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Participants must prove they work a certain number of hours, volunteer or take part in trainings each month to keep their food stamps. “It’s just totally unnecessary, and that’s why we’re working so hard to fight it,” said Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton.
Earlier this spring, a volunteer at Part of the Solution—a community resource center that fights poverty and hunger in the Bronx—fainted during a shift.
While assisting others in selecting groceries from the organization’s food pantry, the woman suddenly lost consciousness. Two staff members supported her and called for help.
As the woman was lifted into an ambulance, her biggest concern was whether the volunteer hours she’d put in that day would still count toward new work requirements she now has to meet to maintain her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or SNAP, otherwise known as food stamps.
“Imagine how important this SNAP program is to certain people—so much so that even when weighing their health today against the stability of having access to food, people say they can’t lose access to this,” Diego Padilla, director of external relations and communications at Part of the Solution, told City Limits when recalling the incident.
Logging volunteer hours is one way SNAP participants can comply with the Trump administration’s sweeping new work requirements for the program. The changes, passed by lawmakers last year, apply to people identified as Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs), including veterans, homeless people, youth aging out of foster care, and adults between 18 and 64.
The city’s Human Resources Administration (HRA), which administers SNAP locally, has identified 342,700 New Yorkers as ABAWDs. Of those, 126,400 must meet work requirements and are not exempt for reasons like a medical disability or pregnancy.
After a three-month grace period that began in March, New Yorkers who’ve failed to comply could start losing their benefits as of Monday, June 1. Just days before that deadline, officials said some 43,500 people—or 34 percent of the city’s SNAP recipients impacted by the changes—were at risk of losing their food assistance unless they can prove they have paid full-time, part-time or gig work, are volunteering or are participating in HRA-approved job training programs.
While the federal government says the changes “reflect the importance of work and responsibility,” local officials say the new rules will only worsen the city’s hunger crisis.
“It’s just totally unnecessary, and that’s why we’re working so hard to fight it,” said Erin Dalton, commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services, which oversees HRA.
The agency has been sending letters to impacted SNAP users, telling them what to do before they lose their benefits. In partnership with the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, HRA also launched a door-to-door campaign last month across the five boroughs, and has been getting the word out through elected officials’ offices and through other institutions, like the city’s hospitals and CUNY schools.
City Hall on Monday said those efforts helped around 223,000 local SNAP beneficiaries maintain their benefits.
But tens of thousands of others could still lose their coverage this month. According to officials, the majority of those with two “strikes” against them—meaning they’ve missed two months of compliance, and would lose benefits if they miss a third—live in Brooklyn (39 percent), followed by the Bronx (29 percent), Queens (16 percent), Manhattan (14 percent), and Staten Island (3 percent).
Officials estimate that young adults will be hit hardest, as they are less likely to be eligible for exemptions; around 40 percent of those deemed non-compliant are between 18 to 30 years old. The majority—65 percent—are single adults; another 35 percent are families with multiple members receiving benefits, the majority of whom will see a reduction in their monthly SNAP allotments, even if their cases aren’t closed entirely.
“These changes really put a strain on some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers, and essentially, will end up reducing people’s ability to feed themselves and increasing food insecurity,” said Zac Hall, senior vice president of programs at Food Bank For New York City.
“A lot of the research shows that work requirements on public benefit programs don’t actually increase employment,” Hall added. “They just reduce the number of people receiving benefits for which they are otherwise eligible.”
Officials emphasized that they will continue to inform and support impacted New Yorkers and those looking for re-enrollment, and urged them to contact HRA for assistance.
“It is not too late to do something to fix that; even if come June 1, somebody’s card doesn’t load, they should call us right away,” Commissioner Dalton said in an interview with City Limits.
Behind the scenes, social service organizations are scrambling to help their clients meet the new requirements. That includes finding them volunteer opportunities, and HRA is currently working with more than 100 organizations to place volunteers as part of this effort, officials said.
However, some nonprofits are overwhelmed by the influx of prospective volunteers, making it difficult for them to balance providing opportunities for their members with operating effectively.
“The changes [to SNAP] create a lot of extra work and frustration for us,” Padilla said. In a single day alone last week, Part of the Solution worked with 30 volunteers.
DSS Commissioner Dalton said the administration is looking for ways to ease some of the burden those organizations are bearing.
“We are extremely grateful to the community-based organizations who have signed on to be partners with us on this,” Dalton said. “This is new for everyone.”
If you’re a SNAP recipient who received a notice of noncompliance or have questions about your benefits, the city advises you to call HRA at (718)-SNAP-NOW (718-762-7669), check the Access HRA app, or visit nyc.gov/AccessHRA for information.