The Houston Food Bank is encouraging residents to pull up as it kicks off the SNAP Summer Tour on Friday, June 5, to help people apply for food and healthcare assistance programs.
Kelly Campos, the food bank’s senior resource navigator, said she and other team members will visit 15 sites throughout the greater Houston area over the next couple of months to guide people through the process of applying for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, CHIP Perinatal, Medicaid, the Medicare Savings Program and Healthy Texas Women.
SNAP recipients temporarily lost their benefits last year during a government shutdown, which prompted the Houston Food Bank to ramp up its efforts to ensure local families don’t go hungry. This is the second summer the food bank has offered mobile assistance.
Campos said the bus tour is not so much in response to federal funding cuts but it’s about “coming to the people.”
“Sometimes they may not know where to find us, so it’s just easier for us to bring the office to them,” she said. “The whole point of the tour is for visibility and promotion, to show the community that we really are out there. The areas we go to are places where we’ve seen a need and areas that we’re not in as often. We strategically picked out what type of events we’re going to so we can catch people and assist them.”
Residents are asked to bring an ID, proof of income for the last three months, proof of residence, proof of housing costs, a social security number and immigration documents if applicable. Food bank volunteers will help them fill out an application and send it to the Health and Human Services Department. The process takes about 20 to 45 minutes, depending on whether they have all the documents and information they need.
“It depends on how ready you are, like, do you know how much your spouse makes? Do you know how much you pay for everything? Do you know what car you drive?” Campos said.
The SNAP program requires recipients to be employed unless they meet an exemption but a lot of people don’t know that the state can still offer benefits to the unemployed as long as the applicant is able to prove they’re looking for work.
“I’ve noticed in the past few years that a lot of people, because they didn’t qualify during COVID or three years ago, think they can’t get approved,” Campos said. “Just because you were told no the first time doesn’t mean you wouldn’t qualify years later. People also have a misconception that they won’t qualify because they don’t have kids. This is part of the tour. We’re providing application assistance but we’re there to answer questions and educate people.”
There’s been some criticism in recent years that the SNAP program is being abused by “welfare moms” who have money added to an EBT card and then make trades or somehow use the government funds to get their nails done rather than buy groceries for their kids. Camps says, “That’s crazy.” The program allocates funds based on a person’s income, the number of people in the household and the expense ratio.
The money can only be used on SNAP-approved items. In Texas, the program won’t cover candy or sweetened drinks, much less a manicure. “This benefit was meant for college students who are also subject to the work requirement,” Campos said. “It could also be for someone who just got a new job. It is a supplement, something you can use while you get back on your feet. After six months, if you choose not to renew, you don’t have to pay anyone back.”
Catch the SNAP Summer Tour at one of the following locations:
- New Hope Housing, Harrisburg, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 5, at 3315 Harrisburg Blvd., Houston
- Brazoria County Pride Fest, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at MacLean Park, 93 Lake Road, Lake Jackson
- Family Free Day at Children’s Museum Houston, 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at 1500 Binz St., Houston
- Urban Market in Third Ward, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at 2600 Holman St., Houston
- Houston Texans YMCA, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 15, at 5202 Griggs Road, Houston
- Lord of the Streets, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, June 26, at 3401 Fannin, Houston
- Access Care of Coastal Texas, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 27, at 707 23rd St., Galveston
- Hearts and Hands of Baytown Food Pantry, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, at 307 Cedar Bayou Road, Baytown
- New Hope Housing-Reed, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, July 10, at 2605 Reed Road, Houston
- Catholic Charities Guadalupe Area Social Services, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at 326 S Jensen Drive, Houston
- Back to School Fair at Austin Center, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 25, at 2002 S Wayside, Houston
- Mayor’s Back 2 School & Health Fair, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, August 1, at George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston
- Baker/Ripley Pasadena Campus, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 4, at 720 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena
- Bayland Community Center, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, August 7, at 6400 Bissonnet, Houston
- El Franco Lee Community Center, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, August 14, at 9500 Hall Road, Houston
