Beginning in October, thousands of eligible Louisiana residents can take advantage of a recent increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
Driven by a rise in the cost of essential healthy foods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is adjusting the cost-of-living for 2024, which will allow SNAP to provide more funds to low-income households to keep up with the growing cost of food.
SNAP recipients are allowed to use funds for numerous staple goods, such as fruits, vegetables and meat products. Certain “accessory foods” can also be purchased, including some condiments and snacks.
Starting Oct. 1, a single-member household will have maximum benefits rise from $281 to $291, and a two-member household will experience an increase of funds from $516 to $545. A five-member household will now receive $1,155 instead of $1,116. Additionally, income eligibility is being raised. A full breakdown of the benefit increases can be found here.
This isn’t the first time SNAP benefits have risen in recent years, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced multiple increases to compensate for weakened food security due to production being forced to slow down.
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One of the largest groups to endure food insecurity is college students. The stereotype that college students only eat instant ramen noodles is a reality for many, as students often opt for cheap, unhealthy foods to be able to afford expensive textbooks or tuition fees.
University students are eligible for SNAP benefits; however, before the pandemic, they were limited to students that qualified for work-study programs that required at least 20 hours of work a week.
This changed during the pandemic, as SNAP expanded its benefits to all students who qualified for work-study programs or had no family support, regardless of hours worked. Despite this, access to SNAP might soon be on the decline. Over the next year, eligibility requirements are expected to shift back to pre-pandemic work requirements despite the growing cost-of-living. This could place millions of college students back into food insecurity with inflation on the rise.
For food insecure students on campus, the LSU food pantry aims to end food insecurity by providing nutritional foods for students Monday through Friday. Located in the Student Union, students can find resources to help end the decision of choosing between purchasing food or meeting their basic needs.
