Resource Limit Increase for Newly Applying Families That Include a Senior/Disabled Member

A new Food Stamp Policy Update is now available from Hunger Solutions New York concerning an increase in the resource limit for families with senior and disabled members.

NYS has released GIS 12TA/DC001 informing food stamp offices across the state that the resource limit for food stamp families with an elderly or disabled member has increased starting October 1, 20011. The limit is now set at $3,250 up from the previous limit of $3,000.

This new increase in the resource limit only affects families with a senior or disabled member who:

• are NOT categorically eligible for the food stamp program and,
• are currently applying for food stamp benefits, or
• applied between October 1, 2011 and January 3, 2012.

Most families in NYS which include a senior or disabled member no longer need to meet a resource limit because of the expansion of Categorical Eligibility back in 2007.

Webinar: New Healthier School Meal Standards: What You Need to Know

From the Food Research and Action Center:

New Healthier School Meal Standards: What You Need to Know
February 2, 1:00 p.m. EST
Register here.

Now that the school meal standards are out, learn what you need to know about the new rule, implementation timeline, and process.  

  

Join FRAC and USDA for a webinar to learn more about this important opportunity for our nation’s children and how you can play a part in making the new standards a success.

New Standards for School Meals Released

From the USDA: 

USDA Unveils Historic Improvements to Meals Served in America’s Schools

New Standards Will Improve the Health and Wellbeing of 32 Million Kids Nationwide

First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today unveiled new standards for school meals that will result in healthier meals for kids across the nation. The new meal requirements will raise standards for the first time in more than fifteen years and improve the health and nutrition of nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day. The healthier meal requirements are a key component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was championed by the First Lady as part of her Let’s Move! campaign and signed into law by President Obama. 

Read more from the USDA press release

Read a preview of the Federal Register's Final Rule

Learn more on at our Child Nutrition Center/Related Tools and Resources page

 

Food stamps a necessary lifeline

By Stacy Dean, Special to CNN
updated 1:28 PM EST, Thu January 19, 2012

Editor's note: Stacy Dean is the vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank that focuses on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income people.

CNN) -- In their attacks on the food stamp program, some Republican presidential candidates are leaving a deeply misleading impression of the nation's leading anti-hunger program. No one aspires to enroll, but for those who must, it is an essential lifeline that addresses one of the harshest impacts of poverty and unemployment -- hunger.

The food stamp program, now officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), provides about 46 million Americans in about 22 million low-income households with debit cards to buy food each month. Participants include families with adults who work in low-wage jobs, unemployed workers and people on fixed incomes, such as Social Security. About three-fourths of SNAP recipients live in households with children; more than one-quarter live in households with seniors or people with disabilities.

SNAP reduces poverty while providing people with much-needed help to buy food. The program kept more than 5 million people out of poverty in 2010 and lessened the severity of poverty for millions of others, under a measure of poverty that counts SNAP benefits as income.

SNAP is also highly efficient, with one of the most rigorous quality control systems of any public benefit program. In 2010, only 3 percent of payments went to ineligible households or to eligible households in excessive amounts. Payment accuracy has been improving in the past few years, despite a large increase in SNAP enrollment.

While some have attributed that enrollment increase to Obama administration policies -- Newt Gingrich has termed President Barack Obama the "food stamp president" -- in reality it has two main causes that have little to do with this administration.

read rest of article

Polling Data Find Broad Support for SNAP Among Voters

From the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC):

FRAC released today new data from a poll conducted for FRAC by Hart Research Associates over the last few days showing: overwhelming concern by voters about hunger as a serious problem; overwhelming support for the food stamp program (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP); and overwhelming opposition to food stamp cuts.

These findings are true among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. FRAC’s press release summarizes the findings, including:

• Seventy-seven percent of voters say cutting food stamps is the wrong way to reduce spending and only 15 percent favor cutting such assistance.
• The opposition to cutting food stamps crossed party lines: 92 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Independents, and 63 percent of Republicans say this is the wrong way to reduce spending.
• Only nine percent of those polled said they would be more likely to support a candidate who favors cutting funds for the food stamp program; half said they would be less likely.
• Opposition to food stamp cuts is even more overwhelming than in polling data FRAC released in November 2010, when 71 percent said it was the wrong way to cut spending.
• Voters are broadly concerned about the nation’s hunger problem: 81 percent say that low-income families and children not being able to afford enough food to eat is a serious problem.

The press release, Hart Research memo summarizing the results, and poll results can be found on FRAC’s website.

Hunger Solutions New York Applauds Governor Cuomo for Food Stamp Program Initiative in State Budget Proposal

Albany, NY -- Governor Andrew Cuomo stated his commitment to make sure that no child in New York goes to bed hungry in his annual State of the State address earlier this month. In addition, he made a commitment to increase participation in the Food Stamp Program. Today, he followed through on this commitment by increasing the state's investment in food stamp outreach in his FY 2012-2013 budget proposal.

"We commend Governor Cuomo for his increased investment in food stamp outreach and we are eager to work with him to achieve his goal," said Linda Phelan Bopp. Bopp is executive director of Hunger Solutions New York, a statewide organization that manages the state and federally-funded Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP).  NOEP funding was increased by $1 million in the governor's budget which will enable the food stamp outreach program to nearly double its efforts across New York State.

Click here to read our full press release.

Click here to learn more about governor Cuomo's budget proposal.

Job Opportunity at Hunger Solutions New York

Communications Specialist

Statewide anti-hunger organization seeks new media and communications specialist for Albany-based position.  The communications specialist will assist in food stamp benefit outreach and applicant assistance efforts in Nassau and Suffolk counties as part of a collaborative project. Join a team dedicated to helping hungry New Yorkers enroll in the Food Stamp Program. Our organization needs someone who can work independently but collaborate well as part of a team. The ideal candidate will be good at multi-tasking and be able to work well under tight deadlines.

Main Job Tasks and Responsibilities

•  Develop and implement new/social media strategy to raise awareness of the Food Stamp Program on Long Island.
• Develop content and implement web-based advertising strategies.
• Develop messaging to raise awareness of nutrition assistance programs.
• Staff bi-lingual "Help Line" fielding calls from Long Islanders seeking assistance applying for food stamps.

Education and Skills

• Associates degree with 2 years communications or marketing experience
• Excellent written and communications skills
• Excellent phone manners
• Extensive experience with Microsoft Office
• Experience and use of social media platforms such as facebook, twitter and google+
• Familiarity with working with multiple media including print, radio and advertising
• General marketing experience
• Familiarity with poverty issues
• Familiarity of project's target populations of newly unemployed, older adults, immigrants, and single heads of households working poor families.

Candidates who have the following experience are strongly encouraged to apply:

• extensive social media campaign experience
• experience with Constant Contact email marketing, Abobe Creative Suite or Concrete 5 web editing
• English-Spanish bilingual

Reports to:  Director, Advocacy and Communications

Salary:

$30,000 + Fully paid company benefits, including health, dental, life, short and long-term disability. Company matched retirement plan is available after 6 months of employment. Other options available.

To be considered for this position, please email your resume, two writing samples and 3 professional references to jobs@HungerSolutionsNY.org no later than January 27, 2012.

Governor Cuomo Promises to Expand Food Stamp Outreach, End Child Hunger in New York State

In Governor Andrew Cuomo's annual State of the State address today, he made particular note of child hunger across the state, expanding food stamp outreach and ending finger imaging requirements for applicants. Here is the quote directly from his statement made to more than 2,000 people in Albany:

No Child Should Go to Bed Hungry in New York

For all of our progress, there are still basic wrongs to right.
There is never an excuse for letting any child in New York go
to bed hungry. Statewide, 1 in 6 children live in homes
without enough food on the table. Yet 30 percent of New
Yorkers eligible for food stamps — over 1.4 million people —
do not receive them, leaving over $1 billion in federal funds
unclaimed every year. We must increase participation in the
food stamp program, remove barriers to participation, and
eliminate the stigma associated with this program. And we
must stop fingerprinting for food. No child should go hungry
in the great State of New York and we will do all that we can
to prevent it.

Hunger Solutions New York manages on of the country's largest food stamp outreach programs in the nation. The state and federally funded Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP), present in only 36 counties, helps 25,000 households enroll in the Food Stamp Program annually. We look forward to working with Governor Cuomo on his goal of expanding enrollment in the Food Stamp Program to all who are eligible.

Read the full address here.

New York Times Joins Chorus Calling for End to Finger Imaging for Food Stamp Benefits

This week, The New York Times published an excellent editorial denouncing New York City's policy of requiring finger imaging of food stamp applicants.

Stigmatizing Food Stamps
Published: January 1, 2012

Five years ago, New York State stopped requiring that all applicants for food stamps be electronically fingerprinted. Recently, California and Texas ended their requirement, leaving New York City and Arizona the only jurisdictions to continue the stigmatizing requirement. 

Click here to read more...