Illinois SNAP recipients to receive all November benefits by next week
Illinois SNAP food aid recipients are expected to receive all remaining November benefits by next week after the end of the government shutdown.
Illinois SNAP food aid recipients should receive their remaining November benefits by next week following the end of the government shutdown.
CHICAGO (WLS) — People in Illinois who rely on SNAP benefits could begin seeing their November payments as early as Friday after a delay caused by the longest federal government shutdown on record, which has now ended.
However, the Illinois Department of Human Services says it may take until next week for all recipients to see the full impact.
Natasha McClendon of Englewood is among the millions of SNAP recipients relieved the shutdown is over.
“It has been extremely stressful,” McClendon said. “Extremely stressful.”
The 49-year-old substitute teacher, her disabled husband, and three school-age children have turned to food pantries and giveaways in recent weeks as she picked up a second job.
“I also take my lunch to work with me, so I had to try to… it came to a point where I skipped the lunch,” McClendon said.
The Illinois Department of Human Services, which distributes federal SNAP funding, says recipients should receive all or the remainder of their November benefits by Thursday, Nov. 20.
“We’re all moving as quickly as we can at the state level knowing that funds will flow or are flowing,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said.
“We’ve seen in these weeks the lines, the need, the outcry from our neighbors… the fragile state of food insecurity in our nation,” said Camerin Mattson with the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository reports nearly a 40% increase in visitors at its network of hundreds of pantries over the past month.
“The past couple of weeks have been a really stark object lesson in how important SNAP is to our neighbors… and how many people are one paycheck… away from needing extra assistance,” Mattson said.
The Illinois Department of Human Services released the following public statement Thursday afternoon:
“IDHS is restoring full USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits now that the federal government shutdown has ended.
“IDHS anticipates that the remaining benefit payments will be made over the coming days, with all SNAP recipients receiving their full November benefits by Nov. 20.
“The lapse in SNAP funding created unnecessary hardship for 1.9 million Illinoisans and businesses who rely on this federally funded program. The crisis was entirely avoidable – the Trump Administration had the funding to fully support SNAP but chose not to, putting tens of millions of Americans at risk of hunger.”
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