MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (WFSB) – Nearly 63,000 people have lost SNAP benefits in Connecticut, double what state officials anticipated. The loss has made getting daily meals a daily struggle for some.
The reduction was an expected consequence after the passage of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill last year. A recent report reveals it is happening faster than officials thought.
Justin Taylor returned to Amazing Grace Food Pantry in Middletown for his bi-monthly food assistance. Taylor recently got his own place and is off the streets.
Due to his mental health and substance abuse history, and the fact he doesn’t have a car, Taylor could no longer meet SNAP’s new work requirements of working or volunteering 20 hours a week and 80 hours a month. Since April, he has been trying to live without his $300 monthly SNAP checks by maximizing his trips to food pantries and seeking out every available meal from soup kitchens.
“It’s tough having this twice a month. We have St. Vincent de Paul, our soup kitchen locally, that does breakfast and lunch from 8:30–1:30. So, it’s been really rough,” Taylor said.
Taylor is one of nearly 63,000 people who have lost SNAP benefits, according to a report from Connecticut Voices for Children. The report says that number is double what the Department of Social Services originally estimated.
Over the past year, Gov. Lamont has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars directly to food banks and SNAP recipients to offset the effects. But as people like Taylor get their lives back on track, thousands of people like him are struggling to eat.
Amazing Grace Food Pantry is seeing 15 to 20 new faces looking for food each month. Many of them are single adults and seniors.
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