From guest writer Maggie Clapp,

Durham County, hello. This is Maggie Clapp, the Director of the Durham County Department of Social Services. I’m writing here today to talk about the current federal government shutdown and the potential for impacts to the residents my office serves.

According to the National Association of Counties, a federal government shutdown, technically a “lapse in appropriations,” occurs when Congress fails to pass the necessary legislation to fund government operations and agencies. The U.S. Constitution requires that no money be spent from the U.S. Department of Treasury without the approval of Congress. As a result, Congress needs to pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the various federal agencies. Since these have not been passed, we now have “lapses of appropriations.”

Both the federal and state governments have notified us that if the current U.S. Federal Government shutdown continues, there may be a disruption in food and nutrition benefits in November through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

SNAP is the largest nutrition assistance program in the country, allowing recipients to purchase groceries like fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, breads, cereals, and seeds or plants that produce food, though benefits cannot be used for alcohol, tobacco, hot prepared foods, vitamins, or non-food items. Eligibility is generally based on household income, size, and certain expenses, with most households needing gross income at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, though various exceptions and state-specific rules apply.

If the federal disruption occurs to SNAP funding, this will impact tens of thousands of your neighbors, co-workers, and community members.

The total number of Durham residents who receive SNAP benefits is 32,529.

The demographic breakdown is:

• Ages 0–5: 5,219 (16.04%)
• Ages 6–17: 10,028 (30.83%)
• Ages 18–49: 10,313 (31.71%)
• Ages 50–64: 3,813 (11.72%)
• Ages 65 and older: 3,156 (9.70%)

The total benefit amount at risk of not being issued is $5,959,076 – and this is just for the month of November!

Already, the More Than a Job/Able-Bodies Adults without Dependents Program is temporarily suspended due to the shutdown. However, participants will NOT be penalized during this period as it is “beyond control of member.”

Other than the money that goes to recipients, the federal government contributes a portion of the administrative costs associated with this program. As of today, the specific impact of the federal shutdown on Durham County DSS staff operations remains unknown.

Despite this potential disruption, our office will continue with normal processing of all Food Nutrition Services-related functions for Durham County. We will continue taking applications, processing recertifications, and handling reported changes according to our standard procedures throughout the government shutdown.

We know how important these benefits are to you and your families, and we will do everything we can to help. The uncertainty surrounding much-needed services can cause stress and anxiety.

I advise visiting the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website at www.ncdhhs.gov/fns for the most recent information. We will also post on our website at www.dconc.gov/dss and on all Durham County Department of Social Services social media channels.

A valuable community organization – End Hunger Durham – continues to provide all residents with accurate and up-to-date information on food banks and pantries serving Durham County residents. It has a searchable list of locations, as well as a map that shows the closest ones to you.

EHD’s Information Station also connects low-income families with the resources they need to lower their risk of food insecurity.

Our friends at the Durham County Department of Public Health’s D.I.N.E. team also remind residents with children attending Durham Public Schools locations, that breakfast and lunch at schools is free for each student.

DPS has qualified for the second year of the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP. This program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows for all students to qualify for free meal benefits in a school if it meets a certain threshold. Currently, all DPS schools qualify, one of only a few in North Carolina to do so. There is no application or form to fill out for this amazing benefit!

Please know that we live in an amazing community here in Durham, and we love being a small part of what makes it so special and that all of us at DSS are committed to doing all that we can do to assist residents.

Thank you,

Maggie Clapp | Director of Durham County Department of Social Services