New York State provided nearly $6.5 billion in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to low-income residents in 2024. The state-funded program helps families, seniors and individuals with disabilities afford nutritious food.
SNAP beneficiaries buy groceries at authorized retail food stores and participating online retailers for approved food items. The maximum benefit is $768 for a family of three and $292 for an individual, based on income and household size.
Administered by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and local departments of social services, SNAP benefits reached more than 1.7 million New York households in 2024, averaging $376 per household monthly. Over half of these households include children, and nearly half support seniors or individuals with disabilities, according to a press release.
Other state-funded initiatives include Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP), which aids seniors and people with disabilities. Since its 2021 launch, ESAP has enroled about 500,000 eligible households. Community organizations also assist with outreach, application support and re-certifications to ensure continued benefits.
Governor Kathy Hochul emphasized that SNAP is one of many programs addressing food insecurity. The Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program and the Nourish New York Initiative provide emergency meals featuring locally sourced products.
“No New Yorker should ever go hungry, and no parent or caregiver should have to choose between buying groceries or keeping the lights on,” said Hochul. “We need congressional leaders to step up and maintain funding for SNAP, an absolutely critical program that so many working families, families with children and seniors across New York, depend on to purchase food, feed their loved ones and make ends meet.”
In 2024, New York also introduced the federally funded Summer EBT program, distributing $240 million to help families of over two million low-income children afford nutritious meals during summer months.
Programs like the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and the FreshConnect Fresh2You Initiative increase access to fresh, local produce, while SNAP-Ed provides free nutritional education to SNAP recipients.
OTDA Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said the program was a lifeline for children from food insecure families.
“Children who live in food-insecure households are more likely than their peers to have health problems and difficulty in school," she said. "SNAP is New York State’s primary tool to help us fight hunger and food insecurity and helps millions of New Yorkers including working families, families with children, and seniors afford to purchase healthy food."
Eligible New Yorkers can apply for SNAP benefits online. Community-based organizations also offer assistance with applications and certifications.
