Federal funds give refugees a start, but communities offer local safety net, By Andrew Haffner, March 28, 2017, Grand Forks Herald: “When she’s not behind the counter at Al Amin Grocery in Grand Forks, Ilhaam Hassan is helping fellow members of the local Somali refugee community find their way in a new land. Hassan, a native of Somalia, came to the U.S. in 1999 when she was just a child. Now in her early 30s, Hassan’s fluency in English has opened a role for her as an interpreter with the local office of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, the agency tasked with resettling refugees, many of whom are Somalis, in the state’s most populous cities: Fargo, Bismarck and Grand Forks. With her own passage a distant memory, Hassan now works with those refugees from Somalia who now find themselves in northeast North Dakota. Even with help from the federal government and local civic groups, she says the transition is difficult for new arrivals…”
Category: Assistance Programs
SNAP Work Requirements – Georgia
Able-bodied food stamp recipients could lose benefits, By Craig Schneider, March 27, 2017, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Days from now, thousands more Georgia food stamp recipients would lose their benefits if they fail to find a job. The April 1 deadline applies to nearly 12,000 adults – all deemed able-bodied and without children – in 21 counties, including many in North Georgia and several in the Atlanta area such as Forsyth, Bartow and Barrow. A wave of people is expected to lose benefits in Georgia because of the mandate. When work requirements have been introduced in other states, more than half the affected people often lose their food stamps. And three counties in Georgia that put the work mandate in place last year have seen their rolls significantly decline…”
SNAP Eligibility – New Hampshire
Bill could drastically change eligibility for food stamps in N.H., By Ella Nilsen, February 21, 2017, Concord Monitor: “A new bill that would change the requirements to get food stamps in New Hampshire could have dramatic impact on the welfare program. Depending on whom you ask, it’s either needed reform or a devastating move that could throw 17,000 people in the state off food assistance. The bill, introduced by state Sen. Kevin Avard, a Republican from Nashua, would change the way the state’s Department of Health and Human Services evaluates families for the food stamp program, requiring them to use federal limits for food stamp eligibility. The legislation also requires individuals receiving food stamps to pay their child support…”