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To help stop the spread of COVID-19, many HRA locations are consolidating until further notice. If your needs cannot be met by ACCESS HRA, call 311 or consult the HRA Locations page for more information.
All in-person HRA appointments have been cancelled. No negative actions will be taken on your case. See everything you can do online on ACCESS HRA
Learn more about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency.
Recertifications for SNAP and Cash Assistance are POSTPONED due to COVID-19. If you have a recertification currently scheduled or one that is coming due, you DO NOT need to recertify and your benefits will continue. You will get a letter at a later date telling you when to recertify.
Please be aware that unscrupulous individuals may use COVID-19 as an opportunity to create a scam in order to steal your personal information. Learn more about this Potential Fraud Scam Alert.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as 'food stamps') provides food assistance for nearly 1.8 million low-income New Yorkers including families, people who are aging and people with disabilities. The program helps families and individuals supplement the cost of their diet with nutritious foods.
How to Apply
- You can apply online on ACCESS HRA. Read the user guide for ACCESS HRA.
- You can call our Infoline at 718-557-1399 to have an application mailed to you
- You can pick up an application at one of our SNAP centers
- SNAP Applicants can fax an application to MARU at 917-639-1111.
- You can also print out an application and drop off at a SNAP center:
SNAP Benefits Application (LDSS-4826):- العربية | 中文
Eligibility Factors
Here is a list of documents you may need to determine your eligibility for SNAP (W-129G):
- View in Large Print:
- View Screen Reader version:
- Listen to Audio version:
Returning Documents
Need to return documents for your application? Here's a list of community partners who can help:
- اردو | Polski
You can can also submit documents using the ACCESS HRA app.
SNAP On-Demand
Beginning March 1, 2018, NEW SNAP clients no longer have to wait for DSS/HRA to call them at a scheduled time to complete their interview. After they submit their application, clients can now call DSS/HRA at 718-SNAP-NOW (718-762-7669) anytime between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday, for an 'on-demand' interview, which will reduce the uncertainty of applying for SNAP and give clients more flexibility. On-demand interviews are now available for all SNAP clients citywide.
Shop for Groceries Online with your SNAP Benefits
Did you know that you can now use your Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to shop online for fresh produce and groceries?
Learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some SNAP Frequently Asked Questions.
Recertification
![Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program](http://dhs.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dhs/SNAP2.jpg)
Instructions for recertifying for SNAP via phone (BRC-901D):
- View in Large Print:
- View Screen Reader version:
- Listen to Audio version:
Recertifying for SNAP via IVRS (BRC-901C):
- View in Large Print:
FoodHelp NYC Locator
Visit our Food Assistance map for locations of food pantries and community kitchens in the five boroughs.
Forms and Brochures
Need a Client Consent Form for DSS Case Inquiries?
SNAP Need to Know Brochure (BRC-100):
- View Large Print version:
- View Screen Reader version:
- Listen to Audio version:
Emergency Food Assistance
For information about emergency food program locations and hours of operation please call the Emergency FoodLine at 866-888-8777. This is an automated hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Check out our FoodHelp NYC Locator for a map of food assistance locations.
Want to work with HRA to provide food assistance? Find information on becoming a food provider.
Expedited Benefits
You may be able to get Expedited Processing if:
- Your household has less than $100 in cash or other available resources and will have less than $150 overall during the month that you apply, or
- Your combined income and available resources in the month of application are less than the sum of your rent or mortgage plus heat, utilities and phone, or
- At least one person in the household is a destitute migrant or seasonal farm worker and his/her cash and bank accounts are not more than $100.
For more information call HRA's Infoline at 718-557-1399.
Health Bucks
Health Bucks is a seasonal program that allows SNAP recipients to earn $2 coupons for every $5 spent on their EBT cards at farmer's markets. Learn more about the program, which is run jointly with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
SNAP logoIn the, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP), formerly yet still commonly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for. It is a federal aid program, administered by the under the (FNS), though benefits are distributed by specific departments of U.S. Division of Social Services, Department of Health and Human Services, etc.).SNAP benefits supplied roughly 40 million Americans in 2018, at an expenditure of $57.1 billion.
Approximately 9.2% of American households obtained SNAP benefits at some point during 2017, with approximately 16.7% of all children living in households with SNAP benefits. Beneficiaries and costs increased sharply with the, peaked in 2013 and have declined through 2017 as the economy recovered.
It is the largest nutrition program of the and is a key component of the social safety net for low-income Americans.The amount of SNAP benefits received by a household depends on the household's size, income, and expenses. For most of its history, the program used paper-denominated 'stamps' or coupons – worth $1 (brown), $5 (blue), and $10 (green) – bound into booklets of various denominations, to be torn out individually and used in single-use exchange. Because of their 1:1 value ratio with actual currency, the coupons were printed by the. Their rectangular shape resembled a (although about one-half the size), including printing on high-quality paper with.
In the late 1990s, the Food Stamp Program was revamped, with some states phasing out actual stamps in favor of a specialized debit card system known as (EBT), provided by private contractors. EBT has been implemented in all states since June 2004.
Each month, SNAP benefits are directly deposited into the household's EBT card account. Households may use EBT to pay for food at supermarkets, convenience stores, and other food retailers, including certain.
Blue stamps bought only surplus foods—dairy products, eggs, citrus fruits, prunes, and fresh vegetables.The idea for the first food stamp program has been credited to various people, most notably and the program's first administrator, Milo Perkins. Of the program, Perkins said, 'We got a picture of a gorge, with farm surpluses on one cliff and under-nourished city folks with outstretched hands on the other. We set out to find a practical way to build a bridge across that chasm.' The program operated by permitting people on to buy orange stamps equal to their normal food expenditures; for every $1 of orange stamps purchased, 50 cents' worth of blue stamps were received. Orange stamps could be used to buy any food; blue stamps could be used only to buy food determined by the department to be surplus.Over the course of nearly four years, the first FSP reached approximately 20 million people in nearly half of the counties in the United States at a total cost of $262 million. At its peak, the program assisted an estimated four million people. The first recipient was Mabel McFiggin of; the first retailer to redeem the stamps was Joseph Mutolo; and the first retailer caught violating program rules was Nick Salzano in October 1939.
The program ended when the conditions that brought the program into being—unmarketable food surpluses and widespread —ceased to exist. Pilot Food Stamp Program (1961–1964) The 18 years between the end of the first FSP and the inception of the next were filled with studies, reports, and legislative proposals.
Prominent US senators actively associated with attempts to enact a food stamp program during this period included,. From 1954 on, US strove to pass food-stamp program legislation.On September 21, 1959, 86-341 authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to operate a food-stamp system through January 31, 1962.
The Administration never used the authority. However, in fulfillment of a campaign promise made in, President 's first Executive Order called for expanded food distribution and, on February 2, 1961, he announced that food stamp pilot programs would be initiated.
The pilot programs would retain the requirement that the food stamps be purchased, but eliminated the concept of special stamps for surplus foods. A Department spokesman indicated the emphasis would be on increasing the consumption of perishables.Of the program, US Representative of asserted, '.the Department of Agriculture seemed bent on outlining a possible food stamp plan of such scope and magnitude, involving some 25 million persons, as to make the whole idea seem ridiculous and tear food stamp plans to smithereens.' Food Stamp Act of 1964 The $75 million to 350,000 individuals in 40 counties and three cities. The measure drew overwhelming support from Democrats, 90 percent from urban areas, 96 percent from the suburbs, and 87 percent from rural areas.
Republican lawmakers opposed the initial measure: only 12 percent of urban Republicans, 11 percent from the suburbs, and 5 percent from rural areas voted affirmatively. President hailed food stamps as 'a realistic and responsible step toward the fuller and wiser use of an agricultural abundance'.Rooted in congressional, the act was part of a larger appropriation that raised price supports for cotton and wheat. Rural lawmakers supported the program so that their urban colleagues would not dismantle farm subsidies. Food stamps, along with /, and the, were foremost among the growing.President Johnson called for a permanent food-stamp program on January 31, 1964, as part of his ' platform introduced at the State of the Union a few weeks earlier. Agriculture Secretary submitted the legislation on April 17, 1964. The bill eventually passed by was H.R.
10222, introduced by Congresswoman Sullivan. One of the members on the who voted against the FSP in Committee was then Representative, of Kansas. Average number of persons participating in the SNAP, 2000–2016. SNAP benefits cost since the 1960sAmounts paid to program beneficiaries rose from $28.6 billion in 2005 to $76 billion in 2013, falling back to $66.6 billion by 2016. This increase was due to the high unemployment rate (leading to higher SNAP participation) and the increased benefit per person with the passing of. SNAP average monthly benefits increased from $96.18 per person to $133.08 per person. Other program costs, which include the Federal share of State administrative expenses, Nutrition Education, and Employment and Training, amounted to roughly $3.7 million in 2013.
There were cuts into the program's budget introduced in 2014 that were estimated to save $8.6 billion over 10 years. Some of the states are looking for measures within the states to balance the cuts, so they would not affect the recipients of the federal aid program. Health A 2018 study found that toddlers and preschoolers in households with access to food stamps had better health outcomes at ages 6–16 than similar children who did not have access to food stamps. A 2019 study found, 'higher participation in SNAP is associated with lower overall and male suicide rates.
Increasing SNAP participation by one standard deviation (4.5% of the state population) during the study period could have saved the lives of approximately 31,600 people overall and 24,800 men.' Food security and insecurity While SNAP participants and other low-income nonparticipants spend similar amounts on food spending, SNAP participants tend to still experience greater than nonparticipants. This is believed to be a reflection of the welfare of individuals who take the time to apply for SNAP benefits rather than the shortcomings of SNAP. Households facing the greatest hardships are the most likely to bear the burden of applying for program benefits. Therefore, SNAP participants tend to be, on average, less food secure than other low-income nonparticipants.by more food-needy households into SNAP makes it difficult to observe positive effects on from survey data, but data such as average income can be compared. Statistical models that control for this suggest that SNAP receipt reduces the likelihood of being food insecure and very food insecure by roughly 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
Crime A 2019 study in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy found that a lifetime food stamp ban (as implemented by the ) for convicted drug felons led to greater recidivism. The study found that this applied in particular for financially motivated crimes, which the authors said suggested 'that the cut in benefits causes ex-convicts to return to crime to make up for the lost transfer income.' Poverty Because SNAP is a means-tested entitlement program, participation rates are closely related to the number of individuals living in in a given period. In periods of economic, SNAP enrollment tends to increase and in periods of prosperity, SNAP participation tends to be lower. Unemployment is therefore also related to SNAP participation. However, data shows that poverty and SNAP participation levels have continued to rise following the 2008 recession, even though unemployment rates have leveled off. Poverty levels are the strongest correlates for program participation.A 2016 study found that SNAP benefits lead to greater expenditures on housing, transportation, and education by beneficiaries.
SNAP is closely related to poverty and unemployment Income maintenance The purpose of the Food Stamp Program as laid out in its implementation was to assist low-income households in obtaining adequate and nutritious diets. According to, a sociologist whose work involved evaluation of social programs, 'the program rests on the assumption that households with restricted incomes may skimp on food purchases and live on diets that are inadequate in quantity and quality, or, alternatively skimp on other necessities to maintain an adequate diet'.
Food stamps, as many like Rossi, MacDonald, and Eisinger contend, are used not only for increasing food but also as income maintenance. Income maintenance is money that households are able to spend on other things because they no longer have to spend it on food. According to various studies shown by Rossi, because of income maintenance only about $0.17–$0.47 more is being spent on food for every food stamp dollar than was spent prior to individuals receiving food stamps. Diet quality Studies are inconclusive as to whether SNAP has a direct effect on the nutritional quality of food choices made by participants. Unlike other federal programs that provide food subsidies, i.e. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), SNAP does not have nutritional standards for purchases. Critics of the program suggest that this lack of structure represents a missed opportunity for public health advancement and cost containment.
In April 2013, the USDA research body, the (ERS), published a study that examined diet quality in SNAP participants compared to low-income nonparticipants. The study revealed a difference in diet quality between SNAP participants and low-income nonparticipants, finding that SNAP participants score slightly lower on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) than nonparticipants.
The study also concluded that SNAP increases the likelihood that participants will consume whole fruit by 23 percentage points. However, the analysis also suggests that SNAP participation decreases participants' intake of dark green and orange vegetables by a modest amount.A 2016 study found no evidence that SNAP increased expenditures on tobacco by beneficiaries. Macroeconomic effect The USDA's explains: 'SNAP is a government assistance program—it provides assistance to more low-income households during an economic downturn or recession and to fewer households during an economic expansion. The rise in SNAP participation during an economic downturn results in greater SNAP expenditures which, in turn, stimulate the economy.' In 2011, gave a statement regarding SNAP benefits: 'Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity.'
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