AUSTIN – Texas Health and Human Services announced it will roll out disaster food relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey to residents in Galveston and Wharton counties starting Monday, Oct. 9, and Montgomery County starting Monday, Oct. 16.
The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as D-SNAP, provides short-term food benefits for eligible families recovering from a disaster.
Texas has been offering D-SNAP benefits to 39 eligible counties in a phased approach that began Sept. 13. Galveston, Wharton and Montgomery counties are the last remaining eligible counties to be offered D-SNAP benefits.
For information on all currently approved D-SNAP sites, go to hhs.texas.gov/d-snap to find days and hours of operation. Generally, sites are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. with certain exceptions.
Location and dates are as follows:
For Galveston County Residents:
Oct. 9–15
League City Plaza (Old Kroger)
176 Gulf Freeway South
League City
For Wharton County Residents:
Oct. 9–15
Wharton Civic Center
1924 N Fulton St.
Wharton
For Montgomery County Residents:
Oct. 16-20
Montgomery County Fairgrounds (Exhibit Hall)
9333 Airport Rd
Conroe
Alphabetical Rollout Details
Applications are being taken based on a rolling alphabetical order. People will need to apply on certain days depending on the first letter of their last name. For detailed instructions, hours and updates, go to hhs.texas.gov/d-snap.
For Galveston and Wharton counties, opening Oct. 9:
Date Last name
Oct. 9 A – C
Oct. 10 D – H
Oct. 11 I – M
Oct. 12 N – R
Oct. 13 S – Z
Oct. 14 to 15 Anyone
For Montgomery County, opening Oct 16:
Date Last name
Oct. 16-20 Anyone
D-SNAP is available to eligible people who are residents of one of the counties with a federal disaster declaration and weren’t receiving benefits through regular SNAP at the time of the disaster. Recipients will be given a Lone Star Card that will be loaded within three days with funds to purchase food from most grocery stores.
Residents of the affected counties may be eligible if they suffered damage to their home or business, loss of income or disaster-related expenses. Disaster-related expenses can include home repairs, temporary shelter or evacuation expenses.
Households must bring identification when applying for D-SNAP. Common types of verification include a driver’s license or other government-issued photo identification.
Eligible households will receive two months of benefits when their cards load. The benefit amount is equivalent to the maximum amount normally issued to a SNAP household of their size, within three days of applying.
If families have been displaced from one of the counties receiving D-SNAP and cannot travel back to their home county, they can go to any local HHS benefits office across the state to apply for D-SNAP during the dates designated for their counties.
Texas has been closely tracking eligibility and approvals for D-SNAP as benefits are delivered. Texas is administering D-SNAP based on federal guidelines and income parameters. Texas has controls in place to ensure benefits are provided to people who meet the requirements outlined by the federal program.
People who purposely provide wrong information to receive disaster benefits may be denied benefits, and legal action may be taken against them.
More Information
People with questions about D-SNAP, including those who have special needs, should dial 2-1-1 and select option 6. For other storm-related services, including shelters, dial 2-1-1 and select option 5. For questions about TANF, Medicaid or CHIP, dial 2-1-1 and select option 2.
To check benefit amounts, recipients can visit YourTexasBenefits.com or call the Lone Star Help Desk at 800-777-7EBT (800-777-7328).
Twitter: @TexasHHSC