You can get food stamps if you live on the streets and do not have a mailing address. If you live in a shelter, bring a letter from a shelter employee that says you live there when you apply for food stamps. In D.C., call 211 to find the closest food stamp office.
You can receive food stamps even if you live in a shelter that provides you with meals. You cannot be denied just because you do not have a photo ID; a work or school badge is sufficient. The food stamps worker can also check your identity by calling a shelter employee. Some shelters that require payment for your meals accept food stamps as payment.
Homeless young people can apply for food stamps on their own. The income of your parents does not count if you live in a shelter.
Unless you are 60 or older or disabled, you must register for work to receive food stamps in D.C. However, you do not “work off” your food stamps benefits by working in the city at minimum wage, as some states require. You will be denied food stamps if you quit your job and were denied unemployment insurance because you quit without “good cause.”
It is important to ensure that the information you give when you apply is correct. If you receive food stamps based on inaccurate information, you will have to pay them back.
A one-person household may earn up to $1,174 a month in gross income and still be eligible for food stamps. If you are 60 or older or disabled, you are eligible if you earn up to $1,490 a month in gross income. Bigger families have larger net and gross income limits: you may have up to $2,000 in household assets ($3,000 if a household member is 60 or older or disabled), such case in the bank.
Food stamp benefits for a one-person household range from $16 to $200 per month. If eligible, you will receive an Electronic Benefits Transfer card that is debited automatically each month until you recertify or experience changes in your household’s income.
If you have less than $150 in cash and assets, you will receive your determination within seven days. All other applicants should receive their determinations within 30 days. Benefits begin on the day that you apply. You may also file for a free appeal if you believe that you were illegally denied.
For more information on eligibility requirements or how to apply for food stamps, visit the D.C. Hunger Solutions website at: http://www.dchunger.org/fedfoodprogs/ foodstamps/food_stamps.htm.
