DENVER (KDVR) — The Colorado Department of Human Services says it is moving forward with plans to issue partial SNAP benefits for November, although there is no timeline set for when that could happen.
CDHS says it received guidance from the USDA on Tuesday and that, following that guidance, it must make technical changes to its system to be able to make partial payments. The department says it is working with its vendor and processor to make the changes and issue food assistance as rapidly as possible.
But the timeline and the amounts are still unclear.
“The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not designated specific dollars per state. The compliance ruling cites that the contingency fund will be obligated to ‘cover 50% of eligible households’ current allotments,'” John Rosa with CDHS said in a partial statement. “USDA on Tuesday provided the new maximum allotment amounts for households based on size and states will need to recalculate eligibility for each household based on those maximum allotment amounts. This does not mean that households will receive 50% of their full allotment for November.”
As that gets worked out, SNAP recipients are seeking food assistance from other places.
The St. Francis Center in Denver usually does not offer meals at its day center. But in response to the SNAP benefit delays, the center is offering 150 sack lunches daily.
That means a lot to people like Robert Sampson. He relies on those benefits to get groceries.
“I get about $281 a month, so that’s food I’m not going to be able to get,” Sampson said.
“The loss of SNAP is really, really hard on our community,” said Ben Kapnik, the chief operating officer of the St. Francis Center. “We are really thankful we’ve had volunteers who have been stepping up to bring in lunches and that makes an enormous difference.”
If you would like to donate money, food or time, go to: sfcdenver.org/donate/
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