KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Kayla England lives in low-income housing in Knoxville. England said it's been hard for her family.
"Prices are ridiculous now," England said. "You take one step forward, you get ten steps back because you have to pay the bill, you know, you got your rent, you know, your car payment, your phone bill, all that on top of now having to provide food."
England sent paperwork applying for benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in July, but she said she's still waiting. The program is operated through the Department of Human Services and is meant to make sure families are well-nourished as they focus on work, school or wellness.
"I just sit here for 45 minutes, you know, trying to get through to somebody and then y'all tell me it's closed and hang up," England said. "And then you can't get a hold of nobody at DHS' local office. And if you go down there, they just tell you, 'Oh, well go home and wait on a phone call.' You know, how many of us have been waiting on that phone call for months?"
Giselle Cruz is from Monroe County. She is a mother and says she's been waiting for SNAP benefits since July as well. With expenses piling up, having a happy holiday season looks to be a far-fetched dream for some people.
"The last time I called them, I was on hold for over two hours when it said that I was going to be connected with someone for 18 minutes," Cruz said. "We won't be able to do Thanksgiving if we didn't have food stamps. Because we can't afford to pay for it right now."
Finally, England got word on Wednesday from DHS that they would expedite her case. Even though her case may be processed faster, she said she is worried people may receive benefits despite not qualifying.
"You got people that live in Montgomery Village, or Western Heights or wherever it may be that are truly, you know, below the poverty line that need this stuff," England said. "But you got people like that, that abused the system."
However, DHS said that wasn't the case. They said the department recently adopted new technology, which required workers to adjust to the new system. As a result, they said there was a temporary reduction in processing times, and the department was working to speed up how applications are processed.
The SNAP program does not offer emergency assistance, but the department does offer "expedited SNAP benefits." People who apply for the program would need to meet specific requirements to be eligible for expedited benefits.
In September, DHS said it issued around $150 million in benefits to 753,214 individuals across the state. Around $6.8 million in benefits were issued in Knox County, to around 34,500 individuals.
The department's full statement is available below.
"This year, the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) experienced its largest technology transition since 1992. In June, TDHS launched a new Eligibility Benefits Management System (EBMS) as a part of the department’s broader modernization efforts to provide a single platform for the management of Family Assistance programs (SNAP and Families First) as well as other TDHS programs and services to better serve our customers and streamline case processing for TDHS team members.
With the adoption of any new technology, inevitably it involves a period of adjustment. As we transition from the old system to the new one, there has been a temporary reduction in processing times that we are actively working to mitigate. We have also received an influx of applications, with some individuals submitting duplicate applications which has significantly increased our application workload. However, staff is working diligently to review every application, even duplicates, and we appreciate everyone’s patience during this transition.
We would also like to share that customers can now track and manage their cases online using the One DHS Customer portal which has the capability for customers to create an online account and upload documents needed to complete their cases. We strongly encourage customers to learn more about how to manage and track their cases using the One DHS Customer Portal by clicking here, and kindly refrain from submitting multiple applications.
We would encourage customers that need immediate assistance to call Tennessee’s resource directory at 211 or visit the online directory for more information."