By: Joy Young

More than 14,000 D.C. residents will receive a temporary benefit increase in food assistance after the Give SNAP a Raise Act is implemented this month. JO

The increased amount will vary by the size and income of the households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. 

According to the DC Department of Human Services, the average SNAP recipient will collect an additional $47 beginning on  Feb. 23. Recipients will also receive retroactive payments for January.

 The act will also give $20 million to returning citizens, undocumented immigrants, and domestic workers, who are excluded from federal support programs, according to the DHS website. 

D.C. residents will receive about $40 million in SNAP increases. However, because the total amount of funding is capped, monthly payments may be reduced in September if funds run short. The benefits are available until September 2024 and will stop in October 2024.

The benefits are available until September 2024. However, the monthly payments may be reduced in September if the capped funds run short. The additional benefits will stop in October 2024. 

During the pandemic, the federal government allocated emergency funds for SNAP recipients. In March 2023, the emergency funding ended, and many D.C. families fell into deeper food insecurity, according to Janeese Lewis George, the councilwoman who founded the Give SNAP a Raise Act.  

Mayor Muriel Bowser did not initially agree to the act, citing WMATA and other budget concerns as alternatives for the $39.6 million budget surplus. The D.C. Council then wrote a letter to the mayor and her team, encouraging her to allow the bill to pass. 

 “Families in D.C. are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of food, running out of benefits in the middle of the month, and having to find their way,” Lewis George said in a public hearing.“This year, we hit a hunger cliff when Congress let extended SNAP benefits expire, causing families who were already stretched thin to lose $100 to $200 every month.” 

According to the latest United States Department of Agriculture hunger report, 32% of the DMV is food insecure. Of those residents, 44% are Black and 27% of residents are Hispanic.  

Leilani Majors, a D.C. resident, says her family of five has depended on SNAP benefits since she lost one of her two jobs in 2021.

“The pandemic was really hard on us, we relied on [SNAP] for a minute. When less money started coming in, we had to go to food banks to get what we needed,” she said. 

The act was introduced to fill the gap created by the relief funding cut, helping families transition to smaller monthly payments. The D.C. Council legally required the mayor to use the budget surplus to satisfy the SNAP increase. 

“We urge you to reconsider your decision, respect the budget that the Council passed and you signed, and direct DHS to prioritize timely implementation of the SNAP increase,” they wrote.“As we enter the holiday season, residents will learn that this sorely needed support is no longer on the horizon.” 

 Despite not supporting the bill, Bowser decided to pass it. 

 “I continue to be concerned about a budget maneuver that I think is not a good idea. But, the council has indicated that they would sue us, and they’re not interested in talking about alternatives,” Bowser said in a press release in December. 

However, there are concerns that some will not be notified of their extra benefits. 

John “JL” Hughes, a SNAP recipient since June 2023, said he does not receive much city correspondence because he does not have a permanent address. He relies on public libraries or friends’ technology to check his account.  

“It’s a struggle for more people than you think. It’s easy to miss stuff when you’re bouncing from place to place,” he said. 

Brittni Saafir-Calloway, a DHS Representative, said the district tries to ensure everyone is informed.

“We send multiple letters to the address that the person applied with, whether it’s a shelter or a temporary address,” she said. “We have a portal where you can check your account, and when you call the DHS number, there’s a prerecorded message about the SNAP increase for those who might have missed it.”