Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Thursday to authorize the use of state funds to continue providing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to more than 850,000 Virginians — including thousands of Alexandria residents — starting Nov. 1.
The emergency declaration comes as federal funding for SNAP is expected to run out after 22 days of a federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1.
The city is home to approximately 4,400 families who receive SNAP benefits. Without the governor’s emergency declaration, these residents would face uncertainty about whether their November food assistance would arrive as the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, enters its 22nd day…