After losing their qualification for food stamp, almost 50,000 Hoosiers are currently looking for a job. All able-bodied adults without children in Indiana will no longer benefit from food stamps if they are not employed or if they are not attending an educational program. In fact it will not be legal anymore as reported in Fox59.
After the recession in 2008, Indiana decided to remove the requirement that forced food stamp recipients to work. This was a federal requirement implemented in 1996 by the passage of The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Since the economy is back on its feet, the requirement is once again imposed in Indiana.
Beginning in July, able-bodied Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients without children are required by law to work or participate in an approved training program, an average of 20 hours per week. If they fail to meet the requirements, they will be booted out from the program in November. This turn of events can cause an influx of clients in food pantries and social service agencies.
Lucinda Nord, vice-president of public policy for the Association of United Ways said, "What we're worried about from a non-profit, charitable sector perspective is, what kind of impact will that have on the food pantries, the food banks, the community organizations that are helping people with other needs?
"Over time, many people will get their food stamps back, if they find half-time employment or enter into a job training program," she added. "But I think we're going to have a really rough year sorting through that."
According to IndyStar, Food Finders Food Bank is expecting an increase in demand as people lose benefits said Executive Director Katy Bunder. In turn, they may resort to cheaper source of food that will be less diverse and nutritionally balance to meet the expected increase in demand.
"Anytime there's a change to a government program, it does impact all of us," said John Whitaker, the Executive Director of the Midwest Food Bank. "Currently one out of six Hoosiers uses a food bank or a pantry. That will certainly, probably go up," he said. At the Midwest Food Bank, millions of Hoosiers are fed every year, across the 58 counties it serves.
The work requirement was implemented last July. However, there is a three-month grace period for all SNAP recipients to find a job or participate in an educational program. They have until October before they get cut off from the federal program.
