Joel's Testimony at Today's Hearing on Crowded HRA Offices and Food Stamp Caseload Drops

Executive Director Joel Berg testified today before the New York City Council General Welfare Committee on the issue of crowded HRA offices (Human Resources Administration - the agency that handles Food Stamp cases) and the drop in Food Stamp caseloads. To read Joel's testimony, download the Word document by clicking here or read an excerpt from Joel's testimony below.

I hope this hearing can determine the specific reasons for the drops [in Food Stamp enrollment in New York City], but I think a number of factors contribute:

1) There is some evidence that HRA has started enforcing food stamps work requirements they did not previously enforce for adults without dependents who are unemployed, and kicking people off the rolls who supposedly do not comply with work requirements.
2) It is likely that HRA's staff simply hasn't been able to keep up with their increasing caseload, resulting in people being knocked off the rolls when it is time for them to re-certify for benefits. This disrupts the supply of food for struggling families. Also, if such families are later returned to the food stamp rolls, that also results in extra spending of City and State dollars.
3) It is likely that the overcrowding and increased wait times at HRA offices leads to more people being denied benefits, or more people forced to leave HRA offices before they can get benefits.

But whatever the causes of the drops, it is clear that something is very, very wrong with food stamps management in New York City, and that the City seems to be in denial about this clear reality.