Update: Changes to How the U.S. Measures Poverty

The current poverty measure understates the extent of hardship so many people in our country have been experiencing even before the current crisis, and so many more will experience as our country navigates the unprecedented economic fallout of COVID-19. Changing the way the U.S. defines poverty would have major implications and should not be addressed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a comment against the Administration’s harmful proposed rule to change how poverty is measured. Now more than ever, it is important for us to stand together to protect and strengthen access to critical benefit programs so that the most vulnerable populations are able to feed their families.

The Administration is now reviewing all the comments, which will likely take months. In the meantime, nothing changes for those eligible who or currently enrolled in SNAP. If you are currently enrolled in these programs, you should continue to access your benefits. If you are eligible and would like to apply for benefits, you should do so. Visit New York City’s ACCESS HRA to apply.

We will continue to monitor this issue, working closely with and our partners across the city and country, and we will keep you updated as we learn more.

Thank you for standing up for our neighbors.