Hamilton County Job and Family Services Director Michael Patton told county commissioners Tuesday that the ongoing government shutdown has put his agency in uncharted territory when it comes to SNAP.
The federal assistance people use to buy groceries is set to run out Nov. 1 if lawmakers don’t agree on a spending plan. That could cost as many as 97,000 Hamilton County residents their benefits. That includes more than 40,000 children and 11,000 seniors, Patton said.
“If it comes to pass, this is unprecedented,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for 32 years and this is not something I’ve seen in my career get to this point.”…