Food access remains a major problem in Los Angeles, despite the city's social programs (Photo courtesy of Creative Commons).

It’s no secret that the union’s most productive state – complete with scores of vegetable fields and plentiful fruit orchards – maintains a high number of individuals unable to feed their families.

What is alarming, however, is the number of struggling families in Los Angeles County that qualify for food assistance programs but do not utilize their right. 

Currently, there are more than 1.5 million individuals in L.A. that are eligible to receive food stamps, according to Lost Dollars, Empty Plates – a study conducted by the California Food Policy Advocates. However, less than half of that figure - roughly 658,273 - actually participate in the state’s food stamp program CalFresh, based on 2008 figures.

That means that about 60 percent of income-eligible Angelenos are not currently enrolled in a food assistance program.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars not being utilized that would come into our local economy if everyone enrolled in the program,” said Darren Hoffman, communication director at the L.A. Regional Food Bank. “It would be better for the city and better for the state. Those are federal dollars.”

L.A. has more than three-times the amount of income-eligible individuals than any other county in California, totaling an estimated 1,627,843 people.

Neither the L.A. Department of Social Services (DPSS) nor the California Food Policy Advocates have an exact figure on how much money L.A. County could generate if the just under 1 million individuals who qualify for food stamps actually enrolled in the CalFresh program. But the California Food Policy Advocates estimate that if 100 percent of eligible Californians participated in CalFresh, the state would receive about $4.9 billion in additional federal benefits each year.

“It’s in the best interest in the community… it helps the entire community, the grocers and everyone in that business,” said Shirley Christensen, a special assistant for the DPSS. “We had just about $149 million in expenditures in the month of February alone.”

And the federal government picks up that tab.

“There are a number of gaps and barriers,” said Matt Sharp, an analyst for the California Food Policy Advocates. “It’s a very large program. There are 3 million [people] enrolled across the state and at least 3 million are eligible but not enrolled.”

Sharp said there is currently no cap on the amount of people a state can enroll in a food stamps program, just as long as they meet state and federal standards. Theoretically, the state could double the amount of federal cash that flows in from food stamps if all eligible parties enrolled in the program.

According to a DPSS Statistical Report for February, more than 64 percent (629,175) of the individuals using food stamps in L.A. were of Hispanic origin. There are also more children reliant on food stamps in L.A. than adults – 569,618 children compared to 413,334 adults.

Hoffman pointed to a series of barriers, such as misinformation and stereotyping, to explain the county's low enrollment rates.

“A lot of people may not be aware that they qualify and it’s not an all or nothing program,” Hoffman said. “There are other barriers. We may have kids who are citizens of the state, but their parents may not have legal or full status here. The kids would qualify for the program, but maybe the parents are afraid to enroll.”

Other reasons for qualified individuals not enrolling in food assistance programs include the long application procedure, which requires at least three visits downtown and fingerprinting to complete the process.

However, Christensen did not agree that those not enrolled in CalFresh face major barriers.

“It isn’t so much an access issue. We have offices across the county,” Chirstensen said. “There may be issues of fear because they may think it would be held against them. If they are a legal alien then they are legal to receive benefits.”

The amount of money that the city could generate from enrolling more individuals in full or partial food stamp program is enormous, which has prompted DPSS officials to actively seek out new participants. Currently, the L.A. Regional Food Bank has a mobile CalFresh van where eligible people can begin the enrollment process.

But local government officials are aware that more can be done to boost enrollment, especially in the state’s current fiscal crisis.

“It’s not that we can’t do more. We are embarking on a campaign to make the program to ensure that it’s very broadly advertised,” Chirstensen said.

Meanwhile, thousands of working-class Angelenos remain without enough food to feed their families.

Click here to see if you qualify for food assistance in California.

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