Urban Justice Center (for the Safety Net Project)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program.

Research shows that SNAP participation reduces food insecurity by as much as 30% and enables low-income households to afford healthy food. More than 1.7 million New York City residents are enrolled in the program, which is administered by the City’s Human Resources Administration (HRA). Over the past several years, rising food insecurity and the lingering effects of the pandemic have led to increased demand for SNAP. In recent years, HRA has struggled to process applications within 30 days, as federal law requires. Overall, the City is now processing 83% of SNAP applications on time, up from 42% when the Safe Net Project at the Urban Justice Center (SNP-UJC) launched their advocacy. These gains are now at risk. In a moment of rising prices and inflation, these changes will increase food insecurity for millions of New Yorkers and deprive the local food economy of hundreds of millions’ worth of food. In 2024, NYHealth awarded The Safety Net Project at the Urban Justice Center  a grant to advocate for improving the City’s timely processing of SNAP applications for eligible and food-insecure New Yorkers. In 2025, NYHealth awarded SNP-UJC a grant to continue community-led policy advocacy, organizing, and communications, amplifying the voices of New Yorkers most at risk of losing benefits. 

Under this grant, SNP-UJC will activate community members, media contacts, and organizational relationships to reshape the public view on food access and equity. SNP-UJC will mobilize SNAP participants to contribute their voices locally to influence broader federal advocacy efforts. It will educate officials at the City, State, and federal levels on the consequences of potential federal changes to SNAP. SNP-UJC will conduct outreach at SNAP offices, health centers, and food access sites. It will hold bi-weekly meetings with SNAP recipients to plan strategic actions and host public events to raise awareness of proposed federal cuts. It will also develop digital toolkits, lead leadership workshops on public speaking and organizing, and amplify participant voices through media and social platforms.