SNAP

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, 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, including farmers’ markets.

The SNAP/Food Stamp Program is the largest federal nutrition program operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and administered by state agencies. In D.C., the program is administered by the Department of Human Services’ Economic Security Administration (ESA).

SNAP reached 75,166 households in the nation’s capital with 132,531 individuals in an average month (FY 2016).

Did You Know?

• 15 percent of households in D.C. participate in SNAP
• More than two-thirds of SNAP families in the district had at least one working adult in the past 12 months.
• Only 16% (12,000) of SNAP households were on TANF, making SNAP a critical safety net for families with children.
• Nearly one-third of all SNAP households in the district included children.

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Read Easy Choices in Tough Times: Food Stamp Policy Options to Help Working Families, Maximize Federal Funding, and Stimulate the District’s Economy.

Download the SNAP Strengths infographics.