Res 1025-2019

By Council Members Louis, Kallos, Chin, Ayala, Gibson, Reynoso, Lander, Powers, Brannan, Rosenthal, Adams, Cohen, Vallone, Holden, Levin and Eugene Whereas, According to Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger-relief organization, 1.2 million New Yorkers were food insecure in 2017; and Whereas, Food insecurity is the lack of access, at times, to enough nutritionally adequate food for an active, healthy life for all members of a household; and Whereas, New York City's food insecurity rate is 12 percent higher than the national rate, and 21 percent higher than the New York State rate; and Whereas, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is the cornerstone of the nation's safety net and nutrition assistance programs, providing assistance to millions of eligible low-income people; and Whereas, Benefit levels for SNAP are based on criteria including, but not limited to, household size and income levels; and Whereas, SNAP provides assistance to recipients by offering monthly electronic benefits that can be used to purchase food at authorized stores and farmers' markets; and Whereas, SNAP not only helps low-income people purchase food, but it also provides an economic benefit to communities; and Whereas, As of May 2019, over 1.5 million people were receiving SNAP benefits in New York City; and Whereas, Currently in New York, SNAP recipients cannot use their benefits to purchase prepared foods; and Whereas, However, any state can allow for the purchase of prepared food with SNAP by opting into the Restaurant Meals Program authorized under the United States Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (known as the Farm Bill); and Whereas, The United States Department of Agriculture, which funds and runs SNAP, allows states to make restaurants available to SNAP recipients who are aged 60 and over, have proof of disability or have a homeless certification letter from a shelter or other provider; and Whereas, Currently Illinois, Arizona, 11 counties in California and one county in Rhode Island participate in the program; and Whereas, Allowing the disabled and elderly to use SNAP benefits for prepared meals will help those who may have physical limitations to preparing a meal; and Whereas, New Yorkers experiencing homelessness can only use their SNAP benefits on limited items that do not require cooking due to lack of access to cooking facilities; and Whereas, While the Department of Homeless Services provides meals to these individuals at their homeless shelter or commercial hotel, SNAP recipients who are experiencing homelessness do not have the flexibility to buy food on the go and choose their own food; and Whereas, Allowing SNAP benefits to be used on prepared foods would allow people the choice and flexibility to use their SNAP benefits to feed themselves and their families; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation to opt into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Restaurant Meals Program to allow disabled, elderly and homeless SNAP recipients to use their benefits on hot meals and other prepared foods at participating grocery stores, delis and restaurants. CP LS 11577 7/31/19