More than 4,000 Cuyahoga County refugees will lose their federal food assistance starting November 1.
According to an October 9 analysis by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the population affected includes foreign asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants in the country for humanitarian reasons, such as survivors of trafficking or domestic violence. The changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were enacted in federal legislation signed into law over the summer.
Most county refugees live in poverty, said Patrick Kearns, executive director of Re:Source Cleveland, a nonprofit that serves the immigrant community.
“This is going to have an immediate and significant impact because they are literally starting their lives from zero in a new country," he said. "Kids are gonna go to bed hungry, parents are gonna struggle more to put food on the table, to stock the pantry."
Some of his clients received notices about the change this week, Kearns said.
"It feels like a broken promise," Kearns said. "We welcomed these folks here, right? The majority of those, almost exclusively those who came to the refugee program from Ukraine, they had no intention to migrate here. It was their option. The U.S. welcomed them here."
Supporters of the change have argued it's necessary to reduce fraud and abuse in the program.
In response to the cuts, Re:Source Cleveland is planning food pantries in partnership with other nonprofits, Kearns said, including a Thanksgiving event on November 16th at the nonprofit's urban farm, Ohio City Farm, on Cleveland's West Side.
Meanwhile, about 21,000 Cuyahoga County residents will have to work to continue receiving federal food assistance.
Recent federal guidance sets requirements that adults between the ages of 55 and 64 and parents whose children are 14 and over work 80 hours per month to qualify for the benefits.
Those changes have also drawn ire from local advocates.
“These changes broadly are going to lead to increased food insecurity within this population," said Dylan Armstrong of the Cleveland-based think tank Center for Community Solutions. "It increases bureaucracy and produces worse outcomes."
Supporters argue work requirements promote self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on government aid.
