Recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits (“food stamps”) frequently call Just Harvest for assistance with overcoming obstacles in obtaining and maintaining benefits through the Department of Public Welfare (DPW). To deepen our understanding of the frequency of the problems applicants face, food stamp consumers were surveyed about their experiences applying for and receiving those benefits, and test calls were made to the publicly available phone numbers of DPW’s Customer Help Lines and County Assistance Offices located within Allegheny County.
The results of these surveys and test calls illustrate that the department is failing to provide consumers with basic service at a level that is necessary for obtaining and maintaining benefits.
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