Food Stamp benefits will increase tomorrow

It's no April Fools joke - tomorrow is an important day for individuals who rely on food stamps. Benefits are scheduled to increase 13.6%, or $20-$24 for the average family as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Food stamp benefits are closely related to economic conditions, so it’s not surprising that caseloads have increased significantly over the last year.

As the graph below shows, the number of food stamp recipients in Ohio has risen 15.4% since 2005, to an average of nearly 1.8 million people receiving the benefit each month during calendar year 2008. When 2009 data begins to be available later this year, we expect to see a continued climb.

Source: ODJFS

The food stamp increase is well-designed stimulus because it meets the “Three T” criteria of targeted, timely, and temporary. The temporary increase that begins in April is expected to bring an additional $178 million into Ohio during the next six months, and should generate around $330 million in economic activity in our state. Since 75% of recipients are in families with children, and nearly one-third of recipients are elderly or persons with disabilities, this important economic stimulus has the added bonus of assisting vulnerable Ohioans.