Behind the Numbers: Food Security

A medical assistant and her family in a Colorado resort community face a difficult situation. 

Both she and her husband are healing from surgeries, struggling to financially recover with growing medical and housing costs. Together, they hold five part-time jobs to support their two children. Due to their income, they don’t qualify for Medicaid or food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Even if they did qualify, they are reluctant to apply, fearing that it could hurt their prospects for getting U.S. citizenship.  

This family illustrates a datapoint from the 2023 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS) that at first glance does not make sense. People with incomes two or three times the poverty level reported more food insecurity than those below the poverty level.  

Findings From the CHAS 

Since 2019, the CHAS has measured food insecurity by asking Coloradans if they have ever eaten less than they thought they should in the past year because they couldn’t afford food. Food insecurity rates dipped in 2021 (from 9.6% in 2019 to 8.1% in 2021) because of emergency pandemic support. But that support expired, and the rate jumped to 11.2% of Coloradans reporting food insecurity in 2023.  

These statewide averages mask a major concern for people with low or middle incomes. Nearly 17% of Coloradans earning poverty wages or less reported food insecurity. In the lower income brackets, the more money Coloradans made, the more likely they were to report food insecurity. More than a fifth (21.7%) of people making two to three times the poverty level said they were food insecure.  

The story of the family with five jobs can help us understand why. 

Food security status is linked with general and mental health. In 2023, four in 10 people (40.7%) who ate less than they thought they should reported fair or poor general health, compared with 11.2% of those who could afford enough to eat. Similarly, over half (55.1%) of Coloradans reporting food insecurity also reported poor mental health, compared to 21.8% of other Coloradans. 

Coloradans can qualify for SNAP if their household earns less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. The CHAS shows that people with incomes just above this cutoff have the highest levels of food insecurity. Based on 2023 poverty guidelines, these households, where a family of four would earn $60,000 to $90,000, don’t qualify for SNAP. This phenomenon, where households earn just enough to disqualify them for programs but not enough to afford high-quality food, is referred to as the “cliff effect.”  

Maria Judith Alvarez Quiroz, who goes by Judith, is the Project Director at Safe and Abundant Nutrition Alliance (SANA). The group serves Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield counties, known locally as the Valley. She sees the cliff effect every day. Judith told CHI about the medical assistant and her husband. They are some of the people "in this medium point in which they cannot pay for the resources they need to cover medical needs … but they also do not qualify for benefits." This benefit cliff creates a poverty trap. And fear of exceeding thresholds for public benefits traps people into an endless poverty cycle.  

"Growing up in an immigrant family helped me understand how challenging it can be to access basic resources like nutritious food, and that inspired me to get involved in solutions that empower families to overcome these barriers," Judith said.  

SANA, a coalition made up of Latino community leaders, aims to find community-based solutions to food insecurity that are rooted in equity. Currently, there are 40 volunteers and five distribution sites in the Valley to advocate for change in education, health, and food.  

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Judith wakes up every day and checks WhatsApp for food distribution events for the day. She shares event details on SANA’s Facebook page for families to see what resources (such as diapers, food, and baby wipes) will be available, and then she attends a distribution event.  

People who struggle to afford food also have trouble meeting other basic needs. Judith works closely with the SNAP/WIC navigator on the team so families can be connected to other resources such as housing, assistance with medical bills, and legal support.  

The cliff effect happens in these other services, too. Judith said people are most fearful of losing Medicaid coverage, so many earn just below the income cutoff. A small pay raise would make them worse off financially and medically. Rising living costs exacerbate the benefits cliff and poverty trap, perpetuating the cycle for families. 

Between January 2024 and August 2024, SANA helped 316 families enroll in SNAP. In addition to federal assistance, weekly food distribution events across the five sites feed families with nutritious meal options and offer other resources like diapers. SANA collaborates with Food Bank of the Rockies to provide mobile distributions and with LIFT-UP to provide resources at a warehouse. SANA and its partners serve people regardless of their income, which means families can budget for other expenses, especially as students are going back to school. “It’s quite beautiful,” Judith said. “When I arrive, the table is filled with fruit and vegetables and that helps a lot.” 

SANA’s Impact on the Hispanic and Latino Community in the Valley 

Food insecurity isn’t statistically different than the state average in the I-70 corridor where SANA provides services (9.1%* versus 11.2%). However, beyond the I-70 corridor, there are statewide racial disparities. Hispanic and Latino Coloradans experience food insecurity at rates more than double that of non-Hispanic/Latino white communities (18.2% versus 8.8%). This demonstrates that Hispanic and Latino groups are more likely to experience food insecurity challenges, regardless of where they live.   

Beyond the benefits-cliff phenomenon, some Hispanic or Latino families may qualify for public assistance programs like SNAP, but they do not apply due to fear of the public-charge rule. This immigration policy assesses an applicant’s likelihood of needing government assistance programs; becoming a public charge may block people from entering the U.S. or getting a green card. However, SNAP enrollment does not affect one’s ability to stay in the United States.  

SANA’s work supports Hispanic and Latino families and addresses some of their fears through culturally responsive communication and resources. According to Judith, the distribution process has "helped change the Valley with products that are more culturally appropriate with the food distribution so that people can feel welcome whenever they ask for help. They see people that look like them and who welcome them so they don’t feel judged." SANA’s public communications efforts, such as its Facebook page, are provided in both English and Spanish. Moreover, SANA has collaborated with other community organizations to create materials in Spanish, such as a video featuring attorney Hans Meyer, to educate people on the public-charge rule and dissuade fear and stigma of public assistance program enrollment. 

What Happens Now? 

Families have the right to be successful and feel sufficient, Judith said. She suggested the following actions: 

• Advocating for gradual benefits reductions as incomes increase to ease the transition for families rather than taking away resources all at once. 
• Expanding support for working families, such as through community-based resources that aren’t tied to income levels. Doing so can encourage families to continue working while maintaining access to programs. 
• Enhancing financial literacy programs to help families better navigate these financial cliffs.  

Judith believes that "it is essential to start viewing [public assistance programs] as a right that families are entitled to, a commitment made when they contribute at the end of the year by reporting their income or paying taxes." However, while these programs exist, many families either aren’t eligible or the eligibility criteria forces people into choosing among bad options. Judith’s story is just one example of countless organizations doing good work within a systemic issue. Their collective efforts offer promising steps toward breaking the poverty cycle. 

* Data are reported by Health Statistic Region (HSR); HSR 12 includes Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle, Summit, and Grand counties.