SNAP/Food Stamps- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
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SNAP, Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, provides low-income households with a monthly Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that can be used, like a debit card, to buy food at most grocery stores and other food retailers.
Only 86% of eligible District residents, and 41% of eligible low-income working families, receive SNAP/Food Stamps (click here to see overall up-to-date SNAP participation data for the District and every state in the nation). Every $1 of SNAP/Food Stamps spent in the community generates $1.85 in local economic activity. D.C. would gain millions in federal funds by signing up eligible households - funds that would stimulate the local economy. People who work sometimes assume they are not eligible for SNAP/Food Stamps, or that time-off from work is required to apply. This is not true. A family of 3 with a minimum wage earner could be eligible for over $3,000 annually in benefits, and working families can complete phone interviews rather than go to the SNAP/Food Stamps office in-person.
What's happening with SNAP/Food Stamps in D.C.?
D.C. Council Passes the Food Stamp/SNAP Expansion Act of 2010
Building on the success of the Food Stamp/SNAP Expansion Act of 2009, Councilmembers Michael Brown and Mary Cheh led the Council's efforts to introduce and pass a second food stamp/SNAP act containing two key provisions:
- Transitional Benefits for TANF Leavers. Families leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families will receive an automatic five-month increase in food stamp benefits ("transitional benefits") to help ease their transition to work. This option could bring an additional $12 million a year in federal funding into the District.
- Standardized Self-Employment Deduction. For self-employed residents applying for SNAP/Food Stamps, the process of identifying and thereby deducting all the costs of doing business to determine net income is often prohibitively burdensome. A standardized self-employment deduction will simplify the process by establishing a set deduction, encouraging participation and boosting benefit levels among the self-employed.
D.C. Implements the Food Stamp/SNAP Expansion Act of 2009
In August 2009, the D.C. Council adopted the "Food Stamp/SNAP Expansion Act of 2009," which includes two policy improvements aimed at expanding eligibility among low-income residents and raising benefits for current recipients:
- A new categorical eligibility policy raised the gross income limit for targeted families in need in the District from 130 percent of the federal poverty level to 200 percent and also removed the asset cap.
- By coordinating information between the District's energy assistance program and the food stamp agency, D.C. triggers larger deductions from gross income for heating and cooling costs in food stamp benefit calculations, thereby raising select households' benefits by an average of $30 to $60 per month and bringing an additional estimated $15 million into the city each year.
Archived SNAP/Food Stamp news...
D.C. Hunger Solutions can help by:
- analyzing the District's SNAP/Food Stamp policy to advise District stakeholders on systems improvements;
- providing SNAP/Food Stamp outreach materials tailored to the clients you support;
- training your staff on how to conduct effective outreach and enroll clients in SNAP/Food Stamps;
- identifying referrals for assistance with applications or legal issues;
- helping arrange for a telephone interview if your clients are unable to get to a SNAP/Food Stamp office for an in-person interview due to their work schedules or a hardship;
- assisting you or your clients with applying for SNAP/Food Stamps or recertifying for the benefit.
Help us spread the word
- Print SNAP/Food Stamp applications to have at your office.
- Post this flyer which helps working families access SNAP/Food Stamps.
- Ask D.C. Hunger Solutions for flyers targeting particular populations.
