Earlier this week my colleague and I wrote about a startling statistic in Arizona: The number of people on food stamps there has plummeted by half over the past year, a loss of nearly 500,000 people, according to the latest public data.
Now the city of Phoenix is offering “one-time crisis assistance” of up to $700 to households that have lost all their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits since Oct. 1, 2025.
“This assistance helps households maintain stability by covering essential utility expenses, allowing families to use their remaining income to purchase culturally appropriate food and access groceries close to home,” a notice on the city website said.
Arizona officials and community groups say the benefits system is overwhelmed because of federal legislation passed last July: The One Big Beautiful Bill, championed by President Donald Trump. The law tightened eligibility for SNAP and pushed states to do more screening.
State officials ramped up their vetting. Many people who may be eligible for SNAP have been swept up in the resulting delays and confusion, analysts said.
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