Daily Yonder, Modern Farmer - As policymakers in DC have continued to negotiate compromises to fund the federal government — and craft a new Farm Bill — there has been no shortage of political wrangling over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), often referred to as “food stamps.” For example, in mid 2023 an agreement…
Economic Security
Overview Read the full fact sheet here. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) is the most powerful anti-hunger tool in the United States. It is highly responsive to economic downturns, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, where unemployment peaked at over 15 percent in West Virginia.[1] SNAP already…
West Virginia MetroNews - The foster care services formerly known as Braley & Thompson is celebrating its new brand identity, StepStone Family and Youth Services. Read the full article. The foster services organization held a ribbon cutting ceremony at its Dunbar location Wednesday afternoon to welcome the name change. StepStone Family and Youth Services Executive…
Mountain State Spotlight - For the next two months, lawmakers will be at the state Capitol for their annual legislative session. Each year is a chance for them to pass new laws, as well as make sure those that are already in place are achieving what they intended. Read the full article. In one of…
WVNS - The executive director of the non-partisan West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy executive director said West Virginia families are in a “crisis” which state lawmakers must address. Read the full article. Kelly Allen, the executive director, said recent data shows children in West Virginia are four times more likely than those in…
Wheeling News-Register, Weirton Daily Times - West Virginia Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman sees an increased need to care for the state’s foster children in 2024. Read the full article. When the Legislature next convenes Jan. 10, one of the bills the Ohio County Republican hopes to propose would provide reimbursement funding to a family member…
WOWK - On this week’s episode of Inside West Virginia Politics, we take a look at foster care and child protective services in the Mountain State, as well as the current open enrollment period for Medicare. We also hear more about the saga to elect a new Speaker of the House in Washington. Read the…
WOWK - West Virginia has the highest rate of foster children in the nation, and advocates are again calling for more help. Some have called the foster care system a crisis, and it’s certain to be one of the top three issues when the legislature convenes in January. Read the full article. For every 1,000…
WOWK - There are critical shortages at food banks and pantries across the state, but now some major help is on the way. Read the full article. Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) is sending in more money, fulfilling a pledge he made in this year’s State of the State Address. Food pantries, such as the one…
West Virginia places four times as many children per capita into the foster care system as the United States as a whole. Most foster care entries in West Virginia are related to substance use or neglect—not abuse. Poverty and lack of access to substance use treatment are major drivers of foster care entry.[i] To solve…