Governor Greg Abbott announced that emergency SNAP benefits will be extended this September. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will distribute around $345 million in emergency food benefits this month to some 1.6 million households.
SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is a program funded through federal tax dollars that provides money to low-income households for food purchases. The funds are distributed through state agencies.
As of April 2022, 40 states have issued emergency allotments.
The emergency benefits, which should arrive in recipients’ accounts by September 30, will provide an “emergency allotment” of $95 or more per household, in addition to the regular SNAP benefits the household receives.
The average monthly benefit amount has shifted since the pandemic. In 2019, the benefit averaged $125 per family member per month. In 2021, it went up to $214 per family member. This year, the estimated amount, not including emergency allotments, will average $161.
In 2019, the Health and Human Services Commission distributed $4.77 billion in SNAP benefits. In 2021, that amount almost doubled to $8.75 billion.
Governor Greg Abbott thanked Health and Human Services Commission for its work in making healthy food available to Texas families.
Eligibility for SNAP benefits largely depends on annual or monthly income and the number of family members in the household.