Harris County Stepped Up To Help Feed Families During SNAP Delays

Full SNAP payments are set to resume across Texas as the federal government reopens, but for more than a week families went without the benefits they rely on to buy groceries. As KVUE reported, many Texans were left choosing “between bills and groceries” during the shutdown. With federal support stalled and households under strain, Harris County leaders moved quickly to fill the gap—redirecting local funds and expanding food access to ensure families had what they needed:

• Reallocated “More Than $1.2 Million… To Support Food And Nutrient Services And Ensure More Families Have Enough Food To Eat.”: As the crisis unfolded, Harris County redirected more than $1.2 million to food and nutrition support to ensure families didn’t go hungry. This action arrived as Colleen DeGuzman and Jess Huff reported for The Texas Tribune that “3.5 million Texans — including 1.7 million children — [are] on the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, also known as SNAP …In SNAP’s 60-year history, recipients — 40 million of them today — had never gone without a monthly payment.” 

• Stood Up Food Distribution Supersites Across the County: Precinct One partnered with the Houston Food Bank to host Neighborhood Supersite Food Distributions throughout November, providing thousands of families with fresh food, staples, and essential items. These events help stabilize households facing sudden gaps in income and nutrition assistance. For a full list of food distribution sites, click here.

This Emergency Compounded An Existing Hunger Crisis In The County. Indeed, a report published earlier this year from Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research found that “thirty-nine percent of Houston and Harris County households are food insecure, significantly exceeding the national average of 14%.”

The Tribune profiled a local Houston mother who “doesn’t know what she’s going to feed her 7-year-old son, Xavier, [who] is autistic with high needs that will likely last his whole life. Because of his disability, Xavier has an extremely sensitive palate and can only eat certain foods.” Xavier’s dad is “a full-time custodian at the high school in Onalaska, a town of 3,300 about 85 miles north of Houston. Amber is a part time cashier at [a] local pizzaria, [a job that still] allows her to care for Xavier after school.” Both parents “have often gone hungry to make sure the pantry is stocked with foods Xavier can eat … Now, Harrington worries all three of them will go hungry.”

Meanwhile, as Houston Public Media reports, Governor Greg Abbott has not intervened to ensure that “3.5 million low-income Texans” don’t go hungry, and [remains] under pressure to use [the state’s “$20 billion in surplus”] emergency funds,” noting that Governors in Blue and Red states alike have moved in recent days to provide relief to their state residents.

What Commissioner Ellis Says: “No one should go hungry in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, or in a county as prosperous as Harris County. While Harris County cannot flip a switch and end the shutdown, we can show residents that local government still works for them. That’s why we're partnering with the Houston Food Bank on three supersite food distributions for residents, and will continue to expand partner distributions to help make families whole.”