Last week, I attended a photography exhibit hosted by the Young Adults Photovoice Project (YAPP) exploring what food instability looks like in the lives of San Francisco’s transitional age youth living in supportive housing. Community Housing Partnership, the nonprofit that runs the property where all the participants in this project live, defines transitional age youth (TAY) “as individuals from 18 to 25 years of age who are homeless or at high risk of being homeless. Many TAY are young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.” Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley worked for months with nine young people to document their experiences with food access, nutrition, poverty, and public benefits programs. Each participant received a digital camera to take photos with as well as payment for their time.

Jade, YAPP participant, talking about her photographs

The YAPP participants developed their own definition of food instability as part of this project. Specifically, they said that food instability is “not having access to food that is healthy and nourishing to our body, mind, and soul. Barriers such as stigma, affordability, and food stamp regulations destabilize our lives and exacerbate hunger.” These themes were reflected in the photos displayed at the event.

For example, one participant, Josh, spoke about how his $196 monthly food stamp benefit isn’t enough to get him through the full month. The photo he’s gesturing to below shows a tiny portion of a microwaveable hamburger that he notes he had to pay for out of pocket late in the month when his food stamp allotment is typically down to zero.

Josh, YAPP participant, shares his photos as his dog looks on

Another participant’s caption (see bottom photo) speaks to the tension created by having a vending machine in the lobby of their residence. Having the vending machine on-site might seem convenient, but Justin sees some serious downsides: it is an expensive way to eat, the options aren’t very healthy, and sometimes the machine will take your money without dispensing the snack inside.

Another major theme was food waste. YAPP participants see food going to waste all around them (a photo of a trash can full of Safeway rotisserie chickens was particularly hard to look at alongside other photos depicting the limited meals participants are able to create for themselves on tight budgets). But participants also struggled with the practical challenges of reducing food waste: they aren’t interested in expired cast-offs from wealthier people. They’d rather make their own choices to eat what they want, when they want, and have the financial standing to make that happen.

“Snacks on Deck” by Justin Smith

Unfortunately, our food-oriented public benefits programs don’t make that easy. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average SNAP participant in California in 2014 only received $141.99 each month. That’s less than $5 per day. Some participants in the #IGotNothing exhibit spoke of times when their benefits were cut off abruptly for administrative reasons they didn’t fully understand.

The captions accompanying their photos speak to the corrosive effects of this constant instability. As transitional age youth are navigating their early adulthood, how effectively are our public benefits programs supporting their ambitions, their creativity and their resilience?

Based on the experiences YAPP participants shared, we have a lot of work to do to eliminate administrative red tape, to increase funding for programs like SNAP that promote self-determination and nutrition, and to support our young people as they transition to fully independent living.