SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — Stories of long wait times, little to no communication and benefits denied without warning are still happening in Shelby County to some of Memphis’ most vulnerable who depend on food stamps.
State Rep. Karen Camper said the Department of Human Services is still working through the backlog of cases, and they hope to be done by the end of March. She said they’re also taking additional steps.
“They reached out to an outside vendor to help them move the calls, answer the calls, etc," Camper said. "I do think they have all hands on deck, but I do think people are like ‘Yeah, I hear you, but we need our services.’”
“I helped build this nation — blood, sweat and tears," said Larry Ellington, a veteran who cares for his disabled wife on a fixed income and has had his benefits abruptly cut. "But I can't get nothing. Why?”
“I don't know what to do," said Angela Briggs, a mother of two young children who has not received her benefits, going on two months. "What do you do? You go down there and get the same run-around. You’re down there for two-three hours.”
Stories of Memphians being failed by the food stamp system keep coming in to ABC24 — benefits cut or delayed with no explanation and endless wait times on the phone or in person.
“I cook three times a day for my boys," Briggs said. "Breakfast, lunch and dinner with a snack at night. It's very frustrating. I don't know what else to do. I need help. Can somebody please help me?”
“Government is messed up to me," Ellington said. "For the elderly, the senior citizens. You’ve done worked all your life, and you can't get no help.”
Camper has specific advice for anyone who is struggling to get the food stamps they are eligible for.
“Call your state representative," she said. "What we’re able to do as your state representative is to at least on a daily basis send over these names of people that have been affected by this.”