AUSTIN – Texas Health and Human Services announced today that it will roll out disaster food relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey to residents in seven additional counties.
Texas will offer D-SNAP to residents in Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Nueces, Polk, Refugio and San Patricio counties, starting Sept. 18 or 19, in addition to the 11 initial counties previously announced. More counties will be announced soon. The Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as D-SNAP, provides short-term food benefits for eligible families recovering from a disaster.
"We've been working quickly with local officials to identify and roll out sites in the affected counties," said Texas HHS Executive Commissioner Charles Smith. "I've seen firsthand the devastation caused by Harvey, and we're doing everything we can to get food benefits out to families in these areas."
Also announced today, Texas is now offering residents greater flexibility to apply in counties that are not necessarily their counties of residence. If families have been displaced from one of the 18 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.
For information on all 18 currently approved D-SNAP sites, go to www.hhs.texas.gov/d-snap to find days and hours of operation.
New locations and dates are as follows:
Aransas County Residents
301 N. Live Oak, Rockport
Sept. 19 to 25
Brazoria County Residents
1524 E. Mulberry, Angleton
Brazoria County East Annex
Sept. 18 to 24
Calhoun County Residents
400 Tiney Browning Blvd., Port Lavaca
Walmart Parking Lot, HHS Mobile Site
Sept. 18 to 24
Nueces County Residents
1901 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi
American Bank Center, Second Floor
Sept. 19 to 25
Polk County Residents
707 N. Tyler Ave., Livingston
Livingston Municipal Library
Sept. 18 to 23
Note: Library closed Sunday
Refugio County Residents
Residents can apply at the locations in Aransas or San Patricio counties. There are no HHS offices in Refugio County.
San Patricio County Residents
1115 E. Sinton St., Sinton
Texas HHS Office
Sept. 19 to 25
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.
| Date | Last name |
|---|---|
| Sept. 18 | A - C |
| Sept. 19 | D - H |
| Sept. 20 | I - M |
| Sept. 21 | N - R |
| Sept. 22 | S - Z |
| Sept. 23, 24* | Anyone |
*Note: Polk County event will end Sept. 23. The Livingston Municipal Library is closed Sundays.
| Date | Last name |
|---|---|
| Sept. 19 | A - C |
| Sept. 20 | D - H |
| Sept. 21 | I - M |
| Sept. 22 | N - R |
| Sept. 23 | S - Z |
| Sept. 24, 25 | Anyone |
For detailed instructions and updates, go to www.hhs.texas.gov/d-snap.
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.
Texas HHS has been offering the benefits in stages. Larger-population sites, such as in Houston, will launch soon with special sites to accommodate large volumes of people who would not be able to be efficiently served through a local HHS office.
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.
People who purposely provide wrong information to receive disaster benefits may be denied benefits, and legal action may be taken against them.
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 selection 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).
