New York, NY – The number of New York City residents over the age of 65 receiving benefits through the food stamp program has increased about 30 percent in the weak economy.
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But advocates say there’s still work to be done to make sure the elderly know how to get help.
The president of the Queens Interagency Council on Aging, Maria Cuadrado, tells the Daily News (http://nydn.us/LcWlaO ) that many people who are eligible are not applying.
Advocates say seniors shouldn’t let pride stand in the way of getting help.
A representative of the city’s Human Resources Administration told seniors Monday that people who apply for the program won’t be asked how much money they have in the bank.
raise taxes, raise rent, raise tolls, raise transportation costs, invent new fines. come on politicians you can think of something that will solve this. ooh, ooh I know. fine the people who are on the food stamps. problem solved 🙂
Senior citizens are probably the one group that has suffered the most during these bad economic times. The cost of living increase on their social security benefits was not nearly close enough to the real cost of living increases they have had to pay for their shelter, food, utilities, medical expenses, insurance, etc. If they depend on extra income from interest on savings accounts and cds (and surely they do because social security benefits alone are not enough to live on) they were devastated by the steep decline in interest rates…rates that dropped so low that the interest they got was barely anything.
I can only hope that more eligible seniors apply for food stamps, this is what the program was designed for, to help the needy.