Did you know that the National Center for Law and Economic Justice is one of the ONLY organizations nationwide that has a program dedicated to expanding access to SNAP benefits?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps more than 41 million Americans stave off hunger and severe poverty every year. We’ve stepped in to help thousands of families gain access to the benefits they need when state governments create unlawful barriers that leave people hungry.
In 2012, we set a national precedent in our lawsuit against the State of Connecticut, allowing SNAP recipients to sue to enforce their right to receive SNAP benefits on time. Connecticut used to have one of the worst processing delays in the country, but thanks to our efforts, Connecticut now processes 96% of SNAP applications on time.
Since then, we’ve taken legal action in many places over SNAP delays, most recently in Alaska, Missouri, Georgia and New York City. In Alaska, our efforts made the State issue approximately $6.6 million in SNAP benefits to needy families. In Missouri, we won a major decision in which the Court ruled the State to be violating laws governing SNAP and the ADA. In Georgia, we set up a relief line for Georgians to get the state back on track when their SNAP program took a nosedive in timely processing. And in New York City, we filed a contempt motion against the City for their failure to provide expedited SNAP to low-income families in violation of a 2005 court order.
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice advances racial and economic justice through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. We have provided legal representation and support since 1965.
