#SNAPMatters: Increased number of SNAP applicants in Arkansas

In a story from the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette from on April 14, the Alliance’s Director of Advocacy Tomiko Townley spoke about the barriers facing SNAP applicants and other Arkansans seeking benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“Caseworkers are doing all they can do, and now they’re having a massive increase in applications,” [Tomiko Townley] said. “In addition to that, there are all these new requirements put on them by the new rules the federal government has passed in measures to deal with the pandemic.”

 

The complications build on one another, Townley said. Applicants who qualify for the nutrition program automatically qualify for other programs such as low-income energy assistance, which is designed to help people save on energy costs by better insulating their homes.

 

If people don’t get food benefits, then they also would have to apply separately for the energy program, she said.

To read the article in full, visit: https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2020/apr/14/food-benefit-requests-soar/