SNAP benefit reduction in South Carolina: How will recipients cope?

The South Carolina SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits will be returning to their regular monthly amounts starting February 1, 2023, according to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.

This change comes as the emergency COVID SNAP benefits, which were put in place at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, are ending. The decision to end the emergency benefits has been met with mixed reactions from SNAP recipients.

Some, like Jeannette Henderson, have relied on the extra money for necessities like their electric bill and household items. Others, like Tonia Jackson, wish the benefits could have been extended to give people more time to get back on their feet. Loree Roberts, another SNAP recipient, thinks the readjustment will be manageable by re-budgeting and being more frugal.

Based on the published report by News19 on December 29, 2022, the South Carolina Governor’s Office released a statement about the ending of the emergency allotments, stating that they were always meant to be temporary and that recipients will have time to plan as they continue receiving the emergency allotment for another month.

According to the Department of Social Services, as of last month, more than 308,000 households, representing over 620,000 people in the state, were receiving SNAP benefits.