El Paso County enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program dropped by more than 8,700 households, or 13%, in May compared with the same time last year, according to Texas Health and Human Services data.
The downward trend is part of a statewide decline in SNAP beneficiaries, attributed in part to new federal policies that make it harder for people to hang onto their enrollment – even when they remain eligible for benefits, said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, a hunger-relief organization.
“This is a time when people are most at risk for food insecurity given high food prices, high fuel prices, cost of living in general is very high right now,” Cole said. “At a time when SNAP enrollment would be going up to reflect that, we’re seeing the opposite happen.”…