Food Stamp Law

[mi32mi32]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Kentucky

I have a question to see if I may need your sevices. I have a relative who is currently in the River city mission he wants and qualifys for food stamps. The mission said if he gets food stamps he must contribute 100.00 of it to the mission. It states as follows

If I am eligible for food stamps then I agree to help with food costs by donating proceeds from food stamps within the requisites of the law, to river city mission while staying there. He get 200.00 a month they take 100.00 is this legal?

Thank your for your time and any advice
Ethan

 

[Zigner]

So, they're feeding him AND he wants to collect those food stamps?

 

[InsaneJane]

His local Health and human resources dept will know the answer. Give them a call....

 

[xylene]

There are no such thing as "food stamps" in KY anymore.

To stop abuses like this, the goverment issues EBT cards, which are used like a debit card.

I don't understand how your relative can give 100 of food stamps to anyone.

 

[ecmst12]

Anyone can use an EBT card. Or he must give $100 of the FOOD to the mission.

 

[CSO286]

Of course, part of the paperwork a client signs when they apply for benefits states they will not give, trade , transfer benefits to, or allow anyone else to use their EBT card. Doing so, would constitute fraud.

I really do not think that a shelter can charge people food support benefits in exchange for being permitted to stay there. I'm pretty sure that's a big ol' no-no.


http://www1.cms.gov/apps/firststep/content/fs_qa_eligibility.html

What is the homeless shelter deduction?
Federal regulations authorize each state to offer a standard shelter deduction, to be applied to clients who are homeless, to account for shelter expenses in the past month. As of October 1, 2002, the deduction was fixed at $143. The deduction is designed to account for any money a person who is homeless would use toward shelter (i.e. a hotel room or SRO) that would not be a fixed monthly expense such as rent. This deduction accounts for expenses that people who are homeless have difficulty documenting and allows for a larger food stamp allotment in most cases. At present, only thirteen states offer the deduction. To determine if your client is eligible, you need to determine how much income your client has and what they own.

 

[mi32mi32]

Thanks very much for all of your advice. Sorry for the not clarifying of some things. It is a ebt card. And yes they are told if they have one and dont contribute then out they go. As for them feeding him and him getting the ebt yes that evidently is what the mission encourages.
So the general census is this is not legal?

 

[justalayman]

it is completely legal for them to refuse him any assistance for any reason not specified in law. They can demand he pay $100 to stay there if they want.

The only question is: can the demand $100 of he food subsidy payments from the state. I suspect they have already been through this and have figured out they can because they feed their residents. As such, they are simply charging him $100 for food. He is likely getting more than $100 worth of food in exchange and it's cooked for him as well.


He can alway live somewhere else if he doesn't like how things work there for him. I hear there are some openings under the main street bridge due to some recent deaths.

 

[xylene]

Thanks very much for all of your advice. Sorry for the not clarifying of some things. It is a ebt card. And yes they are told if they have one and dont contribute then out they go. As for them feeding him and him getting the ebt yes that evidently is what the mission encourages.
So the general census is this is not legal?

No one said that he did not have to contribute.

What was said was that he he did not have to allow another to use his EBT card or otherwise transfer his benefits in a fraudulent manner.

The advice to call the local health and human services office (or its equivalent) is best.

I am sure that what is going on is that the food is pooled to realize economies of scale.

Your relative is getting fed for $25 bucks a week. That would be hard to do outside of the mission and assuming that there is no fraud the authorities are not going to object to a mission requiring residents to do group shopping.