NYC warns young adults could be hardest hit by SNAP benefit losses

Nearly 43,500 New Yorkers are at risk of losing their food assistance benefits known as SNAP on Monday, as the sweeping work requirements enacted by the Trump administration reaches its first deadline, city officials told Gothamist.

Officials warn those most at risk of losing the monthly aid are young people; about 40% of SNAP recipients who haven’t complied with the new rules are between 18-30 years old. Overall, nearly 60% are men.

That’s partly because younger people aren’t eligible for many exemptions, like older adults with disabilities. And anecdotally, outreach workers say many don’t realize how much they could be affected if they don’t comply with the new requirements and submit the necessary paperwork.

Now city workers say they are in a mad dash to target as many New Yorkers who haven’t met the requirements and get them to take action before June 1. The city launched an unprecedented door-knocking campaign this month across the five boroughs, leveraged city data to find people who could be exempt for medical reasons or because of a disability, and is proactively calling people who haven’t replied.

“It's devastating. No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we do, no matter how much door-knocking we do, how much government excellence we put forward … unfortunately, people will lose their benefits. That is what this is designed to do,” Erin Dalton, commissioner for the Department of Social Services, said in an interview.

But she said there is still time for New Yorkers to meet the requirements — even if their benefits are turned off next month. She said the city is still trying to save as many people from losing SNAP benefits and urged recipients at risk to pick up the city’s calls.

“It's absolutely not too late. We're continuing to make progress with folks,” she added.

Federal work rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program took effect in March but gave recipients a three-month grace period to comply. While SNAP previously had some kind of work requirement, New York state has long been exempt because of its high unemployment rate.

Under a measure pushed by congressional Republicans last summer and signed by President Donald Trump, New York’s waiver expired and some people between 18 and 64 are having to prove for the first time that they are working, volunteering or in school. That includes groups like veterans, homeless people, youth aging out of foster care and older adults.

“Food stamp work requirements don’t create jobs, they create hunger,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “If the federal government wanted to help people find work, it would invest in public jobs programs and guarantee a living wage. Instead, it’s punishing people who are already struggling to survive.”

Who’s at risk

City officials say they’ve been furiously working to determine who is even subject to the rules, using city data to figure out who has a disability or a medical exemption. They’re also scanning employment databases and city university systems to help people who easily comply.

SNAP helps more than 1.7 million residents in the city. City officials determined about 126,400 people need to follow the new rules and do not meet any exemptions. Of that group, more than 80,000 have been able to demonstrate compliance so far.

“ Our real focus is to keep as many people on their SNAP benefits as possible and where we can make it easier for them, we've tried to do so and will continue to do so,” HRA Administrator Scott French said.

“This is a very long road. Every month we are going to be doing this and there will be individuals at risk of either losing their benefits or having them reduced so we want to make sure we have everything in our wheelhouse that can support people.”

Dalton said while it was surprising that younger men accounted for the largest percentage of people at risk of losing SNAP benefits, that was largely a reflection of the city’s focused efforts to make sure older people or those with disabilities met the requirements. She said the most vulnerable groups could look different in other states and cities that have taken different approaches to outreach.

Jude Ipepe, community coordinator at the Mayor's Office of Public Engagement, who was knocking on doors in Manhattan last week said his team has also noticed younger people are among the most impacted.

“Some just graduated from college. Some may be doing their internship, so they don't know because their parents have been doing all of this and making sure that they are SNAP compliant,” he said.

Ipepe said many of the households they’re targeting say they have seen the notices from the city but didn’t think it was a big deal. He said going into buildings and meeting people at their door is making a difference.

“Having us be in the community is a huge game changer just to ensure that they are taking action,” he said.

What’s required

SNAP recipients have to demonstrate they are working every month for 80 hours. They can also show proof of in-kind work or volunteer work.

The requirements for volunteer work vary and is calculated by dividing your monthly benefit by the minimum wage. For many New Yorkers that could range from 14 to 17 hours a month.

While it’s not required, city officials have been mailing “strike notices” as a warning to New Yorkers who are on the verge of getting cut off.

But French said there are opportunities for New Yorkers to get their benefits back, even if they lose them in June, on a case-by-case basis.

“ It's never too late for someone to comply or reach out to us and say, ‘I would like to comply, can you help me?’” he said.

SNAP recipients who aren’t sure they are subject to work requirements or need help to comply can call 718-SNAP-NOW or 718-762-7669. New Yorkers can also check the Access HRA app for information or visit nyc.gov/AccessHRA.