DSS closes disaster food stamp sites
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Several disaster food stamp application sites are closing this weekend because of scheduling conflicts and because operating agreements are coming to an end, the state Department of Social Services announced.
Additional sites will be opened in some areas, while others should be able to handle the remaining residents looking for assistance after hurricanes Gustav and Ike, said a news release from the department.
Kristy Nichols, interim head of the Department of Social Services, said Friday that the volume of applicants at the original disaster food stamps sites for Hurricane Gustav victims has dwindled significantly.
“A lot of the sites could be closed, but we want to make sure no one is left behind without disaster food stamps,” she said.
The plan is to eventually shift the parish application sites to the standard food stamp offices already in parishes, Nichols said.
But the state has to have an extension from federal officials to continue offering the disaster program in parishes that have exceeded the initial approved period of 14 days, she said.
The department is requesting approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal program, to extend the first Disaster Food Stamp Program for Hurricane Gustav another week in order to ensure that all families who are in need receive assistance.
The federal government recently approved a disaster food stamp program for victims of Hurricane Ike in 14 parishes, primarily in the southern and western part of the state.
In Livingston Parish, North Park in Denham Springs closed Friday because the original operating agreement was completed and pre-scheduled events had to resume. The AmVets Post 68 in Springfield will take over operations for that area Sunday.
Sites in St. Tammany, St. Mary, and Grant parishes will also be relocating, if just for the weekend.
Two sites, one in Tangipahoa and one in Lafourche, will be closing permanently, primarily because of a reduction in
demand in those parishes, according to the department’s release.
Applicants are asked to continue to monitor the Department of Social Service’s Web site for the most current information regarding site openings and hours of operation.
For information about the schedules of the sites and to learn who is eligible to receive disaster food stamps, call or call (888) 524-3578.
Additional sites will be opened in some areas, while others should be able to handle the remaining residents looking for assistance after hurricanes Gustav and Ike, said a news release from the department.
Kristy Nichols, interim head of the Department of Social Services, said Friday that the volume of applicants at the original disaster food stamps sites for Hurricane Gustav victims has dwindled significantly.
“A lot of the sites could be closed, but we want to make sure no one is left behind without disaster food stamps,” she said.
The plan is to eventually shift the parish application sites to the standard food stamp offices already in parishes, Nichols said.
But the state has to have an extension from federal officials to continue offering the disaster program in parishes that have exceeded the initial approved period of 14 days, she said.
The department is requesting approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the federal program, to extend the first Disaster Food Stamp Program for Hurricane Gustav another week in order to ensure that all families who are in need receive assistance.
The federal government recently approved a disaster food stamp program for victims of Hurricane Ike in 14 parishes, primarily in the southern and western part of the state.
In Livingston Parish, North Park in Denham Springs closed Friday because the original operating agreement was completed and pre-scheduled events had to resume. The AmVets Post 68 in Springfield will take over operations for that area Sunday.
Sites in St. Tammany, St. Mary, and Grant parishes will also be relocating, if just for the weekend.
Two sites, one in Tangipahoa and one in Lafourche, will be closing permanently, primarily because of a reduction in
demand in those parishes, according to the department’s release.
Applicants are asked to continue to monitor the Department of Social Service’s Web site for the most current information regarding site openings and hours of operation.
For information about the schedules of the sites and to learn who is eligible to receive disaster food stamps, call or call (888) 524-3578.
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