from cleveland.com: Who will be impacted by SNAP cuts? – In Ohio, a lot of workers and families with children

By Zachary Smith

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in March will impact hundreds of thousands of Ohio households of all backgrounds, from older Ohioans and married couples to two-worker households and those with disabilities, according to the latest census estimates.

From ahead of the pandemic in 2019 to 2021, Ohio saw an increase of 57,474 households to 620,000 who, at one point or another during the year, relied on SNAP, previously known as food stamps, amounting to 13% of the state, according to the census estimates. That’s roughly 1-in-8 households statewide.

In November, according to the latest data available from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, that number stood at 738,000 households. Those remaining on the program will lose at least some of their benefits starting in March, typically amounting to about $100 extra a month. This is because the federal government is ending a special pandemic program.

Each household is different and is faced with different circumstances. The census estimates provide a look at who these people are:

• 34.8% of Ohio households that use SNAP have at least one person who is 60 years or older. In Clermont, Geauga and Lake counties, more than half of SNAP households have someone 60 years or older.
• 19.5% of these households have a married couple. In Delaware, Medina and Warren counties, more than a third of the recipients are married couples.
• 46.8% have these households include children. Medina County has the highest share with these households, accounting for 62.2% of those on SNAP.
• 75.1% have one more worker in the household. Only in Columbiana, Scioto and Trumbull counties do more than a third of SNAP households not have someone working in the home.
• Among SNAP households, 11.4% include workers for private for-profit companies, 8.7% for non-profits, 6.1% for local governments, 5.1% for the state government and 9.4% for the federal government.
• Among families led by single adults, female householders are more likely to be on SNAP. These account for 28.6% of the recipients, compared to single men at 5%. This is especially true in Erie, Franklin, Hamilton, Licking, Lorain, and Ross counties, where more than a third of the SNAP families are female-led households.
• Based on poverty status, almost an equal share of households are on SNAP benefits, no matter if they are below the poverty level (48.7%) or at or above it (51.3%).
• 49.7% have at least one person with a disability, despite only 27% of households in the state having someone with a disability. However, this is the only statistic in this list where there is a decrease in recipients from 2019.
• While only 11.9% of the state is Black, Black households account for 28.3% of those on SNAP. In Cuyahoga County, the county with the largest Black population in Ohio, this is 53.5%. In Hamilton County, it is 61.5%, the highest in the state.

Like every other state, Ohio saw a considerable boost in SNAP benefits at the beginning and throughout the pandemic, thanks to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. On average, people saw about a $100 increase in their benefits, amounting to an additional $120 million per month in federal funds in Ohio.

While multiple studies have shown that the increase in SNAP benefits helped curb hunger during and after the initial lockdown in March 2020, many Republican-led states withdrew from SNAP benefits enhancements early. However, Ohio was not one of them.

Still, the pandemic-era funding nationwide is coming to an end in March under the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed by Congress in December. This will amount to an estimated loss of $23 million in Cuyahoga County alone, affecting nearly 212,000 people with cuts ranging from $95 to hundreds of dollars a month.

This is partly because recipients will no longer automatically receive the maximum benefits they qualify for, with many qualifying for minimum benefits in the $10-$20 range beginning in March.

SNAP recipients can check if they are receiving the most benefits they can by calling 866-386-3071 or visiting ssp.benefits.ohio.gov. The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland says SNAP recipients should contact their county’s department of Job and Family Services to make them aware of all their expenses. These include recurring medical costs over $35 a month, childcare, transportation and any increases in rent or mortgage costs.

Additionally, SNAP dollars can be stretched further with Produce Perks, where every $1 of SNAP spent on fruits and vegetables provides an additional $1 for produce, up to $25. Produce Perks can be used at Dave’s Markets and some farmers’ markets.

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Source: cleveland.com - Just who are these people on SNAP about to see cuts in food stamp help? In Ohio, a lot of workers and families with children