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, we occasionally hear feedback from community members like, “COVID’s over now. When are you going to get back to the way things used to be?” For many in our community, there has been no return to life before the pandemic. The overall need for a supportive safety net has grown since the start, and “end,” of the pandemic. Rising food insecurity, increased poverty, and the end of pandemic assistance combine with newly troubling signs that instability and economic insecurity are on the rise.
A recent US Department of Agriculture report (full report and summary) shows a rise in food insecurity in 2022 from 2021 — an alarming indicator of a growing public health crisis around equitable access to nutritious food. The report notes nearly 13% of US households were food insecure in 2022 — a marked increase from 10–10.5% in 2021 and 2020. One in eight US households (17 million families) struggled to meet their family’s nutritional needs last year, and nearly 6.8 million households experienced “very low food security,” up from 5.1 million households in 2020 — a dramatic 33.3% increase, and one that reflects similar growth trends seen at IFCB.
Food insecurity and inequity continues to be substantially higher for American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, or other multiracial households, and for all families with children. Food insecurity rates were significantly higher than the national average for the following:
Families with children (17.3%) and children under the age of 6 (16.7%)
Single-mother households (33.1%) and single-father households (22.4%)
Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, Person of Color/multiracial households (22%)
There are other worrying signs of a further downturn for many vulnerable households. 2022 census data shows the largest one-year increase in overall poverty and child poverty, likely due to sustained high inflation and the end of pandemic relief funding. For the first time since 2010, the supplemental poverty rate (a more accurate, comprehensive view of poverty accounting for geographic variation, expenses, and in-kind benefits) grew to 12.4% (up 4.6% from 2021). Child poverty more than doubled, at 12.4% in 2022 vs 5.2% in 2021, in part due to the ending of pandemic-era expansions to the child tax credit.
Some essential pandemic safety net benefits providing much-needed assistance to low-income households expired in late 2021-2022. These include enhanced unemployment benefits, expansions to the child tax credit, and the rent/eviction moratorium in Washington state. Other benefit losses this year through 2024 include:
The end of enhanced monthly benefits for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in March 2023, meaning a loss, on average, of $108 per person per month in Washington state, or a 39% decrease.
The unravelling of continuous enrollment for Medicaid starting in March of this year. Estimates put approximately 400,000 people in Washington state at risk of losing (or facing substantial barriers to re-enrollment eligibility for) Medicaid coverage through May of 2024.
The end of a three-year pause on student loan repayments starting in October 2023.
The end of essential childcare stabilization funding in September of this year that had reduced childcare costs for millions. Potentially resulting in the closure of 70,000 childcare centers and programs, and higher costs for working parents, this could have enormous impacts on economic stability for lower income families.
A look ahead through the end of this year and into 2024 reveals more troubling signs that families in our community and across the nation may be forced closer to the margins of ongoing instability.
While a government shutdown was averted at the final hour on September 30, much work remains to be done at the federal level, since funding is in place only through November 17. A key potential indicator of escalated need for families next year is that critical remaining safety net programs -- SNAP, WIC, TANF, the National School Lunch program, among others - are at risk for reduced funding or more barriers to access with ongoing federal stagnation or cuts to the hotly contested Farm Bill. These programs are essential to keeping people out of poverty and contributing to economic vitality.
In Washington state and King County, a longtime lack of affordable housing access, combined with the "housing livable wage" needed in our area to keep housing costs at a sustainable 30% of total household income level, remains a critical issue. A new analysis from the National Low Income Housing Institute found that a Washington renter needs to make $30.33 an hour to afford a standard one-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, a standard measure of affordability. In the Seattle and Bellevue area, a renter needs to earn $40.38 an hour, or $84,000 a year, to maintain that 30% of total income.
There is no question the number of people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity is growing in Washington and King County. The real question is, by how much? Data varies across sources. A recent federal Housing and Urban Development report cites 10% more people in Washington living outside, in temporary shelter, or in vehicles over 2020-2022. Much of HUD’s data originates from the nation’s “Point in Time” count, conducted over one night annually in January by in person volunteers — imperfect at best and universally considered an undercount. King County’s Department of Community and Human Services ran a cross-system analysis across several homelessness data sets to estimate a minimum 31% increase over that same time (40,800 people in 2020 and at least 53,500 people in 2022, estimated by King County Regional Homelessness Authority).
While costs for food and gas are not currently at the peak levels seen in recent months, food costs at home are, on average, 24% higher today than February of 2020 and continue to consume a higher percentage of household income. Food prices will not be returning to pre-pandemic levels, yet income levels are not rising to match these costs. The average price for a gallon of regular gas in September of this year was $5.04, compared to $2.80 in September of 2020.
As families strive to balance higher costs for food, gas, rent, healthcare, and childcare, their budgets are often stretched far too thin. People in our community are constantly faced with difficult and potentially life-altering choices about paying rent, accessing medical care, working or staying home to care for their children, and making compromises with less expensive, less nutritious food, among others.
At IFCB, we have a frontline view of the increased need many of our neighbors are experiencing – and the associated stress caused by such instability. We saw a record 651 households shop in our grocery market during the week of October 23. Access and demand for nearly all programs and services has grown in 2023, and all signs point to larger demand next year. As of September this year, we are seeing:
A 35% increase in grocery market food service to date over last year.
A 29% increase in families receiving home deliveries.
A 24% increase in Summer Lunch program visits.
An 18% increase in the number of unhoused services provided (warm clothing, emergency supplies, help with phones, IDs).
A 35% increase in the number of weekend Power Packs distributed in the first two months of the school year.
The Issaquah Food & Clothing plays a pivotal role in creating long-term stability and resiliency in our community. By providing free, healthy food, essential clothing and hygiene supplies, and specialized programs to meet the needs of children, families, and seniors, we help mitigate the tough choices people need to make between healthy food, medical care and bills, and paying rent. Access to our steady support and robust services is key to ensuring the economic, cultural, and racial diversity of our community. Our strong partnerships, robust resource referrals, and case management support create a more connected, supportive community where everyone has an opportunity to thrive.