Do Challenges in the Accessibility of Welfare Services Explain the Need for Food Aid?

Abstract

The accessibility of welfare services is important for vulnerable groups. Reliance on charitable food aid has increased markedly across Europe in recent years, largely due to austerity policies and gaps in the welfare state. One such gap is the non‐take‐up of benefits and services, which undermines the social policies' effectiveness. This short note presents findings from a Finnish survey of food aid recipients (N = 942). The results indicate that many recipients never received the services they needed, such as social assistance, healthcare, or social worker support. Moreover, a substantial number reported needing a service but never applied for it. The findings are discussed in relation to the five dimensions of accessibility and existing research literature, suggesting that accessibility issues may be present across all five dimensions. These preliminary observations should be further examined in future studies to provide stronger evidence for improving the accessibility of welfare services. The public social security and welfare service system should be sufficiently accessible so that the need for food aid would not arise.