Union County Residents Impacted By Ida: Food Help Still Available

UNION COUNTY, NJ — There is still time for Union County residents impacted by Tropical Storm Ida to apply for food assistance through New Jersey’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or D-SNAP, according to county officials.

The program is available to residents who are not currently enrolled in the SNAP program, and who meet income eligibility requirements.

Eligible residents must provide proof of residence in the affected areas of Clark, Cranford, Elizabeth, Hillside, Linden, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Union Township or Westfield as of Sept. 1, 2021, and show that they paid for disaster related expenses during the month of September.

Union County’s Department of Human Services, Division of Social Services has organized two intake offices for applicants, which are open each day until Friday, Nov. 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.:

• Union County Emergency Management building at 535 Laurel Avenue in Roselle Park
• Union County Division of Social Services at 342 Westminster Avenue in Elizabeth

Eligibility for D-SNAP assistance also depends on household income. To determine their eligibility, households must add their net income for the month of September to liquid resources, such as bank accounts. For example, if an individual’s net income for the month of September was $2,000 and they have $2,000 in a savings account, their combined income and resources for the month is $4,000.

The D-SNAP income table below shows disaster income and resource combined limits based on household size:

For additional assistance, contact the Division of Social Services by phone at 908-965-2700.
D-SNAP provides food assistance to low-income households with food loss or damage caused by a natural disaster. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service must approve states to operate D-SNAP in a disaster area.