County details emergency plan after federal shutdown halts November SNAP issuance

Tammy Torres, director of the Pueblo County Department of Human Services, told the Pueblo City Council on Oct. 27 that a federal government shutdown will delay issuance of November SNAP benefits and has prompted a local emergency response.

Torres said Pueblo County administers SNAP to about 41,241 people across approximately 22,889 households and that the county distributes about $8,000,000 in SNAP benefits each month. "We learned that the issuance of SNAP would not be occurring in the month of November," Torres said. She told the council that the department found $195,874 in funds that could be used immediately to help some households.

The county’s proposal prioritizes families with children who meet the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) broad-based eligibility threshold: a household of four with annual income at or below $75,000. Torres and county staff recommended using $60,000 to support an existing Catholic Charities application process with $150 gift cards, and $60,000 to the Pueblo Food Project to buy food from local merchants to restock community pantries. The county also proposed reserving $30,000 for prepared hot meals and $45,874 as a contingency reserve for ripple effects such as rent or utility delinquency.

Torres said a county 0-balance report showed roughly 4,000 households would enter November with a $0 balance on their EBT cards; many more would have only limited funds. "There is going to be a significant gap in our community," she said, noting that roughly 85% of SNAP recipients spend their allotment within the first two weeks of the month.

Council members and staff explained coordination steps. Councilor Martinez said the council is pursuing an ordinance to provide $50,000 from ARPA interest funds to Cooperative Care to purchase food quickly; she said the ordinance’s first reading will be Nov. 10 with final reading Nov. 24. Torres said the county is coordinating with Care and Share (the regional food bank), United Way and local pantries to advertise assistance and to bridge an expected three-week delay between any state emergency allocation and when donated food would reach Pueblo. "Care and Share will get that funding, and they'll use that funding to purchase food," Torres said, "but the problem is the food won't get to Pueblo till about 2 or 3 weeks out."

Council discussion covered populations likely to be missed by pantry distributions, including people without cooking access and able-bodied adults without dependents. Torres noted the county’s emergency funds are targeted at families with children and that additional strategies are being discussed to help homeless residents and others who may have trouble preparing pantry food.

Torres said the state Joint Budget Committee (JBC) was considering emergency allocations to food banks and a separate measure for WIC, but added federal back-pay for missed benefits was uncertain. "There is no guarantee," she said, referring to ambiguous federal language about possible retroactive payments if appropriations are later approved.

The county asked nonprofits and the United Way to lead outreach so DHS staff could continue benefits processing and paperwork. Councilor Flores urged the council and county to consider using surplus funds to make a larger short-term contribution, calling the shutdown a local catastrophe that merits immediate budgetary action.

The county presentation and the council’s actions were framed as emergency, short-term measures while state and federal options remain uncertain. County staff said they would continue to update the council on distribution logistics and on whether additional funding requests are needed.