00:00More Americans on food stamps now must comply with new rules to receive benefits.
00:05Here in Pontiac, Michigan, people are realizing SNAP benefits can only go so far, forcing
00:11them to rely on pantries.
00:19Thirty minutes northwest of Detroit, Pontiac residents line up at Matchin Nutrition Center
00:24to stock up on food, clothes, and toiletries.
00:28More people across the nation could be in need as the USDA says goodbye to old regulations
00:35and hello to these new rules affecting a larger group of people considered to be quote-unquote
00:40able-bodied adults without dependents.
00:43The adult age limit goes up from 54 to 64 years old, while the cutoff for dependent children
00:48drops from 18 to 14.
00:51The proposal also removes former foster youth between 18 and 24, as well as veterans from
00:57the exemption list.
00:58And for many people, it adds a new requirement, working at least 80 hours a month.
01:03Experts say the changes build on the 1996 welfare law, which allows states like Michigan to waive
01:10the 80 hour per month work rule.
01:11The rule initially applied to cash aid, but now includes SNAP benefits.
01:16It is the most important reforms to food stamps since the 1996 landmark welfare reform bill.
01:26And the one big beautiful bill, the changes in that are meant to build on those reforms that
01:35were bipartisan in 1996.
01:45Clifford Glenn is surprised to learn he now has to fulfill new directives to keep his benefits
01:51active.
01:52Directives that he has been unable to meet since the new requirements went into effect
01:57on March 1st.
01:58That makes the 60 year old strips to the center necessary so he can stock up on food for himself
02:04and a neighbor.
02:05He tells Straight Arrow News the pantry supplements food stamps he's received since last year.
02:10He doesn't ask for much, but I always try to give him a little extra because he's an elder
02:14and I know he's going to be able to get out.
02:16And like I said, I come here and I pick up stuff and I'll take it out to him.
02:21You know, he, he, he, he appreciate it and I appreciate it, he appreciate it.
02:25Glenn is among the nearly 200 people seeking fresh foods and a hot meal at the center twice a week.
02:32A need volunteer Tim Shuley says has continued to evolve ever since he started volunteering
02:38in 2017.
02:39He says the format gives people self respect and selecting foods from the pantry.
02:44People get to shop and there's a dignity in picking and choosing.
02:48That's in play for Glenn who grabs potatoes, fresh greens and bread for himself and his neighbor
02:54before heading to the third floor.
02:56For a meal, it is needed in a place like Michigan where more than 700,000 households rely on food
03:07stamps and face a 5% unemployment rate, one percentage point above the national average.
03:13Changes mean the state cannot exclude Pontiac from work requirements, which allows people
03:18to collect food stamps.
03:20But places like Michigan's own Mackinac County can waive requirements due to a 13.3% unemployment
03:27rate.
03:28That's above the 10% threshold.
03:30I see a lot of struggling.
03:32I do.
03:32I see a lot of people struggle.
03:33I see a lot of people actually packing up and leaving.
03:37I see a lot of people get out on drugs and alcohol.
03:41I've grown up on food stamps, I've been an alcoholic, like I'm about to come up on 11
03:47years of sobriety.
03:48So I know what it's like to struggle, I know what it's like to go through these situations
03:54and like it's a deeper passion for me to see a smile on their face or know everybody
03:59that's come in here, treat them like their family, treat everybody the same as I would
04:05want to be treated.
04:05Everyone who spoke to SAN agrees.
04:08The nation's food assistance program needs updating to meet the needs of both recipients
04:12and taxpayers, while also accounting for rising food costs.
04:16Tim Puglisi says the changes are not meant to remove benefits, but to see people meet
04:22conditions to acquire assistance.
04:24The federal government is saying that as a condition to receive these benefits, they would
04:30like to see individuals be working in school, training or volunteering in their community
04:37those are the ways in which you can meet this work requirement for 20 hours a week.
04:43The disagreement comes in how these changes happen, changes Glenn pushes aside while encouraging
04:48his neighbors to keep their heads up.
04:50You know, you can do it, you know, just take a little step.
04:52If it's hard, then just ask.
04:54I mean, it's like knocking on a door.
04:56You may ask, knock on one door, someone say no, knock on the next door.
05:00What that next door is for Glenn remains unknown.
05:04For more of our unbiased, straight fact reporting, download the Strait Island News app today.
05:10For Strait Island News, I'm Crystal Nurse.
05:12That one's long road is me waiting worthwhile unless.
05:12Matter of course.
05:13We're he is.
05:14I'm I'm Crystal Nurse.
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