Upcoming changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will soon restrict which Ohioans are eligible for benefits.
The One Big Beautiful Bill, which President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, changes “non-citizen eligibility for SNAP.”
Only U.S. citizens, green card holders who have gone through a five-year waiting period, and some Haitian and Cuban nationals with special status will be eligible for SNAP. This means refugees, people who have been granted asylum and human trafficking survivors will all lose their benefits, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service gave states 120 days to implement these changes, meaning Nov. 1 is the deadline.
More than 183,000 Franklin County residents receive SNAP benefits and most of them are children and seniors, said Joy Bivens, deputy Franklin County administrator of health and human services. The Franklin County Commissioners expect more than 4,100 residents — including 1,700 children — will be impacted by the SNAP changes.
Immigrants and refugees made up about 56% of Franklin County’s population growth between 2020 and 2023, said Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley.
“The proposed changes to SNAP benefits will put many of these families in jeopardy,” she said. “They are people who have endured trauma, made tremendous sacrifices and risked their lives to give their families security and freedom. These individuals often arrive with no local family connections and no established community. Without this support, they are often left to navigate life in an unfamiliar country with very limited resources, they face food insecurity, housing instability and limited access to health care.”
Approximately 1.39 million Ohioans receive an average of $190 of SNAP benefits each month, ODJFS Spokesperson Tom Betti said. Ohioans must have a net income at or belowfederal poverty guidelines — $32,150 a year for a family of four — to qualify for SNAP.
“When families can’t rely on SNAP, they are forced to spend their limited income on food, and often at the expense of medical care, rent or utilities, perpetuating a cycle of poverty,” said Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady. “Losing SNAP benefits isn’t just about hunger, it’s about health, stability and opportunity. Children may face developmental display delays. Families may confront chronic health issues.”
SNAP helps stabilize families when they are new to the U.S., said Jewish Family Services CEO Karen Mozenter.
“They have done everything right, and they are eager to contribute as Americans,” she said. “Cutting off the support that helps them feed their families and care for them while they find their footing in a new country, that hurts them and that hurts all of us.”
The Mid-Ohio Food Collective is serving 58% more families now than at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, said President and CEO Matt Habash.
“Unfortunately, we don’t expect those numbers to go down,” he said. “The cost of housing, the cost of groceries, the cost of health care, and more are all putting pressure on household budgets, and now we’re dealing with cuts to SNAP — America’s first line of defense against hunger.”
Originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal. Republished here with permission.