BATON ROUGE -- The first of three phases of DSNAP for residents begins Monday, Aug. 22, according to the Louisiana Dept. of Children and Family Services.
DSNAP, formerly called Disaster Food Stamps, provides food assistance to eligible households who do not receive regular SNAP benefits and who need help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster.
The following locations will be open Monday, August 22, through Saturday, August 27, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.:
- East Feliciana Parish ZIP Codes 70722, 70730, 70748, 70761, 70777, and 70791:
- Early Learning Center, 9414 Hwy 67 (Plank Road), Clinton
- Iberia Parish ZIP Codes 70518, 70528, 70552, 70560, 70563, and 70592:
- South LA Community College, 908 Ember Dr., New Iberia
- Livingston Parish (all ZIP codes):
- Amvets Post 68, 26890 Hwy 42, Springfield
- Judson Baptist Church, 32470 Walker North, Walker
- Pointe Coupee Parish ZIP Codes 70749, 70760, and 70783:
- Pointe Coupee Multi-Use Facility, 1400 Major Parkway, New Roads
- St. Helena Parish (all ZIP codes):
- Greater Turner Chapel AME, 875 Turner Chapel Rd, Greensburg
- St. Landry Parish ZIP Codes 70512, 70525, 70535, 70541, 70550, 70570, 70577, 70584, 70586, 70589, 70750, and 71358:
- Southeast Community Center, 101 City Avenue, Eunice
- Opelousas Civic Center, 1638 Creswell Lane Ext., Opelousas
- Tangipahoa Parish ZIP Codes 70401, 70403, 70422, 70443, 70444, 70446, 70454, 70455, 70456, 70465, and 70466:
- Eagle Heights Community Church, 47318 Rufus Bankston Rd., Tickfaw
- Vermilion Parish ZIP Codes 70510, 70533, 70548, 70555, 70575, 70578, and 70592:
- First Baptist Church, 210 N. St. Charles, Abbeville
Each of the eight parishes will serve applicants on a staggered alphabetical schedule. To minimize wait times, applicants and anyone who pre-registered for benefits should go to a DSNAP location only on one of the days indicated by the first letter of their last name. Applicants who are unable to visit a site on their designated day should go on one of the final days specified.
For the above locations, applicants should go on the following designated days, based on their last name.
- Monday, August 22: A-D
- Tuesday, August 23: E-K
- Wednesday, August 24: L-R
- Thursday, August 25: S-Z
- Friday, August 26: A-K applicants unable to make prior scheduled day
- Saturday, August 27: L-Z applicants unable to make prior scheduled day
Those applying for DSNAP must go to a specified DSNAP site for the parish where they resided during the disaster to apply and receive benefits, if eligible.
DSNAP Phase Two will be Monday, August 29 through Saturday, September 3 for Acadia, Ascension, East Baton Rouge, and Lafayette parishes. DSNAP Phase Three will be Monday, September 5 to Saturday, September 10 for Avoyelles, Evangeline, Iberville, Jefferson Davis, St. Martin, Washington and West Feliciana parishes.
Applicants may name an Authorized Representative to go to a DSNAP site on their behalf. Authorized Representatives must bring with them to the DSNAP site a picture ID and the picture ID of the applicant/head of household along with a signed statement from the applicant/head of household or an adult household member authorizing them as a representative.
Accommodations will be made for the elderly and those with disabilities to reduce on-site wait times, but we strongly encourage these residents to name an Authorized Representative to visit a DSNAP site and complete an application on their behalf.
Regular SNAP households do not need to apply for DSNAP. Impacted households that receive regular SNAP benefits in the DSNAP parishes will have additional SNAP benefits added to their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards if they are not already receiving the maximum allotment for their household size.
To help expedite the application process DCFS is encouraging residents in all affected areas to pre-register for DSNAP benefits. The pre-registration is not an application for DSNAP. Residents will need to go to the parish DSNAP site in which they reside to complete an application and determine their DSNAP eligibility.
The best way to pre-register is online at www.dcfs.la.gov/preregister. However, residents can also pre-register by phone at 1-888-LAHELP-U (1-888-524-3578). Beginning Monday, August 22, the call center will extend its hours on Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hours for Saturday and Sunday will remain at 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Callers will select the appropriate language and then select options 3 and 3. All pre-registrants will have to provide the following information:
- Name, Social Security Number and Date of Birth for each household member
- Current address and parish of household
- Monthly income for each household member
- All liquid assets for each household member (cash on hand, checking, savings)
The information will be kept securely on file and will be confidential.
The pre-registration process does not guarantee benefits but is designed to save time, minimize long waits and prevent applicants from coming to the site, only to find out that they do not have the right information needed to apply.
Five new recovery centers will open to assist small businesses
The U.S. Small Business Administration, Louisiana Economic Development and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center Network today announced that Business Recovery Centers will open in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Baker, Prairieville and Amite to provide a wide range of services to businesses impacted by recent flooding. A sixth center, in Walker, began serving businesses in Livingston Parish and neighboring areas on Thursday.
LED is providing a complete resource guide for flood assistance at OpportunityLouisiana.com.
The new Business Recovery Centers will be open at the following locations and times:
- Baton Rouge
- Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane (near Interstate 12), Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Lafayette
- Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) Executive Conference Room, 537 Cajundome Blvd., Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
- Baker
- Baker Workforce Development Center, 3262 Baker Blvd., Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
- Prairieville
- BancorpSouth Bank, 13423 Louisiana 73, Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Amite
- Amite Chamber of Commerce, 101 SE Central Ave., Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
The Amite center will open for the first time Saturday, Aug. 20, at 9 a.m. The other four new centers will begin operations Monday.
The Livingston Parish facility, which began operations Thursday, is located at the Southeastern Louisiana University Literacy and Technology Center, Room 101, 9261 Florida Blvd. in Walker. It is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
No appointment is necessary and all services are provided free of charge. Specialists from SBA and LSBDC will be available to meet individually with each business owner; the SBA representatives can explain how an SBA disaster loan can help finance their recovery and guide the business owner through the application process.
Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call (800) 877 8339. For more disaster assistance information or to download applications, visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster.
Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
Governor announces temporary housing assistance
Gov. John Bel Edwards announced two types of housing available right now for displaced residents.
According to Edwards, Transitional Shelter Assistance will be available through FEMA. TSA pays for a hotel or similar shelter on a rolling 30-day basis. To find out if you qualify for TSA, visit the Transitional Shelter Assistance website.
To find a participating hotel near you, search the FEMA Evacuee Hotel List.
The Governor is also calling on anyone with a house or apartment for rent to list it on LAHousingSearch.gov as a short term rental to help house flood victims until they can find a long-term solution.
A third, long-term plan, will be announced this week, according to Edwards.