Minnesota officials announced this week that residents who get food assistance won’t receive their benefits for November, as long as the federal government shutdown continues.
And county service workers say they’re now hearing from concerned enrollees in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
At a Thursday press conference, Hennepin County service provider Yunuén Brown said she’s worried about the families she works with.
“If this continues, parents won’t be able to afford formula or fresh food for their babies, seniors will have to choose between groceries and medication,” Brown said. “These aren’t numbers on our spreadsheets. These are our neighbors, our residents, our community members.”
October benefits went out as scheduled, according to Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth and Families, but November benefits won’t be available “until the shutdown ends or the federal government issues further guidance.” Typically, recipients get access to funds sometime in the first two weeks of the month.
Minnesota’s Department of Health said in an update Wednesday that the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food assistance program is funded through mid-November. The Minnesota Family Investment Program will issue November cash assistance benefits, but not food assistance.
Hennepin County Health and Human Services worker Kenneth Winslow Garnier said SNAP recipients are already raising questions.
“We’re dealing with a lot of people, and then people also aren’t able to get through the phone lines to talk to us,” Garnier said. “We have chat lines, we’re trying to respond to voicemails. There’s a lot of people that are inquiring.”
Workers said they’ve been giving people information on food banks and other ways to find free or low-cost meals. Some of those providers say they’re running on tight budgets and low resources, too.
Winslow and other county workers called on federal legislators to reach a budget deal and get benefits back on track.
“We’re just asking that everyone come together and negotiate a bill that will work for everyday people,” Winslow said.
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