States Target Long-Term Unemployment, Food Stamp Rolls

After years of struggling with stubbornly high unemployment and elevated food stamp rolls, 10 states and the federal government are embarking this year on an ambitious new effort to help the jobless find work.

Passed as part of the 2014 Farm Bill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted$200 million to 10 states to help solve two of the most prominent, lasting effects of the Great Recession: long-term unemployment and high enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly referred to as food stamps. (USDA oversees the food stamp program.) Pilot programs in California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, Vermont and Washington will receive the grants.

The new programs will target populations of food stamp recipients who have historically been tough to reach through existing job placement and training programs, such as the homeless and people with substance abuse problems. They range from Kentucky’s plan to work closely with private employers to train people for better jobs to Vermont’s focus on people with drug addiction problems.

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