Terrance Smith is one of millions of people who will not receive food assistance benefits on Nov. 1. “It’s not good because people do have to eat,” the 59-year-old Englewood resident said. He stood in line at the Bethel Family Ministries food pantry on Chicago’s South Side, which he visits once a week.
“I come to the food pantry to offset what I get on SNAP benefits,” Smith said. “So now, next month, we won’t get SNAP benefits.”
Smith said he believes that crime will go up as a result of the upcoming changes to the SNAP program. Chicago has experienced historic decreases in crime. The latest weekly report by the Chicago Police Department shows that homicides are down 33% from this time last year.
“It’s gonna be rough for a lot of people. So, I just hope that people just can really maintain, and try to maintain until something’s worked out right,” Smith said. “You gotta figure like this, it may be some crime going up. People can’t eat, so people might start robbing more, you know what I’m saying?”
It’s been 26 days since the federal government shutdown began. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it would not have enough money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in November if no resolution is made before the end of the month.
And the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services (IDHS) website states “If SNAP funds are not delivered by the federal government, the State of Illinois does not have the budgetary ability to backfill these critical resources.”
The President Donald Trump administration is blaming Democrats for the halt in SNAP benefits. However, Democrats say they are fighting against proposed cuts to healthcare and for an expansion to the Affordable Care Act. Bills have been introduced by Republicans to save funding for the food program in the midst of the shutdown, but they’ve yet to be scheduled for a vote.
Now, the Trump administration has written a declarative statement on the USDA website: “Bottom line, the well has run dry” — despite there being contingency funds of over $5 billion available for the program.
An estimated 41.7 million will experience a pause in their benefits; in Illinois, 1.9 million will be impacted, according to IDHS. Democrats have urged the USDA to tap into the contingency funds, but the agency has said that the funds are for emergencies such as natural disasters.
The USDA has since deleted its prior shutdown contingency plan that stated “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown.”
State Rep. La Shawn Ford (IL-8th) is calling for an end to what he’s calling “the Republican shutdown.” He spoke alongside Congressman Danny Davis (IL-7th) and other representatives outside Bethel Family Ministries on Oct. 23.
“I mean, you see lines of people in need of food assistance, and we know that come November 1, if the shutdown is not over, they’re going to lose assistance with SNAP benefits and people are going to lose health care,” Ford told The TRiiBE. “There’s nothing we could do. Local government and state government can’t do anything. We rely on the federal government to send money to the state and to local governments in order to operate. And so that’s why state and local governments would be impacted by this shutdown as well.”
If SNAP benefits are halted next month, it will mark the first time in history the program has not been funded during any government shutdown. The food stamp program was first established during the Great Depression in the 1930s under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1964, the Food Stamp Act was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the program began operating nationwide 10 years later in 1974, according to the USDA website. The program was renamed to SNAP in the Farm Bill of 2008 to fight negative stigmas.
With the looming threat of disruption to SNAP benefits, the Greater Chicago Food Depository has been hosting information sessions at various City Colleges to update people on the government shutdown.
During an information session at Daley College on Oct. 22, Angelica Chavez, director of community engagement for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, said in order for benefits to continue in November, the government would have to reopen or the USDA would have to give guidance to individual states on how to issue their own funds for the program.
Axios reported that the government will not reimburse states that use their own funds to pay for SNAP benefits.
“Some states might be trying to identify pockets of funding that they could activate to load or thinking about some creative solutions,” Chavez said.
Gov. JB Pritzker has previously said the state would look for ways to help those impacted but because the program is funded with federal money, it is difficult.
Once the government reopens, benefits will be released and there will be backpay for individuals after the reopening, according to Greater Chicago Food Depository officials.
Meagan Lampignano, 17, attended an information session at Olive Harvey City College, where she is a student. She said the pause in SNAP benefits would impact her mom, who works as a bartender and driver.
“She got the money to take care of us, but at the end of the day, the extra help is definitely needed,” Lampignano said of her mom, who cares for her and her six-year-old brother.
“I’m praying for everybody that really does need the help, because some people need it more than others and you never know what nobody going through,” Lampignano added.
THE PAUSE IN FOOD STAMPS COMES AHEAD OF SNAP CHANGES STARTING IN DECEMBER
Most of the conversation surrounding SNAP is centered around the impact of pauses due to the government shutdown, but changes to program requirements are happening soon.
In addition to providing information about the shutdown, Greater Chicago Food Depository is also using its sessions to spread the word about the forthcoming changes to the SNAP program with the passage of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” As a result of the bill, participants will have to meet more requirements to receive food benefits.
Starting in December, Illinois residents will have to report proof of either working or volunteering for 80 hours a month; this will not apply to those who fall under certain exemptions such as being under 17 years old, being 65 years or older, having a child under the age of 14, or being pregnant. Illinois previously waived work requirements.
Those who don’t meet the work requirements will be able to receive benefits for three months until they are removed from the program. Then, they will not be eligible for SNAP again for three years.
The new SNAP requirements could cause one in five participants to lose their benefits, according to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
For decades, negative stereotypes have been associated with those who receive SNAP benefits, such as participants being lazy and the creation of the term “welfare queen,” which suggests that Black women in particular abuse such programs.
Man-Yee Lee, Greater Chicago Food Depository’s director of communications, sent The TRiiBE an information page from the USDA website , which shows that 79% of SNAP households include either a child, an elderly individual, or a disabled non-elderly individual who is not expected to work due to age or health-related reasons.
The average SNAP household receives a monthly benefit of $297. According to Lee, that amount is “nowhere near enough for a family to make ends meet.”
“If SNAP participants are not working, it is usually due to other barriers that are preventing them from working, like insufficient childcare, reliable transportation, or qualifications, not because of an unwillingness to work,” Lee said.
Other forthcoming changes to SNAP include reduced eligibility for some legal immigrants, such as those granted asylum or escaped violent situations. The move reflects the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrant communities, like what the Chicagoland area is experiencing with his “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Even more changes will take place in October 2027 as a result of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” States will have to front the majority of the bill to keep the SNAP program alive. According to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Illinois will have to pay up to $800 million a year for benefits. The state is currently facing a $267 million deficit for the fiscal year 2026 budget.
Kevin M. Yates is the founder and president of Meals in the Meantime, which hosts pop-up food pantries. Yates said he is currently looking to partner with the Great Chicago Food Depository to help fill the gaps should the Trump administration push pause SNAP benefits for November, as well as the forthcoming changes starting in December.
“We know that we’re all gonna have to work together. I think that there’s power in people, and the more people that are focused on ensuring that people have access to food, the more likely it is that we can do something about it,” Yates said.
Ashley Munson is a former employee with the Great Chicago Food Depository. She oversaw government relations and was responsible for advocating for SNAP benefits on the federal level. She said the upcoming changes to SNAP will impact local businesses, farmers and the economy as a whole.
“Food programs in general are always up for contention, but this time it’s affecting farmers,” Munson said. Today, she hosts the political show “Munson Tonight” on Chicago’s public access channel CAN-TV.
“Not that it hasn’t affected farmers before, but I think with everything happening right now – inflation, food is going up, we can talk about tariffs – kind of makes everything a dumpster fire, which is impacting farmers, which is impacting agriculture, which is impacting SNAP,” Munson said.
During a SNAP information session at Daley College, Ruby Ferguson, who leads food equity policy for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, urged people to take action during this time by visiting their advocacy action center.
“It’s going to impact, as we know, a lot of our communities,” Ferguson said. “This is an attack on communities of color, on poor communities, and as we’re seeing right now, it’s a new reality. So we need to really equip ourselves with information.”
