Press Releases
The Center for Civil Justice accepts inquiries from news agencies by telephone (810) 244-8044 or email at info@ccj-mi.org. Unless a different contact is listed, contact CCJ Director of Communications Kimberlee Charchan at ext. 306 or kcharchan@ccj-mi.org or Executive Director Terri L. Stangl at ext. 305 or tstangl@cj-mi.org or cell (989) 295-4269.
NEWS RELEASES
Flint, Michigan - May 9, 2013 - As Congress is poised to mark up the Farm Bill and possibly cut the nation's low-income food program, a new poll shows that voters in the U.S. support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, otherwise known as food stamps or the 'Food Assistance Program' in Michigan.)
For details on this story click here.
For details on the study go to the FRAC website at www.frac.org.
Time is Running Out for Eligible Michigan Adults to Apply for Health Coverage
If you're a low-income Michigan adult without children and without health insurance, you can now apply for the state's Adult Medical Program (Plan A) through April 30th.
Click here to apply online.
Click here for more details.
Grant Will Help Protect Genesee County Families Striving to Build Economic Security
Thousands of Genesee County families need a helping hand when their world is turned upside down due to unemployment, illness, or the death of a family member. Unfortunately, families that should be eligible for short term help with food, healthcare, utilities or other basic needs are often frustrated by changing and confusing rules. These families, and the community organizations that are trying to help them, will be able to get answers and help from the Center for Civil Justice, thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.
For details click here.
New Study Shows Michigan Families Can't Afford Enough Food
One in five residents are saying they didn't have enough money for food last year, according to a Gallup poll. Our state is ranked number 20 on a list of states with the highest food hardship. A new reporter released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) shows that nationally the food hardship rate was 18.2 percent in 2012, compared to Michigan's food hardship rate of 20.2
For more details on this story click here.
Medicaid Expansion Could Actually Save Michigan Money
Imagine your child having an asthma attack in the middle of the night and you don't have a rescue inhaler or a doctor to turn to. What if you've been feeling ill for months but can't find out what's wrong because you don't have health insurance? By the time you end up in emergency, it may be too late to cure what could have been a simple problem. Medicaid expansion in Michigan could help more than 470,000 residents avoid the same fate.
Adults with Disabilities are at Highest Risk of going Hungry.
A new national study reveals that adults with disabilities - more than any others - are going hungry - and sometimes for days at a time. The USDA has found that one in three hosueholds that include adults with disabilities don't have access to food. That's nearly three times the rate of hunger reported by other households.
New Insight into Adequacy of Food Assistance Program Benefits
January 21, 2013 – Flint, MI - People standing in line at any of the nation’s food pantries can tell you – so can others who come away from the grocery store with a smaller bag of food for the same price – programs for low-income people who are hungry are just not doing enough. But now there’s even more muscle behind that statement. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC) have found that the benefit levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps in Michigan, are too low and there are flaws in how the benefits are calculated.
Congress to Vote on SNAP Cuts as Mayor's Report Shows Need for More Assistance
With less than a week to go before Christmas, Congress is poised to cut nearly two million people from food assistance tonight as lawmakers continue to negotiate away from the fiscal cliff. But now there is new evidence that shows the cuts to be voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives would have dire consequences for low-income families.
Thousands of Low-income Families with Children Affected by Lame Duck Sessions.
Saginaw, MI - December 14, 2012: Michigan Senate Bill 1386, imposing a 60-month lifetime limit of Family Independence Porgram (FIP) benefits, counting months back to October 1996, passed both the House and Senate.
Michigan’s Needy to Lose Benefits Despite Long-Standing Promises by Lawmakers and DHS.
Lansing, Michigan - December 5, 2012 - Difficult times from well over a decade ago are coming back to haunt thousands of Michigan’s needy residents and their children. A bill was just passed in the Senate Wednesday (December 5) that would put strict limits on how long they can receive help from the state. Senate Bill 1386 states that people, who’ve received benefits from the Family Independence Program (FIP), of any size, for more than 60-months since 1996, will be cut off forever. No exceptions.
A Senate Hearing Called Wednesday for Bill on Cash Assistance Time Limits for the Needy
Flint, Michigan, December 4, 2012 - A bill that appears to concede that the Michigan Department of Human Services did not have the authorization for a limit on cash assistance for needy families was introduced into the Senate Monday. It was immediately set for a last-minute hearing tomorrow at 9:00am.
One in Five Michigan Residents Don’t have Money for Food
Flint, Michigan, November 20, 2012 - Michigan has one of the highest percentages of households receiving federal food assistance in the nation. A study by the Food and Research Action Center shows that our state is ranked number two with 18.1 percent of households receiving food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly food stamps). Oregon ranked number one in the nation with 18.9 percent. This coincides with another study by Gallup that shows 19.1 percent of the Michigan residents polled said they didn’t have enough money to buy food in the last 12 months.
Low-Income People Could Lose Food Assistance
Lansing, MI, November 21, 2012 – Millions of people throughout the country and right here in Michigan are spending this holiday season worrying if they’ll be cut from federal food assistance. Billions of dollars in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, are proposed in the 2012 Farm Bill being considered in a lame duck session of the legislature in Washington right now. If the cuts are approved, two-to-three-million low-income people could lose SNAP benefits. In Michigan, SNAP is called the Food Assistance Program and is paid on the Bridge EBT card.
Needy Families Wait for Michigan Supreme Court Decision
Lansing, MI., November 15, 2012 - Thousands of needy families in Michigan are still waiting anxiously today to hear if they will lose their benefits. The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments November 15, regarding the Department of Human Services 60-month time limit policy, but no decisions were made. That means the Genesee County Circuit Court order remains in effect which states that DHS must continue Family Independence Program (FIP) benefits to families that have received fewer than 48 countable months of FIP under state law.
Saginaw, Michigan - October 9, 2012 - For tens of thousands of low-income families in Michigan who would otherwise be hungry, homeless, or sick, the Center for Civil Justice (CCJ), has been a source of hope and relief. In recent years, CCJ's small group of advocates have successfully prevented the loss of healthcare insurance to thousands of eligible parents, the loss of cash assistance to thousands of families with children due to time limits, and the loss of Food Assistance to senior citizens and people with disabilities.
New Michigan Poverty Data Underscores Need to Keep SNAP Strong
Saginaw, Michigan - September 20, 2012 - "What this new data from the Census Bureau tells us is that cutting SNAP (formerly the Food Stamp Program) would leave people not only hungrier, but poorer. With more than 15 percent of people in Michigan living in poverty, SNAP is making a huge difference to those who have the least. It helps our most vulnerable neighbors put food on the table and lifts many above the poverty line."
Saginaw, Michigan - September 5, 2012 - One in seven households in Michigan struggled with hunger during the years 2009 to 2011, according to new data released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its annual report on food insecurity.
August 14, 2012 - Four Michigan organizations that advocate on behalf of people with disabilities and their families, have united in support of the Center for Civil Justice's Application for Leave to Appeal, concerning the 60-month welfare limit cut-off case.
Saginaw, Michigan - August 7, 2012 - Thousands of low-income families are asking the Michigan Supreme Court to hear their appeal of a court of appeals ruling which held that the Department of Human Services could implement its own lifetime limit on benefits retroactively and without any exceptions, even though the Michigan Legislature had enacted a different set of rules into state law.
Advocates Disappointed bY Appeals Court Ruling
Saginaw, Michigan - June 26, 2012 - Thousands of families with children may be permanently barred from ever receiving cash assistance in Michigan under a ruling issued by the Michigan Court of Appeals. The Court reviewed a state policy that disqualifies such families once they receive any amount of federally funded help for a total of 60 months starting in 1996.
June 19, 2012, Saginaw, MI - On June 18, 2012, the Center for Civil Justice (CCJ) filed a motion asking the Genesee County Circuit Court to enforce its class action ruling that low-income families cannot be denied or terminated from Cash Assistance based on a 60-month lifetime limit that violates state law.
Thousands of Low Income Families With Children Affected By Lame Duck Legislation
New Report Shows 45% Increase in Number of Summer Lunches Served to Needy Children in Michigan
In a dramatic testament, both to Michigan’s economic struggles and increased outreach efforts by the Michigan Department of Education and anti-hunger advocates, the number of meals served to needy children in Michigan in June 2008 increased 45% over the number served in June 2007. 314,997Michigan Ranked First in Nation for Urban Food Stamp Participation
Advocates applaud success and call for Transitional Food Stamp benefits for those moving from welfare to work. The Food Research Action Center (FRAC)* released a report today saying that an amazing 98 percent of individuals living in Wayne county who are eligible for Food Stamps – nowThousands of Working Families With High Child Care Costs May See An Increase In Food Stamps
Several changes to the Food Assistance Program (food stamps) will take place beginning on October 1, 2008, potentially benefiting 14,000 Michiganders with high child care costs. These families are potentially eligible to receive an estimated $23 million in additional food assistance benefits.Michigan Families Struggling, School Breakfast Even More Important: Report Identifies School Strategies That Connect Needy Kids With "Most Important Meal of the Day"
Just when the demand for emergency food and Food Stamps in Michigan are at an all-time high, some Michigan schools are stepping up to both reduce childhood hunger and improve educational outcomes by increasing the number of children receiving school breakfast. According to a new “MichiganProof of citizenship is costly mistake for feds, state
Families turned away because they lack records A federal citizenship documentation requirement has hurt Michigan families in need of public and medical assistance, and there’s no proof that it is identifying large numbers of undocumented immigrants, a new report from the Michigan LeagueSlowing the Revolving Door: A new project works to reduce student mobility for families forced to move by tough times
Jennifer Treece tried and tried to find affordable housing in Mt. Morris, but had no such luck. Difficult financial times forced Jennifer, along with her two daughters, to move back home with her mother and father who lived in the Flint. Jennifer’s daughters continued to attend Mt. MorrisMichigan Ranked First in Nation for Urban Food Stamp Participation
Advocates applaud success and call for Transitional Food Stamp benefits for those moving from welfare to work. The Food Research Action Center (FRAC)* released a report today saying that an amazing 98 percent of individuals living in Wayne county who are eligible for Food Stamps – nowImportant Information concerning the 48 Month Time Limit
DO YOU RECEIVE BENEFITS FROM DHS? You may have heard about a new law limiting cash assistance (FIP) benefits to a lifetime total of 48 months. YOU NEED TO KNOW: THE 48 MONTH LIFETIME LIMIT ONLY APPLIES TO CASH ASSISTANCE CALLED FAMILY INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM (FIP) THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF
