FY 2019 SNAP's Excess Shelter Allowance Provided $418 Million in Additional SNAP Benefits in Oregon, $20 Billion Nationally.

I have completed a new comparison of the FY 2015-FY 2019 change in SNAP benefits made possible by the excess shelter allowance deduction that I previously blogged about HERE. 

"Benefit" means an increase in SNAP allowance for a family because the excess shelter allowance reduces income counted [an "income disregard"] before calculating allowable benefits.

A 2002 CBPP analysis explained the importance of this deduction: 

"After Section 8 and public housing, the food stamp shelter deduction was the biggest source of federal resources devoted to providing assistance to low income households based on their housing needs. "

The tables pasted below show the US and Oregon changes from FY 2015 to FY 2019. 

I ALSO created a NEW EXCEL workbook that compares FY 2019 data to FY 2015 data; this includes a worksheet with a pulldown that allows users to see what the changes were by state. That new workbook is HERE. 

FY 2019 Excess Shelter Benefit Was Down from FY 2015.

While the total national and Oregon total benefit from the excess shelter allowance was down from FY 2015 (the economy was robust in 2019) the excess shelter deduction still meant that SNAP benefits were higher by $418 million in Oregon and $20 billion nationally than they would be without the excess shelter deduction. 

While the total excess shelter benefit was down note that for the US (+10%) and Oregon (+3%)  the average monthly individual benefit was UP. 

Note also that this benefit is available to both homeowners and renters. 

In Oregon the Total Excess Shelter SNAP Benefit for Renters Was Close to Total HUD Voucher Spending.

Total HUD voucher spending for renters in Oregon in FY 2019 was $292 Million. 

National American Housing Survey 2019 data indicates that 69% of SNAP recipients were renters. Rounding up, if renters were 70% of households in Oregon who benefitted from the SNAP excess shelter allowance that would also be about $292 million. ($418M *70%=$292M).

When FY 2020 data is released I anticipate that the total value of the excess shelter deduction will increase. 

[The Department of Agriculture data source for the FY 2019 data is HERE].

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.