If you are a SNAP recipient in the Concho Valley we’d like to hear from you:
Have you received your benefits since the government shutdown? Let us know at news@conchoobserver.com, or leave a message on our tip line: 325-812-8740
Relief is hopefully arriving for the 3.2 million Texans, and 12,000 citizens of Tom Green County, who rely on assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission website: “with the federal government shutdown resolved, HHSC is issuing full SNAP benefits.”
From HHS: “SNAP clients who receive benefits on or after the 14th of the month, full benefits will be issued on their normal issuance date. SNAP clients who already received partial benefits will receive the rest of their monthly amount on or after Nov. 14.” More information can be found here
The program, which offers cash assistance to the hungry, was moved into the negotiation crosshairs after previous shutdowns had maintained funding for the essential service, setting a new precedent in Congress.
Cuts are expected to take full effect by this time next year, with recipients now facing new work requirements and scrutiny.
Cuts Next Year Might Leave Millions Hungry
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says “the hood is up” on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program which feeds approximately 3.2 million Texans. According to Texas HHS, Somerville County, where Rollins was born, has some 300 active SNAP cases and 700 eligible for SNAP benefits, with a total population of roughly 9,800.
One new development is an increase of the working age from 55 to 65, meaning that anyone currently receiving benefits between those ages must seek work. The USDA website does not currently list any exceptions to this rule.
A number of exceptions made under the Biden administration to include homeless individuals, veterans, and children aged 24 years or younger who were in foster care on their 18th birthday, will be removed. They too are subject to the new time limit. This means their benefits will be limited to only 3 months of support annually without a job.
Despite the upcoming cuts, USDA Secretary Rollins has stated that there will likely be a purge of SNAP recipients soon, and that this process will likely start as soon as applicants need to re-apply.
Read more about San Angelo’s fight against hunger and homelessness:
Food Bank Resources in the Concho Valley
The Oasis at St. Paul Campaigns Against Food Insecurity in San Angelo
