TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Tampa Bay area mother facing hard times hasn’t received her SNAP benefits in six weeks.
“When you’re looking at your bills and you only have [a] certain amount of money and you’re saying, ‘am I going to pay my rent or are my kids going to eat tonight?’ You’re going to feed your kids,” said Michelle Markley.
While 8 On Your Side has told you about the state’s backlog of sending out Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, the issue continues to pile up.
Markley is a single parent of two young children.
“Hearing your kids say they’re hungry is like, it’s devastating,” she said. “It’s been six weeks since I’ve received any assistance.”
While Markley works a full-time job, she needs the extra help, so she waits for money to be placed on a reloadable card. She filed for her renewal of benefits on time, yet online it still says “pending.”
“For a person that lives paycheck to paycheck, this is a dire situation because it has a trickle effect on every other aspect of your life,” she said.
The federal program is run through the Department of Children and Families.
Markley is not alone. 8 On Your Side has heard from hundreds of families experiencing delays in SNAP benefits.
“It really needs to be addressed. It needs to be recognized and it needs to be understood that there’s working families who are doing their best and they really need these benefits to feed their families,” said Markley.
8 On Your Side requested information and an interview from DCF, but they never got back to us.