SNAP benefit cuts could threaten foster care reunifications amid government shutdown

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -The government shutdown is creating an unexpected crisis for foster care families across the Southeast as cuts to SNAP benefits threaten to separate parents from their children.

Brightside Child and Family Advocacy is warning that SNAP benefit cuts threaten foster care reunions, saying parents will face an impossible choice between food or shelter for their children.

Kate Blair, executive director of Brightside Child and Family Advocacy, said one family she knows receives around $1,000 in SNAP benefits for five children as a single mother.

“Without those SNAP benefits, she’s going to be forced to choose between food or a shelter for her children,” Blair said.

Blair leads the organization that serves children in foster care in Chatham County and surrounding areas. She said the SNAP cuts could mean more children separated from their parents.

“For a lot of our parents working towards reunification, they need to have a safe place for their children to return to, as well as food in those cupboards,” Blair said. “And without SNAP benefits, they may not have both.”

The organization is anticipating families needing to be separated longer, and even more children possibly entering the foster care system.

When a child is removed, parents need to come up with a case plan for the court to determine that their home is safe. Those factors include having warm shelter and food.

“We’re taking away one really important piece,” Blair said. “And in the end, who’s going to suffer the most are not the politicians, are not adults like myself. It’s the children.”

Blair said the consequences for these families will last a lifetime. She is calling on the community to help fill the gap during the shutdown.

“Reach out to a nonprofit that speaks to your heart and give if you are not impacted," Blair said.