Thousands in state seeking food aid stuck in backlogs
Jasmine Bryant was caught by surprise at the grocery store in September, when a state-issued debit card to buy food for her three children was rejected at the checkout counter.
Her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits — formerly referred to as food stamps — had been cut off without notice, despite no change in the circumstances that allow her family of four to access the nutritional help.
Bryant made multiple calls to the Tennessee Department of Human Services helpline, where hold times stretch to four hours and hang-ups are a frequent occurrence. An online application system was often down. And at a nearby local Knoxville benefits office, where many of the electronic kiosks were out of order and in-person windows were closed, there were hourslong waits, rude staff and security guards, and few answers.
It would be another three months before the Bryant family was restored to the program that allows the single mom to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and protein for her active, sports-playing children — ages 13, 11 and 8.
“I did everything I could to make sure the kids didn’t know what was going on,” said Bryant, 35. “But they noticed. They’re used to me cooking home-cooked meals and fresh food that you can’t really get from food banks. It made me feel like a failure.”
The family’s benefits, Bryant would learn, had been cut off in error.
As the holiday season approaches, thousands of Tennessee families who qualify for food assistance have been cut off from food benefits they rely on; families recently out of a job or falling on hard times haven’t been able to successfully access first-time aid.
State officials blame the rollout of a new computer system in June and an ongoing staffing shortage.
“This year, the Tennessee Department of Human Services experienced its largest technology transition since 1992,” Danielle Cotton, department spokesperson, said. “As we transition from the old system to the new one, there has been a temporary increase in our processing times that we are actively working to mitigate.”
Advocates for Tennessee children and families question why the computer rollout was so poorly launched and note frustrations for families are compounded by widespread reports of mistreatment by state employees.
“It’s really hard. The reason why people are turning to SNAP is because they’re having a hard time feeding themselves or their families. It’s a lifeline,” said Signe Anderson, senior director of nutrition advocacy for the Tennessee Justice Center.
Anderson said last week the problems identified months ago haven’t gotten any better for families, who have turned to community organizations like hers for assistance. Applicants have reported chaos inside Human Services offices, she said. Older adults have waited in lines of 150 or more that stretch outside offices into the cold; security guards, at times, have called police about applicants who expressed frustrations; state employees have refused to use translations services for non-English speaking individuals.
“DHS calls individuals applying for SNAP their ‘customers,’ but we’ve seen none of the respect and dignity in treating people here,” Anderson said.
Cotton said the agency is also working to recruit and retain staff, offering accelerated training to new hires who work on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Cotton did not immediately respond to a request last week for vacancy numbers in the program.
Six months after the agency installed the new computer system, thousands of low-income Tennesseans remain in limbo. As of Nov. 30, there were 48,690 program applications pending, according to Human Services.