Growing Number of Food Stamp Recipients Over 60
The number of Texans ages 60 to 64 on food stamps more than doubled since 2007. Photo courtesy.flickr.com/photos/melaniewongMore Texans over 60 are receiving food stamps than ever before. The number of people aged 60 to 64 who are getting food assistance has reached almost 85,000 – more than twice as many as in 2007.
Stephanie Goodman is a spokesperson for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She says the number has been increasing for a couple of reasons.
“It used to be that we, frankly, had some pretty severe backlogs in our offices. It was not a pleasant process to go through,” Goodman says. “We’ve tried to streamline that and have done a much better job of trying to get people in quickly and get them the help they need. So I think the growth is probably a reflection of both of those things: a more streamlined process stateside and more need among people in that age group.”
According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the overall number of food stamp recipients has increased 58 percent since 2007.
