Gotham Gazette

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food stamps

food stamps

  • How to Revitalize New York City’s Food System Beyond the Pandemic

    Mayor Adams preps food (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    This month marks the second anniversary of New York City’s first reported case of COVID-19. As the pandemic begins to recede, it is time to set the policies that will repair the damage it has caused to the city’s food system and to take steps to protect against future crises. 

    The pandemic exacerbated long-standing issues of food insecurity, diet-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and an inadequately paid and

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  • City Sees Crush of Public Assistance Applications as Coronavirus Recession Takes Hold

    New Yorkers seek assistance

    New Yorkers wait on line for food (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    As New York City shut down amid the coronavirus outbreak, and hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs and livelihoods, the city saw a massive increase in applications for food stamps and cash assistance.

    According to new data from the city’s Human Resources Administration and Department of Social Services, applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly referred to as food stamps, and for cash assistance have surged since the

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  • Council Moves Legislation Requiring City to Enroll More Eligible Seniors in Food Assistance

    jumaane williams alan maisel attend

    (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    The City Council is set to pass legislation requiring two city agencies to collaborate on a plan to ensure more older New Yorkers who are eligible for food assistance are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps.

    It is one of four bills related to food access passed by the Council’s Committee on the General Welfare during a Monday hearing, just ahead of the full Council meeting on Tuesday where the legislation is expected to

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  • As HRA Announces Closure of Another Food Stamp Center, Research Finds Excessive Wait-Times

    mayorremark supportive

    (photo: Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office)


    During a recent budget hearing at the City Council, Council Member Stephen Levin asked Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks about wait-times at Human Resources Administration centers. "Have we seen an increase in wait times?” asked Levin; “How are we monitoring wait-times in light of the Jazmine Headley incident and as we're talking about staffing levels at HRA Centers?”

    Confident in tone and content, Commissioner Banks answered: "[I]n SNAP and food stamp centers the wait-time is about 20 minutes

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  • The Government Shutdown and Trump’s War on the Safety Net

    levin steve epap

    City Council Member Stephen Levin, the author


    We have now reached the longest government shutdown in history with no plans for reaching a deal anytime soon. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers’ jobs have been impacted and the shutdown has delayed mortgage applications, caused significant Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) staffing callouts, impacted basic healthcare access for Native Americans, and created waste pile-ups at national parks. Federal employees have even ...

  • At Hearing on Hunger, Council Presses De Blasio Administration on SNAP Participation

    lander menchaca hunger

    CMs Lander, left, and Menchaca confer on Wednesday (photo via @NYCCouncil)


    At an oversight hearing Wednesday about the city's efforts to fight hunger, members of the City Council general welfare committee questioned a panel of de Blasio administration officials about key city programs. Council members asked about participation in the Supplement and Nutritional Assistance Program (also known as “SNAP” or “food stamps”), Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) efforts, and other components of anti-hunger services.

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  • Council to Assess Hunger Problem, City Efforts to Reduce It

    de blasio food thanksgiving

    Mayor de Blasio serving food (photo: Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office)


    The City Council’s Committee on General Welfare will hold an oversight hearing on hunger in New York City on Wednesday morning at City Hall.

    Council Member Stephen Levin, the chair of the general welfare committee, told Gotham Gazette he and his colleagues want to get a broad assessment of hunger in the city, as well as specifics related to de Blasio administration efforts to mitigate the problem, which is the

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