It’s been over a month now since new work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have gone into effect — and they impact thousands in the Valley.
Local leaders say most people aren’t having trouble meeting the requirements, but the rising price of food has many seeking help.
Who is affected?
As of Feb. 1, under President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” some groups previously exempt from work requirements must now work 80 hours a month or pursue educational or training opportunities, or they’re subject to losing benefits.
Audrey Morales, director of Mahoning County Job and Family Services, says those groups include veterans, adults ages 55 to 64, parents with children ages 14 to 18, people experiencing homelessness and young adults aging out of the foster care system.
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“It’s going to affect at least 38,311 recipients in the Mahoning Valley, under the new requirements,” Morales said.
According to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, work means paid employment or unpaid work, such as working for goods and services or as a volunteer.
Each month a recipient fails to work is called a “countable month.” After three countable months in a 36-month period, a recipient will lose SNAP benefits and must wait 36 months to apply again.
Laura McCulty Stepp, operating and programs director for the St. Vincent de Paul Northeast Ohio District Council, says she’s concerned about people losing benefits.
“I’m very worried about what’s going to happen when they’re losing those benefits for three years, because your life is going to change dramatically in two years, and to say that ‘I’ve been cut off for the three years,’ and maybe you are in dire circumstances a year from now. So, I worry about that in saying you can’t even come back and apply for it,” Stepp said.
Stepp says for those living in generational poverty, there are many barriers to not only getting jobs but getting to them — especially for those who have never had one.
“So many of the job searches you have to apply online, and not everybody has access to a computer, has access to the internet,” Stepp said. “If they are able to get a job, how are they going to get transportation to get to the job? And childcare is a barrier. Goodwill has done a lot of research on what the largest barriers to care are in the Mahoning Valley, and they identified childcare and transportation as those issues.”
Jobs and Family Services have been notifying clients about the changes since Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill passed in the summer. Morales says most people affected were already working, and those who weren’t seem to be finding work okay.
“Most of the people are working; they just have to meet that minimum. The ones that are not — I haven’t heard a lot. Our employees have to explain the situation to them, and most people are on board with what they have to do,” Morales said.
Morales says of the groups no longer exempt, senior citizens and parents seem to be the most affected.
“Some of the groups that would be affected are the elderly that did not have to meet those requirements with the age change, and then parents with children,” Morales said. “That makes a difference.”
Morales says for anyone struggling with employment, Jobs and Family Services can point them in the right direction.
“We have a department, a unit, called our work group, and they refer them to different work sites, and by all means, we’re looking for work sites,” Morales said. “We will refer to different agencies. OhioMeansJobs helps us with training to make sure the people have the training they need to be work-ready.”
Rising need for food assistance
Even as SNAP recipients meet work requirements, many people in the Valley continue to struggle to make ends meet.
“The amount of money people get in food stamps is not very much to begin with, and with the cost of groceries going up, it doesn’t go as far as it used to,” Stepp said. “We have people that come in that are working a couple jobs, and they’re still at poverty level.”
At St. Vincent de Paul in Warren, Stepp says more people have been reaching out for help.
“We recently started a food box distribution program, too. In February, we gave boxes to 126 families — enough to make more than 3,000 meals, and of those families, about 50 of those were new families, new to us, and I think about 20 of them, according to Second Harvest data, were new to Second Harvest,” Stepp said.
Second Harvest Foodbank of the Mahoning Valley provides food to pantries and agencies in Mahoning, Columbiana and Trumbull counties. Last year, it distributed over 9.7 million pounds of food.
Renee Fuller, associate director at Second Harvest, says she’s also seen the growing demand.
“Our numbers are still staying steady. Normally, after the holidays, the numbers start to drop. Ours have not in our area, which is scary,” Fuller said. “Now, when you think of not just the work requirements and other things they may go through, what’s going up right now? Gas. Transportation is a problem a lot of times as it is — add that extra cost of gas in, and there’s only so much in your budget to work with.”
Fuller says while Second Harvest doesn’t deal with SNAP directly, she’s noticed more uncertainty surrounding SNAP since the government shutdown in the fall. She says any change can be scary.
“People were calling because they were trying to be proactive, and they were all so very scared and nervous, ‘What do we do if we don’t have our benefits?’ I think that’s carrying over even now today as we speak,” Fuller said. “It’s a concern for someone who is trying to figure out, ‘How do I do this on my income, and what else can I do so that I can still have food for my family?'”
What resources are available?
Mahoning and Trumbull counties are home to dozens of pantries and organizations helping food-insecure people.
St. Vincent de Paul Society
St. Vincent de Paul Society has locations in Youngstown and Warren. They not only provide food through their dining halls but can help with transportation, rental assistance, clothing and more. Plus, Stepp says they’re in the process of developing programs to help people with employment.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to help more people in the community, so they won’t actually need to have help for the food program. We just requested money from the state to expand our workforce readiness program so we can help more people in the community,” Stepp said.
St. Vincent de Paul in Warren is located at 540 Main Ave. SW. In Youngstown, it’s located at 430 Williamson Ave. More information on services and hours can be found online.
ACTION
For those without access to transportation, the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods (ACTION) in Youngstown brings food to the community. It has two mobile markets in the Valley — one in Mahoning County and one in Trumbull County.
ACTION’s executive assistant, Samantha Fox, says through a partnership with Flying High, the markets travel to areas lacking grocery stores and provide affordable, fresh food to anyone interested. Plus, discounts are available.
“You spend $25, they take $10. You spend $10, they take $5 off. So, you really are getting more value for your money,” Fox said. “A lot of the produce that’s on the trucks is locally grown. Flying High does have a farm within the city where they grow a lot of their vegetables, and then there’s a farmer they get a lot of their meats from.”
The markets take cash, Apply Pay, debit and credit, as well as SNAP/EBT cards.
Fox says they’ve recently seen a slight increase in people shopping at the mobile markets, which she attributes to their lower prices.
“Now seeing that the community is seeing that the prices on the truck are a lot cheaper than they are in the store, the numbers have gone up just a little bit, but they have gone up,” Fox said.
To see the mobile markets’ schedules, call ACTION at 330-409-1799 or head to its website.
Glenwood Fresh Market
On the South Side, the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation operates the Glenwood Fresh Market.
To read the full article from WKBN, click here.
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