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Thousands in New York City must work to keep SNAP food benefits. ‘The pressure is on.’
By
Karen Yi
Published Mar 3, 2026
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Karen Yi / Gothamist
By
Karen Yi
Published Mar 3, 2026
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Tens of thousands of New Yorkers receiving food assistance — including older adults and homeless people — now have to demonstrate they’re working if they want to keep the benefits that allow them to afford groceries every month.
After court battles and a temporary freeze on benefits during the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration’s big changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, officially took effect in New York this month. That means New Yorkers who fail to meet new work requirements could be kicked off the program beginning in June, a worrying prospect that city officials and emergency food providers are working furiously to avoid.
Food insecurity remains high in the city with more than 1 million households relying on SNAP, a rate that’s outpacing the city’s population growth.
New Yorkers have long been exempt from work requirements. But a measure pushed by Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration will require about 123,000 New Yorkers to prove that they are working, volunteering or in school beginning in March. This now includes veterans, homeless people, youth aging out of foster care, and parents with children older than 14. It also means that some seniors who had retired under the old rules will now have to go back to work to continue getting food benefits. SNAP recipients who fail to meet the rules for three months will lose their benefit.
"This is very big for our seniors," said Sister Marie Sorenson, associate executive director for St. John’s Bread & Life, which provides food assistance to 11,000 people a week.
“Maybe they've already stopped working. Having to go back into the job market now it's a source of confusion for them because they're saying, ‘But I'm past the age of retirement now, I'm a senior citizen, and I don't have the capacities that I used to have as a younger person.’”
SNAP recipients can meet the new requirements by providing pay stubs or letter from their employers, or filling out a self-employed form. Individuals with medical issues, mental illness or disability can also request exemptions.
Officials with the city’s Human Resources Administration, which administers SNAP, said they’re reaching out to everyone who needs to comply. The city also launched a new partnership with more than 70 nonprofits to identify a pool of work and volunteer opportunities to help SNAP recipients meet the new requirements.
"We want this to be a full city response to support individuals on SNAP and keep them on SNAP,” said HRA Administrator Scott French. "Our focus is making sure that everybody really understands what this means."
Outside the food pantry at St. John’s Bread & Life in Bedford-Stuyvescent last week many SNAP recipients on line said they agreed that people should work for their benefits even if they hadn’t yet figured out how to comply.
"I need help. So I'm going to go and do what I gotta do,” said Kasuneike Burnett, 56, who is unemployed after working as a chef last year. ”I'm going to go out there and work and hope I can find me another job. “
But she said the new rules weren’t fair to older adults. “They already did their time, so let them relax,” she said.
French said the city would notify recipients every month they are not in compliance and work with them to find a work or volunteer opportunity that can help them keep their benefits.
Lakisha Morris, division director for food and housing stability at Catholic Charities Community Services said pantries are worried the changes could result in households losing their benefits. That, in turn, could increase demand for emergency food at shelters.
Jerome Nathaniel, policy and government relations director for City Harvest, said there’s still a lot of confusion among advocates and SNAP users, about what’s changing and when. The Trump administration initially wanted to start work rules sooner judge delayed it
”As a SNAP participant, that's stressful of course, as you're already just trying to make sure you're feeding yourself and your family,” he said.
Yvette Arrindell, 54, said she’s a new SNAP recipient and didn’t know about the changes. She worried the new rules would be tough for a lot of people to meet.
“ There'll be a lot of people more out on the street. Crime is going to skyrocket,” she said. “It's like a domino effect for us out here.”
Sorenson said SNAP recipients are bracing for what’s to come, trying to figure out whether they find roommates to help cover the costs, move elsewhere, or where they can volunteer or work.
“ The pressure is on,” she said. ”It just seems cruel to do and unnecessary.”
Tagged
economy
new york city
snap
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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