COMMENTARY: Food stamp work requirement would hurt Nevada’s needy

We would like to express our general disagreement with your Sept. 17 editorial, “Food stamps should have work requirement.”

In Southern Nevada, The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a vital component of our social safety network to help our hungry neighbors. Three Square Food Bank, in conjunction with hundreds of our agency partners — which range from well-known nonprofits such as Catholic Charities to family-run pantries and neighborhood churches — help nourish the nearly 279,000 food insecure men, women and children in our community. Our resources locally do not go far enough, however, and we need federal programs to work in tandem to support the hungry people in our community.

Expanding work requirements for SNAP does not get people back to work. Conversely, it can only make life harder for those already vulnerable. While our economy as a whole may be thriving, many people have not recovered from financial devastation suffered during The Great Recession. This includes the working poor, who have more difficulty finding steady employment and often bounce from job to job.

SNAP supports individuals and households as they get back on their feet, providing them with needed nutrition and encouraging work. A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture finds that new participants spend an average of only 12 months on SNAP, and most leave the program within two years. Additionally, the program is structured to provide a strong work incentive by slowly phasing out benefits as earnings increase.

SNAP is also good for Nevada’s economy. In fiscal 2017, SNAP generated around $1.06 billion in economic activity in Nevada, according to Feeding America. Additionally, SNAP supports nutrition education efforts, as well as employment and training programs to help beneficiaries gain skills and work experience necessary to move toward self-sufficiency.

Our congressional delegation should honor the dignity of thousands of food insecure Nevadans by only supporting a farm bill that protects SNAP and restores the Emergency Food Assistance Program funding to previous levels.

Brian Burton is president and CEO of Three Square Food Bank. Also signing this submission are Dan Edwards, Episcopal bishop of Nevada; Catherine Gregg of the Canon Episcopal Dioceses of Nevada; and Deacon Thomas Roberts, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada.