Food stamp applications in the Triangle soar as coronavirus job loss mounts

Anna Johnson
·5 min read

More than 14,000 people across North Carolina applied for food stamps during the fourth week in March.

That’s a nearly 40% increase over the same time period last year, as the state enters its second month of addressing the coronavirus pandemic.

And the numbers are expected to go up in April.

“We are averaging 200 applications per day, which is just unheard of,” said Ben Rose, director of the Durham County Department of Social Services. “And it is going to get worse. It’s going to get much worse.

“The more outreach we do and the more impacted we get, they will turn to us,” he said. “We are the safety net, so we are one of the first places they go.”

There are more than 2,200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than two dozen confirmed deaths in North Carolina.

The state and local governments issued stay-at-home orders to help slow the spread of COVID-19, but hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs as non-essential businesses were forced to close.

As of Feb. 29, North Carolina has 594,553 households receiving food stamps which represents more than 1.2 million people. There were 10.4 million people in the state in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

People who get food and nutrition services, commonly called food stamps, make below the federal poverty line. The amount depends on the size of the household.

In March and April, people who get food stamps will get the maximum allowed for their households. North Carolina received federal authority to offer the maximum benefits for the household size on March 30.

For example, a family of four would be guaranteed $646 each month regardless of how much they would normally get.

“People need to be able to feed their families while also practicing good social distancing and following the governor’s stay at home order,” NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen stated in a news release. “This will help families make fewer trips to the grocery store and help protect themselves and those in their communities from getting sick.”

Rose has worked in social services for more than 30 years, including during the Great Recession. What’s happening now doesn’t compare to those numbers, he said.

“It’s nothing like we are about to see,” Rose said. “With the unemployment claims we are seeing, we are going to see an onslaught of people seeking help from us or nonprofits and other avenues. This is unprecedented times in the state.”

Wake County applications

Wake County normally has 1,100 to 1,200 pending applications for food stamps. But on Thursday, that number was more than double, with 2,800 pending cases.

Orange County had 335 applications in March 2019, but that number jumped to 517 in March 2020. And there are 82 cases already for April.

“We are just seeing more and more people lose their jobs,” said Liz Scott, division director for economic and social services for Wake County Human Services. “Our applications are very tied to the unemployment rate.”

But the real spike just picked up in the last week, she said. Staff is being moved around to tackle the surge. All three Triangle counties encouraged people to apply for benefits online instead of visiting an office in person.

WIC enrollment rising

Applications are also increasing for the food and nutrition program for woman, infant and children commonly called WIC.

Parents or caregivers normally apply for WIC through their county health departments, but there is a online state referral. April 1 saw the highest number of single-day referrals since the implementation of the online form, said Kelly Connor, communications manager for N.C. Department of Health and Human Resources, in an email.

There were 139 WIC applications in Wake County in February, but the number jumped to 338 in March, said Safa Hamad, WIC section program manager for Wake County.

“Whenever there is food insecurity our numbers go up,” she said. “We get more people referred to us.”

That’s something that’s weighed heavy on Kristen Morgan’s mind.

A Chapel Hill High School teacher, she received WIC benefits for six months when her son was born four years ago. She can’t imagine what mothers are going through now.

She’s worried about people stockpiling food, which leaves less for those with limited incomes or using food benefits.

“It breaks my heart,” she said. “I feel bad. I feel really bad for the people in that position now. It is degrading to feel like you can’t provide and to have that compounded by the shortage of supply and anxiety. I can’t imagine what that feels like.”

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How to apply for food stamps:

Wake County:

  • Apply online at epass.nc.gov

  • You can apply in person, but the regional centers are closed. The Swinburne Building, 220 Swinburne St., Raleigh, is closed to the public except for its lobby. Application packets can be picked up there from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Download an application, found at www.ncdhhs.gov, and mail it Wake County Human Services. The address is WCHS, Post Office 46833, Raleigh, NC 27610, Attn: Box 58.

  • Call 919-212-7000

Durham County:

Orange County:

Other parts of North Carolina: