CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — On Monday, the federal government announced it would partially fund SNAP benefits for the millions of Americans who rely on them. However, it’s still gonna be some time before they see that money in their account.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1.45 million Ohioans receive SNAP benefits. And until Nov. 1, it helped many make ends meet.
“It worked great, really, it helped out especially with my income and stuff that I do have,” said Felicia Messer, a SNAP benefit recipient.
Messer lives in Hamilton County, where over 105,00 people receive SNAP benefits according to state data.
Over in Clermont County, there are more than 16,500 recipients of SNAP, including Regina Marshall, who says she's struggling to make it.
“It’s been really hard because I was trying to figure out what bills I could pay, and what I could use to get the food,” said Marshall.
Hear how the lack of SNAP benefits & partial funding is/will affect local families:
Marshall and Messer say they’ve been using what little money they have to buy some necessities, but have been relying heavily on food banks and pantries as well.
Before the temporary pause on SNAP benefits, Messer was receiving around $550 for herself and her kid. Now with SNAP benefits only 50% funded, she’s looking at about $275 for the month. With no estimated timeline for when she’ll get that money.
“It does help, I mean it’s better than nothing, but I mean, it still doesn't, like I said, $100 doesn't go a long way,” said Messer.
Marshall was seeing about $400 a month for herself and three others. Now, she’s looking at about $200 this month.
“It will be tight still, I’ll probably still have to come out to food pantries and try to get what I can’t from the partial food stamps,” said Marshall.
The process of loading SNAP cards can take up to two weeks in some states. But the USDA warned in a recent court filing that it could take weeks or even months for states to make all the system changes to send out reduced benefits.
Marshall and Messer say they’ll need to rely on pantries and food banks until SNAP is fully restored.
