RICHMOND, Va. — Lynette Hicks knows what it means to work hard. She spent 45 years in the workforce before degenerative disc disease left her disabled and living on a fixed income on the city's Northside.
"I paid my share of taxes into the system," Hicks said.
Now, she relies on federal SNAP benefits to put healthy meals on the table, a challenge that became even more difficult during the government shutdown.
"I can't just open a can of corn and just eat it. I try to feed us balanced meals, where we have vegetables and a piece of meat," Hicks said.
When the federal shutdown suddenly meant those SNAP benefits wouldn't be coming, her anxiety levels jumped. She was thankful when Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration decided to fund those benefits with state dollars in quarterly installments, and she received her first $49 last Friday.
"I'm grateful for whatever I get," Hicks said.
But she says it's difficult to meal plan when you only get a portion of your benefits at the beginning of the month, especially with inflation. So she's trying to stretch that money as much as possible.
"Now I have to go to three or four stores where I used to only have to go to one," Hicks said.
The news that politicians in Washington may have reached a deal to end the government shutdown — and therefore reinstate SNAP benefits — has her cautiously optimistic.
The governor said in a press release Sunday that he would pause the state-funded Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance benefits following federal notification that at least 65% of monthly SNAP benefits would be paid this week after a court order. He said it was anticipated benefits will be processed no later than Thursday, November 14.
Local News
Virginia halts VENA program as SNAP benefits set to return this week
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said they are waiting to see if the government will actually deliver.
"Just because a decision has been made doesn't mean it's going to happen immediately, right. We know that it takes sometimes days, sometimes weeks to be able to turn on some of these systems that have been turned off," Avula said.
People who received their quarterly installment of state benefits last Monday and Wednesday won't be receiving those payments this week, which could lead some people to scramble while they await the SNAP payment later this week.
"There are going to continue to be gaps and that's why we've been really focused on trying to meet local needs by working with our partners at Feed More, partnering with our region to actually fund Feed More to buy more food and scale up more distribution sites and hopefully that will fill some of the gaps until the machinery of SNAP could get turned back on," Avula said.
For Hicks, the uncertainty remains a source of stress.
"I don't think anybody should have to work this hard just to get food," Hicks said.
“VENA benefits were distributed last week to cover 25% of SNAP recipients’ monthly allotment. This week, in response to federal guidance, we anticipate that SNAP recipients will be issued 65% of their monthly allotment no later than Thursday, November 13th,” said Rob Damschen, Spokesperson for Governor Youngkin.
"Virginia is the only state that developed a state-sponsored solution for to ensure Virginians in need didn't go hungry because they were being used as political ‘leverage’ by Congressional Democrats,” Damschen added. "We continue to work closely with our federal partners and will provide updates as federal guidance changes. The Governor’s priority remains ensuring that all eligible individuals and families continue to have immediate access to food support.”
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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