Michigan Bridge Card Helps Students Buy Food

Michigan Bridge Card Helps Students Buy Food

Bridge Card / Michigan EBT Free Drawings

 

Many college students are using the Bridge Card to help ease some of the financial burdens of college.

 

 

As of April, 16.9 percent of individuals ages 18-25 received government assistance through the Bridge Card program.

 

 

The Bridge Card can be used only to make food purchases, with food stamps disbursed electronically once a month. The amount of assistance an individual or family receives varies based on needs, assets and expenses.

 

 

Beginning Oct. 1, a single person can receive no more than $172 per month. The minimum amount will be $14, according to DHS.

 

 

The Bridge Card replaced food-coupon booklets in 2000. The card allows the user more freedom to manage his or her money and eliminates the hassle of carrying a booklet.

 

 

The Bridge Card has helped eliminate some of the stigma associated with using government assistance, DHS spokesperson Colleen Steinman said — but many people still believe individuals and families who use the food assistance program are lazy and unmotivated.

 

 

The application can be found online, at http://www.michigan.gov/dhs, or at the Ingham County DHS office, 5303 S. Cedar St. in Lansing.

 

 

Students and food assistance

In July, the DHS reported that 18 percent of all Michigan residents were receiving some form of assistance.

 

 

The state’s Food Assistance Program also set a record in July, with assistance being given to 604,863 households — representing 1,287,884 individuals.

 

 

Applicants are certified for a period of one to 12 months. At the end of that period, their application is reviewed to see if their financial status has changed.

 

Provided by http://blogpublic.lib.msu.edu/

 

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