DTA announces state-SNAP for immigrant families to end this month (April)

Greetings anti-hunger troubadours and apologies for two emails in one day.  

Earlier today DTA sent the April 2024 Statewide Updates to the local DTA Advisory Boards (many of you may be on DTA Advisory Boards). On page 2 of the April 2024 update DTA announces that state-funded SNAP benefits for non-citizens will end this month unless the MA Legislature authorizes additional funding quickly.  

If they do not act quickly, we anticipate DTA will be sending out SNAP termination notices by the end of this week or early next - and there will be NO state-SNAP benefits in May. Roughly 4,000 immigrant-headed households currently receive state-funded SNAP benefits. Federal SNAP will continue US citizens and eligible immigrants for "mixed status" SNAP households - but the state SNAP will end (roughly $200/person/month in many of these households.) In DTA's April 2024 DTA Update, the Governor also did not include in her FY25 Proposed Budget (released in Jan) any request for state-funded SNAP this coming year nor funding for any TAFDC or EAEDC grant increases - very disappointing! 

The Feeding our Neighbors Coalition is committed to fighting for continued benefits, even if there is an interruption in the benefits in the next few months.  We have a Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition Zoom meeting tomorrow (April 10th), 10 to 11 AM. If you are not part of the Coalition but want to join, please email me for the Zoom link, or sign up for the Coalition eblasts here: https://www.feedingourneighborsma.org/join 

We'll be discussing next steps - including advocating for more state funding to continue the state SNAP benefits through June as well as the release of the FY25 Ways and Means Budget.  

Pat