With SNAP benefits delayed and government workers going without pay, some Houston-area restaurants are offering a safety net. Local businesses are handing out free kids’ meals and relief deals for furloughed federal workers until financial support returns.

A Houston man says he continues to show up for work every day — even though he hasn’t received a paycheck in nearly a month.

Concerns regarding SNAP benefits not being disbursed are becoming more frequent, according to Carl Johart, CEO of Alexander Jewish Family Services.

With the 2025 federal government shutdown now entering its fourth week, many Houstonians who depend on nutrition assistance programs, such as SNAP benefits, are concerned that their resources could be delayed.

Thousands of Texas families could soon lose access to the food assistance they depend on. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the federal agency that funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), says there is not enough money to pay for full November benefits if the government shutdown continues past the end of October.

The State of Texas Health and Human Services tell KPRC, SNAP benefits may not come in November if the government shutdown doesn’t end by Monday.

With the 2025 federal government shutdown now entering its fourth week, many Houstonians who depend on nutrition assistance programs, such as SNAP benefits, are concerned that their resources could be delayed.

Nearly 900,000 residents across ten Houston-area counties could lose their essential food assistance if the government shutdown extends beyond October 27th, creating what local advocates are calling an unprecedented hunger crisis.

A possible SNAP delay could impact thousands in Houston, but many families already don’t qualify for help. Nonprofits say more households are stuck in the middle, earning too much for aid, but not enough to get by.

Millions of Texans who rely on SNAP benefits could face delays next month after the federal government instructed states to hold off on sending November payments.

Starting November 1, thousands of Texans who rely on SNAP benefits, also known as Lone Star Cards, could be at risk of losing food assistance under new federal guidelines.

Joel Pizano and Maria Delgado are charged with supplemental nutrition assistance program electronic violation. The two were charged following an investigation by the Texas Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) received federal approval allowing recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to apply for replacement benefits for food lost or destroyed in last week’s storms.

Governor Greg Abbott announced Thursday that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is providing more than $344.1 million in emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits for the month of January. The allotments are expected to help about 1.6 million Texas households.

Since the week ending March 14, just shy of 2.1 million Texans have filed for unemployment benefits, more than in all of 2019. Food policy advocates are still pushing for the state to remove asset restrictions that disqualify most families who own a car valued at more than $15,000 from getting SNAP, Cooper said. Pandemic-EBT benefits were paid out through Lone Star Cards — the card SNAP families use for groceries — to hasten distribution. SNAP families with eligible children were automatically enrolled in the program and should have all gotten their benefits as of Thursday, Cooper said. Families that don’t have SNAP benefits can apply for Pandemic-EBT in June, Cooper said.

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Health and Human Services will provide more than $168 million in emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits to help people in the state during the COVID-19 response, Gov. HHS got federal approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide the maximum allowable number of SNAP benefits to recipients based on family size, according to a news release. Anyone receiving SNAP benefits is included. “SNAP, commonly referred to as the food stamp program, supplements the budget of the working poor. "The additional food subsidy announced today by Governor Abbott, although still supplemental, will help fill a portion of the financial gap created by the economic crisis resulting from this pandemic.