Colorado SNAP reductions: Food stamp benefits to return to pre-pandemic levels after February

Jan. 19—Additional food stamp benefits intended to help people endure economic hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic are ending next month nationwide, and El Paso County Department of Human Services is warning recipients to prepare for fewer dollars' worth of assistance, at a time when grocery prices continue to rise.

While inflation pushed overall prices to increase by 6.5% last month over December 2021, according to the Consumer Price Index, the cost of food has "remained stubbornly high" and is nearly double what it was one year ago, said Nate Springer, president and CEO of Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, which supplies about 300 free distribution sites across 31 counties.

"It's 11% more expensive this year than last January on food prices," he said. "That's what's worrisome."

State and federal governments approved increased food stamp payments almost three years ago at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, with the intent that they would expire when the pandemic stopped being defined as a public health emergency.

That declaration has continued, but under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, a $1.7 trillion federal spending bill signed into law in late December, the temporary "emergency maximum allotments" to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, also known as food stamps, will be eliminated.

All recipients will see a reduction in food stamp benefits — anywhere from $95 to $600 monthly — after the February issuance, said Alex Urbach, spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Human Services.

The agency estimates that the average decrease in benefits will be $90 per person each month, or $360 a month for a family of four.

For nearly three years, all recipients could receive the maximum allowable food benefit for their household size, instead of a calculated benefit based on income and expenses, Urbach said.

It's one of the last pandemic-related aids to end, Springer noted.

"We knew it was going to happen at some time," he said, "but the timing is difficult."

A letter detailing the changes will be sent in the mail next week to 290,000 households, or 554,000 people, in Colorado who receive SNAP, according to Urbach.

Families in Harrison School District 2 who rely on food stamps are concerned about being able to provide adequate meals for their children, said Maria Brosa, student and family support manager with Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.

"Even receiving the maximum (allotment) it was difficult," she said. "Now, with the reduction, they're really scared to be able to provide the meals the kids deserve."

She helps families review household budgets and brainstorm how to cut costs, improve meal planning and access other community assistance.

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"I see that fear of them wondering how are they going to make it when they're already struggling paying for other things and having to make a decision on basic needs," Brosa said.

More Coloradans are enrolled in the SNAP program now than before the pandemic.

Last year, 38,241 households representing 77,258 clients in El Paso County participated, according to the local Department of Human Services.

In 2019, 31,774 El Paso County households, amounting to 65,550 people, received food stamps.

"DHS understands that this may mean hard choices for many families," Kristina Iodice, spokeswoman for El Paso County Department of Human Services, said of benefits decreasing.

There also will be an impact to local and state economies, she said, since every dollar spent on food stamp benefits generates $1.67 in economic activity, according to Moody's Analytics in 2021.

SNAP has never been designed or expected to cover a household's total food budget, Iodice said.

Unused food dollars can be rolled over to the next month on recipients' EBT, or Electronic Benefits Transfer, card, which DHS encourages to lessen the reduction pain.

Other suggestions:

— Look for ways to save money, such as shopping grocery sales and using coupons.

— Check out food pantries and other giveaways. Pantries can be found on the Care and Share Food Bank website, or call Pikes Peak United Way's 211 hotline for assistance.

— Apply for other programs including the Low-income Energy Assistance Program, which runs through April and covers a portion of heating costs for eligible residents, and subsidized medical programs such as Medicaid.

— Everyday Eats is a food program for Coloradans age 60 and older, to help keep healthy food staples in their kitchens.

— The Women, Infants & Children supplemental nutrition program also is available by contacting El Paso County Public Health.