6/30/26 – When Government Assistance Is Needed – Is it Easily Attainable?
I was responding to a Facebook post the other day where someone reposted “….Let’s cut off those monthly checks and EBT cards and you can hate America for free” and someone responded with a clapping emoji. Normally, I’m not always in the mood to educate people, especially those that have never met someone in need of Snap or EBT benefits. But knowing that I am the co-founder for a non-profit that helps families build stronger foundations after a divorce or who have a single-family household, I had to comment with a personal story and some facts.
As many people know, I was in a toxic 14-year on again, off again relationship. When it finally ended, my ex and I split and for two years I didn’t see or communicate with him. Part of our journey entailed his recovery from prostate cancer and the side effects the radiation had on his body. What I hadn’t realized was how bad those effects got over time.
My ex was a Cuban exile whose father put his mother and him on a plane and sent them to Miami. They landed with nothing in their pockets. Family members housed them while they established themselves in this country. They never asked or received public assistance. My ex, who was 14 years old at the time, worked wherever he could to help sustain his family. He managed to finish high school and ended up managing a paint store, where he remained for over 10 years. While working there, he learned how to apply the latest finishing techniques that eventually enabled him to open his own painting business where he applied his faux finishing, Venetian stucco, wood graining and specialized techniques on homes owned by Versace and other notable clients, as well as condominium lobbies throughout south Florida. He built his business to a six-figure revenue and mentored other painters on his techniques.
During our relationship, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in his mid-forties. After his surgery, radiation therapy started. As he got older, the side effects would cause his hip to deteriorate and physically crippled him. Two years after we separated, I received a call from him asking for help. His condition had worsened and he was unable to work. His car had been repossessed and his home was in foreclosure. Because our relationship ended poorly, when he first called, I ignored it and reached out to some of his friends letting them know they should step up and help. I soon realized that he had isolated himself and those friends didn’t want to help. Knowing that he would soon be homeless, I reluctantly called and asked what he needed. My goal was focused; get him on food stamps, find a place for him to live and get him on disability. Seemed simple enough.
I’m not sure if you have ever attempted to help someone receive government assistance but it nearly became a full-time job for me. Navigating the government sites, providing the necessary documentation, responding to emails, gathering information – I don’t understand how someone who is incapacitated can maneuver this task.
It took me nearly two months to get him on food assistance, which totaled $200 per month. Housing was impossible in Miami so he moved in with a relative of his that was so poor, they couldn’t keep the air conditioner on during the day.
Because he needed disability assistance, I sourced an attorney who shared that the process of getting on disability could take several years and the process was time consuming. Which it proved to be. There were hundreds of doctors’ visits and each request was denied. It took him four years before the government accepted his request.
I haven’t seen him in over 15 years but friends have shared that he eventually found a place to live and is managing his life.
Apparently, under the Big Beautiful Bill passed recently, these benefits have been cut even further due in part to misinformation about the system being abused. Here are some facts.
According to the USDA.gov site, in 2024, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) served an average of 41.7 million people per month or 12.3% of the overall US population.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
For many, those individuals receiving benefits look like you and me. Some of our NASDF members were at home parents whose spouses, at times, use child support and alimony as a means of control. When that happens, they need assistance. In fact, if many of us evaluated our financial situation, we would find that most of us are 6-months away from being homeless. If you ever incurred a health crisis, medical bills can deplete your savings and bankrupt you at any moment.
NASDF tries to fill that gap by providing free mental healthcare, career services, discounts for diapers, formulas, early childhood education discounts, discounts on medical devices and school supplies. These benefits will continue to grow as our membership base continues to grow.
Support Insured was set up specifically to help keep families off of government assistance when a life situation happens that causes the payor to have to temporarily stop paying.
So, the next time someone thinks that the system is being take advantage of, share the facts and if you have the time, educate them as best you can.
