Eligible Michigan families will get extra food assistance benefits

Eligible Michigan households will proceed to get at the very least an extra $95 in meals help advantages in April, as grocery prices rise. 

The additional increase within the Supplemental Diet Help Program, or extra generally often known as SNAP, is predicted to assist an estimated 700,000 households. This comes as inflation continues to soar.

Costs rose 8.5% — the very best annual improve since 1981— in accordance to the March Shopper Value Index, launched final week. Grocery prices generally went up 10% yr over yr. And extra particularly, costs for meats, poultry, fish and eggs elevated practically 14% since final yr. 

Meals financial institution and pantries throughout metro Detroit are seeing longer strains and extra households in want of help as their very own working prices rise and so they see much less provide. They attribute the spike in must rising meals and fuel costs, utility prices, greater rents and the tip of pandemic-era security nets just like the expanded baby tax credit score.

Extra:Metro Detroit meals banks and pantries seeing longer strains, extra households as costs rise

Extra:Meals, grocery prices hit one other 40-year excessive as costs spike 10%

“This reduction ensures that households can thrive and assist us construct on our financial momentum,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stated in a Tuesday information launch. 

The extra advantages are a continuation of expanded advantages that started in Could of final yr the place all eligible households began receiving extra funds. Some Michigan residents began getting extra meals help in April 2020. 

Households who qualify for SNAP will see a rise of at the very least $95 a month.

Those that are eligible will see these advantages loaded onto their Bridge Card from April 16 to April 25 as a separate fee from the help they acquired earlier within the month, in response to a information launch. Individuals don’t must reapply to obtain the additional advantages. 

The funding comes from the federal authorities, below the Households First Coronavirus Response Act. 

Those that obtain meals help can examine the stability of their advantages on their Bridge Card by going to www.michigan.gov/MIBridges or by calling a toll-free customer support consultant at 888-678-8914. Spanish and Arabic language service is accessible. Those that are deaf, deaf-blind, laborious of listening to or speech-impaired, can name the Michigan Relay Heart at 7-1-1. 

Here is how a lot households can obtain, primarily based on family measurement: 

• One individual: $250 
• Two individuals: $459 
• Three individuals: $658 
• 4 individuals: $835 
• 5 individuals: $992 
• Six individuals: $1,190 
• Seven individuals: $1,316 
• Eight individuals: $1,504 

Nushrat Rahman covers points associated to financial mobility for the Detroit Free Press and Bridge Detroit as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Venture. Make a tax-deductible contribution to assist her work at bit.ly/freepRFA.

Contact Nushrat: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Comply with her on Twitter: @NushratR. Join Bridge Detroit’s e-newsletter. Turn out to be a Free Press subscriber.