Needy Families Frozen Out of Food Stamps Before Holidays
Monday, November 21, 2011
For the first time since the mid-1990s, 92,000 Rhode Island households receiving food assistance from the state will not receive an “early issuance” of food stamps before the holidays, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The program, which was exclusive to Rhode Island, allowed food stamp recipients to receive their monthly stipend prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas in order to make sure families had food on the table during the holidays.
But the state chose to do away with the plan because it found that families often struggle to pay for food during the second half of January when their EBT card were running low, which led to more demand at pantries across the state.GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Responding to Feedback
Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Fred Sneesby said the state ended the program after heating from recipients themselves. He said those who have been on food stamps for a long period of time may have been thrown off by not receiving their early issuance this year, but he noted that the state did mail letters to every SNAP recipient in the state.
“The Department was responding to feedback that came from clients,” Sneesby said. “The program was well-intentioned, but it bit created hardships in January. In some senses, it actually did more harm than good.”
According to data released this summer, 14 percent of Rhode Island residents now receive food stamps, more than double the number from just four years ago. The average household receives just under $280 per month.
Quick and Quiet
Still, not everyone is happy about the state’s decision to cut off food stamps before the holidays. Jack Colby, a former Providence College professor and volunteer advocate at the George Wiley Center, said he knows of families who were surprised to not receive the benefit this year.
Colby said he understands that families do often fall short in the month of January, but he said the state shouldn’t be in the business of deciding how recipients should use their food stamps.
“I think they’re being paternalistic,” Colby said. “They’ve been talking about doing this at meetings for months now, but it wasn’t rolled out well. I don’t think it was a good idea.”
Colby was mostly critical of the way the changes were presented to the public. While Sneesby said he hasn’t heard of anyone complaining about not knowing they wouldn’t be receiving their early issuance, Colby says he is concerned not everyone was informed properly.
“That’s what this state does,” Colby said. “They tell you when they give you something, but they’re quick and quiet when they try to take things away.”
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