Detroit Free Press // July 14, 2020
Families utilizing extended benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be able to do so through July.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday the additional food assistance will be extended through the month, according to a MDHHS news release.
“Many Michigan families are still struggling to put food on the table as a result of this global pandemic,” Whitmer said in the release. “These additional payments will help many Michiganders as they continue to deal with an unprecedented public health and economic emergency.”
Households that are eligible for the additional assistance should see the benefits on their Bridge Card by July 30. The extra benefits will be loaded on the card as a separate payment from the assistance that comes in earlier in the month, according to MDHHS.
The extended benefits will continue to support an additional 350,000 households in Michigan through SNAP, more commonly known as food stamps.
Those who are already eligible for the program will see an increase in monthly benefits if they are not already receiving the maximum SNAP benefits. The benefits are determined by the number of individuals in the household:
- One person: $194
- Two people: $355
- Three people: $509
- Four people: $646
- Five people: $768
- Six people: $921
- Seven people: $1,018
- Eight people: $1,164
Households with more than eight people will get an additional $5,746 per person.
The added benefits only apply to families that are not already receiving the maximum benefit. The 350,000 households that will receive the extra benefits make up around 50% of the more than 800,000 Michigan families that received food assistance in May, according to MDHHS.
Meredith Spelbring is a news intern with the Detroit Free Press. Reach her at mspelbring@freepress.com or on Twitter @mere0415.
