Gov. Hochul Announces Increased Food Assistance in January for New Yorkers in Need

By Yehudit Garmaise

 Gov. Kathy Hochul today announced that the 2.77 million New Yorkers who enrolled in the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not only receive as much as $835 for a household of four, which is the maximum amount of food benefits for January, but later this month, all households participating in SNAP will receive an extra $95.

 "As we continue to endure the difficulties of the pandemic, too many New Yorkers are struggling to make ends meet," said Gov. Hochul, who is bringing in approximately $230 million in federal funding into New York to provide an emergency assistance supplement. "Additional food benefits play a critical role in eliminating food insecurity throughout the state.

 “As the cold weather puts pressure on family budgets, these additional SNAP funds will provide much-needed relief."

 SNAP households in the five-county New York City area can expect to see their benefits post between Saturday, Jan. 15, and the end of the month.

 In March 2020, when the pandemic hit, the numbers of New Yorkers who enrolled for SNAP benefits spiked to nearly 1.6 million households that, and, as of November 2021, that number has remained since the end of the COVID’s first surge.

 The current number of SNAP recipients: 2.77 million New Yorkers, is substantially higher than it was before the pandemic.

 Just as the payments have been delivered in prior months, SNAP payments will be delivered directly to recipients' existing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) accounts and can be accessed with recipients’ existing EBT cards.

 SNAP recipients can use their supplemental benefits to purchase food at any authorized retail food stores, and any unused SNAP benefits will automatically carry over to next month.