State and local leaders have any number of strategies available. This means that leaders in Texas, and its many urban areas, are missing out on an extremely valuable opportunity to help both their low-income working families and economies get ahead. Research suggests that more than $1.80 is created in economic activity for every $1 that is claimed in food stamp benefits. There are also multiplier effects to take into account. Still, there’s no question that Texas’ food stamp administrators should be more focused on the billions of dollars they’re not claiming every year in benefits.įood stamp spending supports local grocery stores, expands the spending power of participating households and can boost family nutrition, which can reduce demand for state and local health services. In Dallas and Houston, where less than 15 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, it’s likely more difficult to find eligible individuals than in the El Paso and McAllen areas, where about every fourth person lives below the poverty line. Thank you.Another important factor that may affect participation rates is the extent of an area’s poverty. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Email Christopher at can follow Christopher on Twitter News is made possible through the generosity of our members. Got a tip? Christopher Connelly is KERA's One Crisis Away Reporter, exploring life on the financial edge. And now, many will have to get by with even less. They just don’t make enough money to cover basic necessities. “That is who is coming to our partner agencies and to the food bank.” “Think about all the people you come across in your day to day, whether it’s at the drycleaner or at the grocery store or when you’re sitting down at a restaurant,” she said. Meanwhile, low wages leave too many working Texans unable to pay for basic necessities like rent, utilities, groceries and transportation. Texas already makes it harder than most states for people to receive SNAP benefits, and it has one of the lowest rates of enrollment of eligible individuals.īutner said she’s hoping that Congress will increase support for SNAP recipients and food banks in the next farm bill. ![]() More than 55,000 seniors will be affected across the four counties.įeeding Texas and other advocacy organizations have called on state lawmakers to reduce restrictions that keep low-income Texans from getting help they need. In the four largest Dallas-Fort Worth counties - Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant Counties - nearly 650,000 individuals will lose SNAP funds, according to data from Feeding Texas, more than half of them children. SNAP households will lose at least $95 per month, with some losing several hundred dollars a month in assistance. In December, Congress voted to end those expanded benefits early, starting March 1. That 4.2 million Americans out of poverty, and cut child poverty rates significantly, according to an Urban Institute analysis. “They’re on fixed incomes, so they don’t have a lot of avenues to pursue in order to bridge the gap,” she said.Įarly in the pandemic, the US Department of Agriculture gave states the option of giving every SNAP recipient the maximum allotment for the duration of the health emergency. Senior citizens are particularly vulnerable, Butner said. The food bank has already reduced the amount of groceries it gives out to each client. “The food bank is going to see even higher rates of people needing emergency food support, and we’re already at record levels because of inflation,” Butner said. ![]() The reduction in food support comes at a time of record inflation in grocery prices, and as food banks have seen cuts to federal funding, fewer donations of food from retailers, and a reduction in community donations. The state is expected to see a roughly $340 million decrease in benefits from February to March as the pandemic SNAP allotments expire. ![]() “It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said Julie Butner, who heads the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth.
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