The Department of Children and Family Services receives federal approval to operate a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in three more parishes, including Caddo, LaSalle, and St. Landry. DCFS Assistant Secretary of Family Support Shavana Howard says so far a little over 60,000 have applied for DSNAP.
“We have processed a total of about 40,000 applications,” said Howard.
The new additions bring the total number of parishes eligible for DSNAP to 21.
So far, $12 million has been paid out in DSNAP benefits, but Howard says they expected another 100,000 to apply for the assistance in impacted areas.
“They’re just not applying and we want to make sure that we can help provide the resources and support to those who are eligible. Really, right now we are just trying to focus on getting the word out for people to call in and apply,” said Howard.
Depending on their situation, those eligible families could be leaving lots of available assistance on the table.
“You could receive up to $340. It just really all depends on your situation, but there is definitely a lot of assistance that is available,” said Howard.
Step-by-step instructions on how to apply can be found at dcfs.la.gov/DSNAP.
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