Governor orders aid for Ohio families amid federal funding gap

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed an executive order Thursday aimed at providing temporary food assistance to families if federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are suspended due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The order authorizes the immediate use of up to $25 million in state funds for food assistance. The action is in response to a notification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that November SNAP benefits will not be transferred to recipients' accounts if the federal government shutdown continues into November. Approximately 1.4 million Ohioans rely on monthly federal SNAP benefits, which total around $264 million in the state.

The governor's order directs the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to distribute the funds in two ways.

First, $7 million will be allocated to regional food banks across the state. This funding is specifically for food procurement to help mitigate potential food insecurity and cannot be used for administrative costs.

Second, up to $18 million will be used for emergency relief benefits for eligible Ohioans. This temporary relief is directed at more than 63,000 Ohioans, including over 57,000 children, who are currently at or below 50% of the federal poverty level and participate in the Ohio Works First program. The funding for this aid comes from the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has been directed to issue guidance to county departments on dispensing the funds.

Columbiana and Trumbull County Jobs and Family Service Department have not been given any guidance from the state on how this money will be given out. Mahoning county does have a bit of a clearer picture.

Audrey Morales, the Director of Mahoning’s Jobs and Family Services says the state is directing them to prioritize people on the Ohio Works First Program. The 1,021 people in that category will receive 25% of their benefits this month. Those in the program are families at or under the 50% poverty level with children.

“It was an initiative by Governor DeWine to make sure that families with children would still receive some type of incentive or income during the time the shut down is going on,” Morales said.

The emergency relief payments will be issued to eligible families in November, and potentially in consecutive months designated by the governor, if the SNAP funding gap persists.

Of the more than 1.4 million Ohioans on SNAP only 63,000 will get portions of benefits from the order. With not everyone covered, some lawmakers are calling for more. 

“This is a teeny tiny band aid on a 200 million dollar problem…while I'm grateful for any amount of money because that means at least some of our residents won't go hungry, it is merely damage control,” State Representative Lauren McNally of Youngstown said.

The executive order, which will take effect on Saturday, Nov. 1, is set to expire after 120 days or once the federal government resolves the shutdown and continues SNAP payments to Ohioans.