Dubuque Iowa News

News Emergency Food Program for Disaster Areas Announced Posted 26 August 2010 Federal officials have cleared the way for the Iowa Department of Human Services to offer emergency food assistance to Iowans struggling to recover from summer storms and flooding. People who have experienced storm-related expenses—such as job disruptions, uninsured losses, cleanup, or replacement of ruined food—may be eligible for disaster food assistance even if they do not qualify for the regular food stamp program. Unlike the regular food assistance program, formerly known as food stamps, the emergency program provides a single benefit that is not renewable. Benefits are determined by household size. The benefit for a family of four is $668, for example. For a two-member household, the emergency benefit is $367. “I encourage people to take advantage of this one-time assistance,” Culver said. “For people trying to recover from a disaster, this benefit is definitely worth having. Iowans are sometimes too proud to accept assistance but more than 35,000 Iowans took advantage of this program during the 2008 floods. The application process is simple. If you qualify, the benefits are almost immediate.” Benefits are available only for residents in the 32 counties declared presidential disaster areas for individual assistance. They are Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton, Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Mahaska, Marion, O’Brien, Osceola, Polk, Ringgold, Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright. Applications will be accepted tomorrow (Wednesday) through Aug. 30 at: Any county DHS office that is normally open full time. Regular office hours apply. Applicants may apply at offices outside their county of residence. DHS part-time county offices. Monitor local media for schedules. Federal disaster recovery centers. The only announced center so far is the Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa, 1740 Garfield Ave., Des Moines. The office will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.  to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Of those who used the program in 2008, 80 percent of them had not received food assistance before and most were not eligible for regular benefits. Like regular food assistance, disaster food stamp benefits are 100 percent federal funds. The states and federal governments share administrative expenses equally. Regular rules regarding verification, income, and resources are relaxed for the emergency benefits. The eligibility calculation considers a household’s short-term disaster-related expenses. Benefits are distributed via a debit-like swipe card that may be used for food purchases. Unlike the regular food assistance program, most emergency benefits are provided immediately upon application. People currently receiving food assistance may be eligible for additional help.

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