SNAP food benefits have resumed, but new work requirements could push millions off assistance in California

Food banks are scrambling to keep up with a continued surge in demand as Bay Area families are still recovering from lapses in federal food benefits triggered by the cabinet shutdown The need could grow even greater as millions nationwide stand to lose benefits once new work requirements kick in next month Grocery prices meanwhile are still rising adding to the strain on multiple lower-income households I m struggling I ve got three boys stated Luis Barragan while waiting in line outside a busy food pantry in East Oakland Barragan declared he s yet to receive his food benefits this month and has had to cut back on groceries Heading into Thanksgiving hunger relief groups are rushing to fill gaps left by disruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Undertaking at a time when they would normally be focused on planning their annual holiday food drives We re almost serving the same number of people as during the pandemic We just have a lot fewer support than we had then revealed Leslie Bacho executive director of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley The nonprofit serves around people each month in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties In current weeks Second Harvest tallied a increase in visits to its online portal for finding food distribution sites Even after SNAP benefits resumed earlier this month the number of people seeking aid remains well above what s expected for this time of year Bacho and functionaries at other food banks revealed During the shutdown Trump administration functionaries paused benefits for the million Americans about in who receive federal food aid In the Bay Area more than residents or rely on SNAP With the -day shutdown over the greater part SNAP recipients are now receiving their November payments which in California average per household Next month s disbursements are expected to arrive without issue state personnel reported But expanded work requirements enacted by President Donald Trump s One Big Beautiful Bill are set to start next month raising fears that low-income households across the country soon could lose assistance According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office the average monthly number of SNAP recipients is estimated to drop about million over the next decade That s something we re bracing for stated Michael Altfest locality engagement director at the Alameda County Public Food Bank adding the shutdown gave us a little bit of a sign of what s to come Already multiple low-income people enrolled in SNAP are required to work volunteer or be in school or a job-training operation The rules had applied only to recipients aged to without a physical or mental disability and who don t have dependents The new law extends the requirements to healthy recipients aged to and to adults with children aged or older An able-bodied recipient generally must work or participate in school or job training for an average of hours each week Those who don t meet the work mandates can only collect benefits for three months out of every three years The law also repeals work exemptions for homeless people veterans and young adults exiting foster care and limits states ability to waive the time limits on assistance for recipients in areas with sparse jobs The California Department of Social Services which administers SNAP benefits through the CalFresh project did not share how it may respond to a rush of residents losing assistance but explained state leaders remain committed to ensuring vulnerable Californians have access to the food aid they need to the greatest extent attainable The law s Republican supporters contend the changes will save taxpayer dollars by eliminating fraud and ensuring that only those who absolutely need benefits receive them Lance Christensen vice president of leadership affairs for the California Plan Center a conservative think tank argued the SNAP initiative has created a strong disincentive for multiple to seek out work They realize that if they make too much money they ll lose benefits and the funding that will be there for them will solely not be there anymore he announced An analysis by the U S Census Bureau uncovered that in more than three-quarters of families receiving SNAP had at least one person working and about one-third had two or more workers Around of SNAP participants are children are elderly and are nonelderly people with a disability according to the U S Department of Agriculture For Barragan the father from Oakland what he earns working the night shift at a grocery warehouse is barely enough to pay for the rent for his studio apartment and meals for his three sons ages and Related Articles What to know about work requirements about to kick in for SNAP in Californians have cut back on food to save money survey finds South Bay tech hub struggling with hunger under SNAP uncertainty Supreme Court extends order blocking full SNAP payments with shutdown potentially near an end Uncertainty looms in Bay Area amid workable end to executive shutdown With his SNAP payment still pending this month Barragan made sure to arrive on time at the food pantry after his shift ended at a warehouse in San Francisco He picked up a bag of pears four boxes of macaroni and cheese a large red bell pepper and frozen vegetable samosas along with other items to prepare for his sons Barragan noted he s unsure how he ll be able to afford to feed his family if his benefits don t arrive soon Now everything is so expensive he declared Food prices which surged in the wake of the COVID- pandemic have kept climbing this year amid new tariffs on imported goods rising about nationwide during the months ending in September according to federal records Since the onset of the pandemic in March U S food prices have soared by about While SNAP benefits are adjusted for inflation they do not reflect the varying cost of living across the greater part states Bacho with Second Harvest Silicon Valley encouraged communities to make financial donations to local food banks to help their neighbors shoulder those costs While participants and donations are crucial during this time of year she declared hunger-relief groups are reliably eager for endorsement after the holidays especially this year given the impending work requirements The need exists all year round she noted