SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Stories of people eligible for food stamps in the Memphis area who say the system is failing them are continuing to pile up, even as elected leaders say the a software issue at the root of the problem has been resolved.
Little communication and staffing, broken promises and a fundamental failure to provide the stamps people are eligible for are devastating families who depend on food stamps in the Mid-South.
“Fixed for who? Because it's not fixed for me and my family,” said Brenda Powell, who hasn’t gotten food stamps so far this year.
She says DHS has suddenly been nowhere to be found. Worse yet, she’s on dialysis and can’t eat just anything that’s available.
“Everybody’s frustrated. Children are hungry. It’s wrong,” she said. “I just thank ABC24 for coming out so promptly and listening to me. Hopefully, it’ll help me and some of these other people that are struggling.”
Powell considers herself one of the lucky ones. She has family that have been able to help support her and has been able to go to the food bank to fill in the gaps. Others aren’t so fortunate.
“You’ve got children hungry. We’re doing all that we can, but when you can’t provide for them it doesn’t only hurt you, it’s hurting the child. The first thing that they’ll do when they come to your house and check, is if you ain't got food or nothing, they’re going to snatch your children up out of your house,” said mother Tammie Grandberry.
Grandberry and her neighbor Peggy Joiner say they have both gone months without getting the food stamps they’re eligible for and don’t know where to turn.
“As a parent, that's the last thing you want to go home and tell your children or your grandkids you don’t have what he or she needs. It's frustrating,” Joiner said “You’re on hold for three to four hours guaranteed just for someone to say ‘we can’t help you.'”
State House Minority Leader Karen Camper (D - Memphis) says the agency is currently prioritizing the oldest cases, meaning those that stretch back more than 60 days.
She expects those to be done by the end of the month and the rest by the end of March. Anyone who is dealing with issues collecting food stamps they are owed is encouraged to contact their local elected representative as soon as possible.
“The more you call in to your elected representative or Senator, the better we're able to help move this issue quicker, and faster,” Camper said. “We may need to appropriate more funding to allow them to bring on additional resources, so reach out to your state representative and your senators.”
According to Camper, the agency has also brought in an outside contractor to help deal with the backlog.