CINCINNATI — The Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners sent a message to lawmakers in Washington, D.C. at a meeting Tuesday as the halt of SNAP benefits approaches.
"The federal government has to open back up, so we don't have families that are hungry," said Commission President Denise Driehaus.
"Families can't wait for politics to catch up with their needs," said Commission Vice President Stephanie Summerow Dumas.
"This is a 911 crisis," said Commissioner Alicia Reese.
Watch: How a pause on SNAP benefits is impacting a Cincinnati small business:
The president of the commission said she's already made calls to state leaders to ask if Ohio's "rainy-day" funds can be made available to help families that may soon be without food stamps.
"What I know is that the governor is looking at options. We mentioned the rainy-day fund. He has to have the legislature say yes to that as well," Driehaus said.
Hamilton County Job and Family Services Planning Committee Director Michael Patton told the commissioners that approximately 97,000 county residents are at risk. According to Patton, 55% of the residents are adults and 45% are children.
"The benefit is used to make sure the families have what they need to feed themselves and their children on a day-to-day basis," Patton said.
Patton also informed the commissioners that 12% of the county's population that uses SNAP benefits are seniors.
State officials informed the public that SNAP benefits may not be received starting on Nov. 1, but you can still use existing benefits after Oct. 31.
Patton told the commissioners that residents across Ohio will not all be impacted on the first of the month because of how benefits are rolled out in the state.
"In Hamilton County, benefits are loaded based on the last number of your case number, so everybody is not loaded on the first of the month," Patton said.
During Tuesday's meeting, Freestore Foodbank's CEO Kurt Reiber also spoke with the commissioners on how his organization is trying to help families in need.
"We cannot foodbank our way out of this situation," Reiber said.
As leaders try to find ways to help, small businesses like Roth Produce at Findlay Market are bracing for impact. Dario Guintini, owner of Roth Produce, said he knows "it's going to be rough."
Guintini told us more than 60% of his business comes from people who use SNAP benefits.
"It's going to be quite concerning, especially since November is one of our biggest months. We have Thanksgiving coming up, and that supplies me and my employees what we need for the rest of the winter, pretty much," Guintini said.
