How much do you actually spend on food? How do you compare to the national average?
The USDA offers several food budget suggestions based on the national cost of groceries. You can find it here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/…/cost-food-monthly-reports.
The thrifty plan is the cheapest budget, and you wouldn’t be able to afford organic or luxury foods on this level, it’s just the absolute cheapest most basic amount that the government thinks you should be spending on groceries. They even break it down according to age. Check it out and see where you fall! Then think about SNAP benefits – because SNAP doesn’t cover the entire amount of a thrifty food plan. So the government knows that this amount doesn’t fully cover your food for the month, it’s a supplement.
You have to reapply for snap benefits every 6 months and if you don’t complete your application on time, you lose them. In order to apply, you have to fill out a pretty large packet of information, which can be especially challenging if English isn’t your first language or you don’t have a good education. The directions are pretty confusing, and you will also need to include verification – copies of your bank statements, maybe your mortgage or rent, your utilities, etc. If you don’t have a computer or internet access, it is harder and slower to apply.
Also, you cannot directly call the Department of Human Services or the caseworker that you are assigned. You have to call the call center, and you wait on hold for about an hour. Then you speak to a call center rep who will take your information and forward it to right person. I think they have 3 days to call you back and if you miss the call, you have to start all over again. And if you’re at work you might not be able to answer your phone, so it could literally take you weeks to actually discuss your case with someone who can help you. But the caseworkers don’t make the decision, the supervisors do, and you don’t get to speak with them.
If you don’t upload the right documents, they will reject your case but until you get a chance to speak with someone, you might not even know why your case was rejected. If you are self-employed or a contractor, it’s even harder to prove your income. Last year’s tax returns aren’t enough, you need last months paystubs. If you don’t get paystubs, you’ll have to work with a caseworker to figure out what type of documentation is acceptable, because it isn’t always the same based on your particular supervisor for your case.
Getting – and keeping – SNAP benefits just isn’t that easy. And you likely have to miss work time to get them done because caseworkers are only available during business hours. You have to jump through a lot of hoops.
You aren’t getting rich off of benefits. One woman used her SNAP benefits to make baked goods to sell in order to help her family. As far as I can tell from the story, her intentions were wholesome. But she got caught, was arrested, and may face up to 10 years in prison. If you commit fraud trying to get SNAP, you may have to pay them back, pay fines, face jail, or get booted off the program for life.
Two judges voted that the president must release the emergency funds earmarked for keeping SNAP going through a government shutdown. Hopefully, he complies, but even if he does, SNAP benefits will be delivered late this month.
People are quick to judge what SNAP users put in their grocery cars, but the reality is that food is more than filling bellies. It is security. It is health. It is comfort. It’s a little bit of hope. A little bit of joy.