Yves here. Although this article dismisses the food stamp program as a test with a strict work requirement, its framing has the effect of treating that objective as legitimate even if it is wrong in its operation. IMHO, this is yet another manifestation of the idea of the deserving versus the undeserving poor: that unless there is an obvious reason for your poverty, such as being too old or too disabled to work, you don’t deserve help. Another is that testing rigorous methods will reduce the cost of the program. God forbid that the US does far-sighted enough to ensure that children are well-nourished so that their brains can develop properly and they can concentrate in school,
About half of the cars had been sitting in line for about four hours when House of Hope started to serve food. The 70 or so idled behind them at 11:30 a.m., when the distribution of food began.
The plan was to start delivering the grocery boxes at 11, but the Facing Hunger Foodbank delivery truck blew a tire on the way. No one complained.
Perry Hall was among those waiting. His wife, Lilly Hall, is a volunteer with the distribution team. Perry has been battling a type of cancer called multiple myeloma. Halls receives about $1,500 a month from his Social Security benefits, as well as assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. But because of her age, Lilly, 59, recently became subject to SNAP work requirements and at risk of losing her benefits.
As part of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, all “able-bodied adults” 64 or younger who do not have dependents and do not work, volunteer, or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month are now limited to three months of benefits every three years from SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Previously, the federal requirement applied to those age 54 or younger. The new law, which came into force in November, also applies to parents of children aged 14 and over. And it eliminated exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and young adults who have run out of care.
Proponents of work requirements argue that they encourage “work-ready” people to find and keep jobs, reduce dependence on government assistance and raise the “dignity of work.”
Rhonda Rogombé works as a network health and safety policy analyst for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. He and his colleagues have studied the effects of SNAP work laws and found that requiring recipients to work does not reduce local unemployment.
Previous work requirements were suspended nationwide during the covid pandemic and were reinstated in the fall of 2023. The researchers found that the average number of people employed in Mingo County each month actually decreased after the requirement was reinstated.
A 2018 federal research project that examined several data sources, including SNAP data from nine states, found that work requirements had “no effect on labor participation and the number of hours worked.”
There are many possible explanations, Rogombé said, “but when people are hungry they cannot feed themselves, when people are hungry it is difficult to focus on work, it is difficult to do work, and we think that is part of it.
Jobs are scarce in this southern West Virginia state. Lilly Hall got a job at a Delbarton restaurant. But it is not paid until the position of a waiter is opened – enough to preserve his benefits, but far from good.
On that cool Wednesday in late March, House of Hope offered chicken, eggs, bread, potatoes, fresh fruits and vegetables, and milk.
Among those in line were elderly residents and “some young people who have lost their way and can’t find a job and just need help,” said Timothy Treleven, who runs the pantry with his wife, Christine, and Gail Lendearo.
House of Hope’s scheduled distribution day is the last Saturday of each month – supplemented by occasional visits during the week of Facing Hunger – as the money from the monthly checks begins to run out and the cupboards empty.
On a typical Saturday, pantry staff and volunteers deliver up to 400 boxes of food.
“It’s an honor to do this,” Lendearo said. “It’s a blessing.”
Perry Hall’s cancer is now cured, but for a while his treatment required him and Lilly to travel back and forth, 4½ hours each way, to Morgantown. The couple’s van couldn’t move, so they paid a friend for a ride.
The Mingo population is just under 22,000, down from about 27,000 in 2010. We once prospered, fueled by coal. Williamson, the county seat, was home to an opera house and businesses run by immigrants from Italy, Russia and Syria. This region is still called the “coalfields,” but little is mined here these days. A quarter of the population lives in poverty.
Rogombé and his colleagues found that Mingo County residents face significant barriers to finding what few jobs are available. These include unreported physical and mental disabilities, housing insecurity, and lack of high school diplomas and identification documents.
Applying for benefits or ensuring compliance is difficult for many residents. A study by the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy found that nearly 1 in 4 do not have reliable Internet access.
More changes await the SNAP program. Currently, the federal government and the states share administrative costs equally, but in October the states will pick up 75% of those costs. And from October 2027, they will have to pay additional costs based on error rates.
Kentucky, like West Virginia, is among the poorest states that will be hit hardest by the new requirements and costs. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy estimates that up to 114,000 residents are at risk of losing SNAP benefits through increased work requirements.
Jessica Klein, a researcher at the center, is concerned about the results. “We know that SNAP has an impact on health, not just because it reduces food insecurity,” she said. It worsens blood pressure levels, obesity, medication adherence, and more.
With more financial burden placed on states, “I think what we’re going to see are states changing the rules that impact participation to have a smaller, more affordable system,” Klein said. “I fear that some states will choose not to use SNAP at all.”
In Mingo County, people are stepping up. At least eight food pantries provide groceries to those in need.
Janet Gibson runs the Blessing Barn pantry in the Ben Creek community. “I can go from one side of the river to the other” and tell you everyone’s name and a little something about them, she said. He takes pride in feeding his people.
Gibson said it can be difficult to even find volunteer opportunities in the region, especially because of travel challenges. Looking at a terrain map can be misleading: A few miles up or down can take an hour or more.
“Whether you’re working full-time or not, you’re still gassing up to go to work,” Gibson said, “and gas isn’t cheap right now.”
Single mother of three, Trista Shankle of Paducah, Kentucky, is not subject to the new SNAP requirements, but she is concerned about the weakening of the social safety net. She overcame challenges, is getting a master’s degree in social work, and works for an organization that connects community college students and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Her family receives SNAP, Medicaid, housing assistance, and assistance from the USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. He said if anything is cut, he will have to drop out of school.
Shankle is convinced that he would not have progressed to where he is today without the benefits he and his family have received: “They bring a sense of calm and comfort. I know my children will not go hungry.”
The first week in April, Lilly Hall reported to work at the Black Bear Trails Restaurant. He is grateful for the opportunity. And when the waitress slot opens up, “I’m going to grab that position right away and it’s going to make your head spin.”
