Recent data shows thousands of Kentuckians have lost access to the supplemental food program, SNAP, because of new barriers and time limits enacted by the state.
Ashley Spalding is a senior policy analyst at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. She said a report released Wednesday shows the impact on Kentuckians in just a few months in 2018.
“So in Kentucky between May and September that 10,000 Kentuckians subject to these time limits who are receiving SNAP lost their benefits because of these requirements,” she said.
Last year, the state began requiring SNAP recipients to commit 80 hours a month to job training or work. But even accessing career training can be a challenge.
“And so getting to a career center is a huge barrier to a lot of people. Out of the 112 counties were people are subject to the time limits just 37 of these counties have a career center in their county.”
Spalding says the state does provide up to $25 a month for travel. But that’s often not enough. For example, public transportation for a single trip from Madison County, where there is no career center, to a center in Lexington is $20. She says most SNAP clients would need to visit a career center several times in a month.
Spalding said many SNAP recipients are already working but have jobs with low wages and unpredictable hours. There are 580,000 Kentuckians who receive food assistance through SNAP. The average benefit allows for about $1.32 per meal per person.
Currently, about 580,000 Kentuckians receive SNAP. Spalding says that the average benefit allows for $1.32 per person per meal.
