Food Security Barriers During Refugee Resettlement in the Quad Cities

Keywords: food security, refugee resettlement, nutritional security, dietary acculturation, cultural literacy
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

During resettlement, multiple factors can affect the food security of refugees. To reduce food insecurity for refugees during resettlement, the barriers themselves must be identified in order for them to be addressed. This study collected data about the barriers to refugee food security in the Quad Cities, a small metropolitan area located on the Mississippi River in Northwest Illinois and Eastern Iowa. Participatory observation data was collected through a local refugee resettlement agency. Further data was collected through six semi-structured one-on-one interviews with resettlement workers, both American born and New Americans (resettled refugees) to gauge how former refugee status might affect one’s viewpoint of barriers. This study identified three primary barriers impacting refugee food security in the Quad Cities: Economic Accessibility, Transportation and Distance, and Language and Literacy. Research showed that refugees encountered issues with applying, using, and losing federal food assistance benefits, the long distance to food resources like grocery stores and food pantries, a lack of translation services, lingual barriers and cultural and financial literacy. Future research should analyze the effects of the fiscal cliff on supplemental food assistance programs like SNAP and WIC to see if a gradual decline in benefits would reduce food insecurity and how food security barriers impact refugees who have arrived first vs those who arrive to already established family and friends.