Social service agencies whittle down food-stamp backlogs

The backlog of food-stamp applications in Forsyth and Guilford counties dropped during the first two weeks of January, according to new numbers released by the NC Department of Health and Human Services.

Forsyth County ranks fourth for the number of total pending applications, with 2,233 on Jan. 14 — a 17.3 percent reduction from 2,700 reported on Dec. 31. The number of untimely delays, generally exceeding 30 days, has dropped from 2,017 to 1,494, while the number of applications pending for more than 120 days slightly increased from 177 to 280.

Only three counties — Wake, Mecklenburg and Cumberland — have a higher backlog of food-stamp applications.

In comparison, the total number of pending applications in Guilford County was 1,394 as of Jan. 14 — down from 1,593 on Dec. 31, while the number of untimely delays increased from 1,039 to 1,049. The number of applications pending for more than 120 days also increased, from 287 to 520.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the Forsyth County Department of Social Services disputes the numbers.

Background here.

Reduction in the statewide backlog is more dramatic than in Forsyth and Guilford counties, with the number of pending applications dropping from 53,025 on Dec. 31 to 11,339, although the agency has said that the earlier figure included a significant number of duplicates.

Food stamps come through for at least one Forsyth client

In an indication that the food-stamps logjam in Forsyth County has broken, YES! Weekly reader Nicole Main writes that her neighbor's benefits finally came through, after weeks of delays.

"I ran her into town for some groceries and I think half of Winston got their benefits today," Main said. "It was so busy at Aldi they had police there because they hadn't expected the need for security so they didn't have security available for the day."

On Monday, the NC Legislative Black Caucus demanded that Gov. Pat McCrory and Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos "declare a state of emergency" to ensure that eligible citizens have benefits by Friday.

"It is deplorable to know that we must remind our government to protect its most vulnerable citizens from starvation, especially when instituted by mindful negligence and the supreme reversal of duty," said Rep. Garland Pierce (D-Hoke, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland) president of the caucus. "Many of the summer feeding programs will end before school starts. This will leave a major gap in meal planning for families to ensure their children are fed and prepared for the upcoming school year."

Another food stamps glitch hits families in need

What is going on with food stamps?

Mike Aiken, the executive director of Greensboro Urban Ministry, said today that the number of families seeking emergency food from his agency shot up to 93 in a day, up from an average of 47 per week. This after a computer glitch in the food stamps program for Guilford County.

"Departments of social services across the state are manually entering data multiple times, thus causing backlogs and many [are] seeing delays in receiving food stamps," he wrote. "Greensboro Urban Ministry was already having great difficulty in collecting enough food to serve those coming to our doors due to the fact that extended unemployment benefits for 12,000 Triad families ended July 1." 

We just wrote about the same thing in Forsyth County last week. And in Guilford County in July 2012.

Is it really that complicated? 

Mounting evidence of food stamp delays at Forsyth DSS

While Forsyth County Department of Social Services Director Joe Raymond insists there is nothing out of the ordinary about the number of food-stamp clients experiencing delays in receiving benefits, reports continue to accumulate indicating otherwise.

More than two weeks ago, Winston-Salem human rights advocate Richard Cassidy wrote:

Forsyth County Department of Social Services is changing computer systems and must migrate the 26,000 "family units" approved for food stamps to a new computer system (the number of "family units" alone is more than 1/10 of Forsyth County's population.) A "family unit" is everyone living in the household that is approved for food stamps.

During the migration, many, many people cannot access their funds and thus cannot buy food and must seek food elsewhere, like Crisis Control Ministries, AIDS Care Service, Agape Care & Share or other community food banks.

Last week I spoke with a single mother of five children. When she went to buy groceries, her monthly benefits were unavailable and she left the grocery store embarrassed.

We bring this to your attention as fodder for prayer, discernment and service.