Federally Funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Provides About $650 Million in Vital Support to Nearly 3 Million New Yorkers Each Month
SNAP Is New York’s Most Important and Effective Tool To Fight Hunger and Food Insecurity
Continued Congressional Support Is Essential To Maintain This Core Program That Working Families, Families With Children, Seniors and Those With Disabilities Depend on To Purchase Healthy Food
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that New York State has delivered nearly $6.5 billion in vital food assistance to low-income working New Yorkers in 2024 through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federally funded program that helps families with children, older adults, and those with disabilities across the State, afford the cost of purchasing healthy food. SNAP is New York’s most effective tool in fighting hunger and food insecurity across the State, a core priority of Governor Hochul’s administration.
“No New Yorker should ever go hungry, and no parent or caregiver should have to choose between buying groceries or keeping the lights on,” Governor Hochul said. “We need congressional leaders to step up and maintain funding for SNAP, an absolutely critical program that so many working families, families with children, and seniors across New York, depend on to purchase food, feed their loved ones, and make ends meet.”
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded program overseen by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and administered by local departments of social services. Nearly 3 million New Yorkers, or more than 1.7 million households, receive SNAP each month. The average monthly SNAP benefit is $376 per household. Through the end of October, nearly $6.5 billion in SNAP benefits were issued in New York State in 2024.
SNAP benefits are a critical lifeline for New Yorkers in need, as about 18 percent of the State’s population have received SNAP benefits in 2024. More than half of households receiving SNAP were families with children, and about 47 percent included an adult over the age of 55 or a person with a disability.
Every dollar invested by SNAP generates up to $1.54 in economic activity, according to a federal study quantifying the impact of SNAP on the U.S. economy.
In recent years, New York has expanded SNAP by eliminating unnecessary requirements and simplifying the application process, removing key barriers to reducing hunger for children and adults, while continuing efforts to maximize benefits for all New Yorkers who are eligible.
- The Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) simplifies the SNAP application, recertification and verification processes for eligible households, where all adult members are aged and/or disabled, thereby increasing access to and preventing interruptions in receipt of benefits for these households. Since ESAP was implemented in December 2021, OTDA has enrolled approximately 500,000 eligible households in the program.
- OTDA continues to work closely with local departments of social services and community-based organizations to ensure potentially eligible individuals are aware of SNAP and are able to easily access assistance.
- OTDA contracts with community-based organizations that provide SNAP outreach and prescreening services, application assistance and referrals to potentially eligible households, and provides direct client assistance to enable households to continue to receive SNAP benefits, including individuals with disabilities.
- The SNAP-Ed nutrition education program teaches people how to shop for and cook healthy meals on a limited budget. This program is free to anyone who qualifies for SNAP, including people with disabilities, with the goal of giving SNAP households tools and tips to make nutritious food choices and choose a physically active lifestyle.
SNAP is one of many programs through which New York State agencies work with the federal and local governments to address hunger and food insecurity across the State. Governor Hochul has made New Yorkers’ access to affordable, healthy food a central priority and has created and supported numerous new policies and programs that help decrease hunger and food insecurity in New York.
Anyone can apply for SNAP online at myBenefits.ny.gov, if you live outside of New York City, or by using ACCESS HRA, if you live in New York City, in person at a local department of social services, or in a New York City SNAP Center. In many areas through the State, community-based organizations can assist with completing a SNAP application, answer any questions, or help current recipients recertify their eligibility to continue receiving SNAP.
SNAP benefits can be used to purchase designated items at authorized retail food stores. SNAP-eligible food can also be purchased online at participating retailers, but delivery charges and other fees cannot be paid for with SNAP benefits. The amount an eligible household receives in monthly benefits depends on income and household size. The maximum benefit is $768 for a family of three and $292 for an individual.
In 2024, New York also issued more than $240 million in food assistance to families of more than two million low-income, school-aged children as part of the new Summer EBT program. Summer EBT is a new federally funded program that supports efforts to address food insecurity among children from low-income families, providing $120 per eligible child to help families pay for healthy meals.
The Department of Health operates nutrition programs to reach underserved populations who often don't have equal access to abundant, affordable, healthy food options. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), provides a monthly prescription of nutritious foods tailored to supplement the dietary needs of participants. Participants receive valuable nutrition counseling and education to increase their knowledge of healthy choices and use their eWIC card to shop for nutritious food items at WIC approved vendors. In addition, the Child and Adult Care Food Program supports healthy meals and snacks served to children and adults in day care settings each day. These programs are essential to supporting nutrition security. Find more information about WIC here.
The Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, along with the Nourish New York Initiative, support the provision of emergency meals that are provided through a network of about 2,500 Emergency Food Relief Organizations. These meals include nutritious New York State grown produce and dairy products. Learn more about the DOH’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program here.
In 2023, Governor Hochul signed legislation that formalized the State’s Council on Hunger and Food Policy, which is charged with providing recommendations on how to address food insecurity and provide residents with greater access to healthy, locally grown foods.
The Council’s work further aligns with and supports many additional State programs focused on alleviating food insecurity and hunger.
The Nourish New York program helps food banks and other emergency food providers to purchase New York foods, such as milk, yogurt, cheese, vegetables, fruit and more, from local farmers and delivers meals to communities across the State.
The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, run by the Department of Agriculture and Markets, provides low-income seniors and WIC recipients with coupons to use for fresh, local produce at participating farmer’s markets, farm stands, and mobile markets. The newly modified FreshConnect Fresh2You Initiative, which was announced by the Governor in spring 2023, doubles the buying power for SNAP recipients and Veterans and their families at participating farmers' markets.
The SNAP-Ed Food Box and Community Growers Grants programs provide funding to further expand access to fresh, affordable foods in underserved communities across New York State and support New York’s agricultural industry, making it easier for low-income families to access fresh, affordable food in their community while better connecting New Yorkers with local farmers and growers.
Double up Food Bucks is a statewide nutrition incentive program that helps thousands of SNAP recipients gain greater access to and afford more healthy food by maximizing the purchasing power of SNAP recipients at a growing list of grocery stores and farmers markets across the State. The Field & Fork Network’s Double Up Food Bucks program expands the purchasing power of SNAP recipients, enabling them to purchase more healthy, fresh produce for themselves and their families, while also supporting local economies and farms. The State’s growing partnership with Field & Fork Network helps New Yorkers meet their essential needs and strengthens Governor Hochul’s work to expand access to affordable, nutritious, locally grown food in underserved communities across the State.
