New York, NY - Number of Food Stamp Users Drops Again

New York, NY - For the second year in a row, the number of New York City residents receiving food stamps has fallen during the summer after rising during the rest of the year, a pattern that has raised questions among advocates for the needy about whether eligible people find it too cumbersome to apply for assistance.

Fluctuations in food stamp enrollment are closely monitored because of the sheer number of people served. Last month, 1,087,115 city residents used food stamps, a slight decline from 1,095,202 in June and 1,098,225 in May.

When a similar decline occurred between May and August of last year, the agency described it as a statistical anomaly and predicted that it was a one-time event. The fact that it has happened again struck some experts as odd.