The State continues to fail some Tennessee families, leaving them without SNAP benefits that they are eligible to receive. Taleshia Williams is a mother of four kids who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Having been a SNAP participant for some time, the program helps keep her family happy, healthy, and fed. In March of 2024, she was due to renew her SNAP benefits but spent months trying to complete a process that should be straightforward, leaving her family without adequate food for nearly four months.
Taleshia sent in her renewal information in early March of 2024, well ahead of the deadline provided by the Department of Human Services (DHS). She delivered a paper copy to the Davidson County office, in addition to completing the paperwork and uploading all necessary documents in the One DHS portal. Despite taking all the right steps, she received a letter from DHS at the end of March telling her she had failed to recertify and would be losing her benefits.
After spending hours on the phone over the next two weeks, DHS told her that her only option was to submit a new SNAP application. Despite reapplying, calling the Family Assistance Center hotline weekly, and spending hours on the phone trying to resolve this issue, she continued to hit a wall. DHS told her multiple times they would contact her but never did. Meanwhile, she and her four children were struggling to afford food.
Taleshia contacted the Tennessee Justice Center, and together, we resolved her issues in less than two weeks. We also learned that her March benefits had been stolen from her card and were able to help her recuperate the stolen benefits. Taleshia was reimbursed her total benefits that had been withheld from March to June. Taleshia thanked TJC for helping, saying "I didn't know what I was going to do if TJC didn't help."
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