JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville City Council member plans to file legislation to help tackle delays in federal food assistance.
Councilmember Rahman Johnson held a meeting on Friday to address the disruption in SNAP benefits that is impacting thousands of families locally.
“This is a crisis,” said Johnson. “People are hurting, and we’ve got to do something.”
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Earlier this week, the city launched a new community coalition to better target resources for those in need.
But Johnson called Friday’s meeting to determine how to fund that coalition.
They are looking to secure $2 million for emergency food relief until federal stability is restored.
Leaders discussed several different funding options to fill the gap. One of which would be to tap into the city’s reserves.
“I think the easiest one would be to take the funds directly from the reserves,” said Johnson. “I am not a fan of that because we just put money into the reserves.
Another concern brought up at this meeting was access to food pantries throughout the city.
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“Where can I go and get fresh food without leaving District 8, my district, that is one of the biggest concerns have received in the last few days,” said Councilmember Reggie Gaffney Jr.
It’s an issue that the city’s coalition will work to address by working with Feeding Northeast Florida or other partners to get them into those neighborhoods.
While Johnson said there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to the final plan, his goal is to get relief to families as quickly as possible.
“I’m not going to wait on Washington,” said Johnson. “We got to do what we can here.”
Johnson plans to file legislation on Monday.
Then it will go to the city council for a vote, and it needs a 13-majority vote to pass.
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