With no federal funding agreement in sight, time is running out for nearly 3 million Floridians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to put food on their tables.
SNAP benefits have been paused indefinitely due to the federal government shutdown. It means that on Nov. 1, if things remain as they stand, payments for the month will not be made for recipients.
Of Florida's SNAP users, children and seniors comprise the majority of participants. In Miami-Dade, one in four households rely on SNAP.
As next month's medical, property and credit bills approach, one South Florida SNAP recipient told WLRN she is "between a rock and a hard place."
" Now that I no longer have SNAP, am I gonna pay my dental bill or am I gonna eat?" said Katherine Botelho, 63.
After being laid off from an IT job she held for a decade, the Pompano Beach resident said her only source of income now is Social Security, which she withdrew early. Recent medical issues also prompted her to pay for surgery through credit.
She says she has considered selling her house to make ends meet. " Will I be able to stay here and age in place as I had planned my whole life or is that going to be totally thrown up in the air?"
READ MORE: Unpaid federal workers in South Florida seek help from food pantry to survive government shutdown
"Now that I no longer have SNAP, am I gonna pay my dental bill or am I gonna eat?"63-year-old SNAP recipient Katherine Botelho
Although there is no federal funding deal in the horizon, there is still hope for recipients as a federal judge weighs a request by 25 Democratic-led states to keep SNAP funding flowing.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani seemed skeptical of the Trump administration's argument that benefits could be suspended for the first time in the food aid program's history because of the government shutdown.
President Donald Trump's administration said it wasn’t allowed to use a contingency fund with about $5 billion in it for the program, which reversed a USDA plan from before the shutdown that said that money would be tapped to keep SNAP running.
The Democratic-led states argued that not only could that contingency money be used, it must be. They also said a separate fund with around $23 billion could be tapped.
'Beyond our worst imagination'
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a former social worker, said she is urging South Florida Congressional lawmakers to take immediate bipartisan action to avoid lapses in support.
” This has been my life's work, and I'm losing sleep. We're all losing sleep," Levine Cava said at a news conference on Wednesday. "This situation is just beyond our worst imagination.”
Meanwhile, Botelho not only hopes the federal government will release SNAP contingency funding; she hopes monthly benefits will increase to match the pace of inflation.
Botelho enrolled in SNAP after she was unable to find work and has burned through her severance pay, retirement savings and unemployment benefits. She continues to find new ways to save money, like downgrading her car insurance, making larger meals from scratch and canceling streaming services.
However, she said she has more concerns other than groceries.
“ I've been looking for a job. I'm not just sitting here saying, 'Oh, well, I'm just gonna sit back on the dole and be comfortable,'" Botelho said. "I'm not comfortable, I'm struggling.”
The Florida Department of Children and Families, which oversees Florida Snap Benefits, said it will notify Floridians once their benefits are available for use.
Are you worried about your SNAP benefits? NPR wants to hear your story.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
