10/29/2008
To Accommodate High Demand for Disaster Food Stamps, IDHS Extends the Application Deadline to 5:00 pm on Friday, October 24
Residents in seven counties declared federal disaster areas after recent flooding will now have additional time to apply for Disaster Food Stamps after the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) requested and received approval from the federal
government to extend the application deadline to 5:00 pm on Friday, October 24. The application period was scheduled to end yesterday. The extension follows a surge of applications as more than 11,000 households (43,000 individuals) were approved for
more than $5 million in Disaster Food Stamps.
The Department has taken steps to accelerate the process for those applying for food stamps, such as increasing staff at high traffic locations and deploying shuttle buses to take applicants from remote parking locations to the local offices.
"When the Department of Human Services saw an increased demand for Disaster Food Stamps in our Chicago offices, we worked quickly to make it easier for applicants. With increased staffing at these locations, transportation assistance and additional
time to apply, the process should be easier for Illinoisans hit by hardest by the flooding. The surge in applications shows how necessary this assistance is in these tough economic times, which for some in these areas, was only made worse by unforeseen
flooding that damaged houses, businesses and livelihoods. We will continue to work with these hard-hit Illinoisans to ensure they get the assistance they need," said IDHS Secretary Carol L. Adams, Ph.D.
Individuals may be eligible for this relief if they live or work in the following counties declared federal disaster areas on October 3: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Grundy, LaSalle and Will Counties. To qualify, they must have experienced an adverse
effect from the disaster, including damage to home or business, food loss, disaster-related expenses not reimbursed, loss or reduction of income, or inaccessibility of assets. Applicants must bring identification as well as some form of proof of
residence in an affected area.
Disaster Food Stamp Program
Special applications for the Disaster Food Stamp Program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services are available at (IDHS) Family Community Resource Centers (FCRC) located in the following
counties that were designated as federal disaster areas: Parts of Cook County, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Grundy, LaSalle and Will Counties. People living in Grundy County are served by the FCRC in LaSalle County.
Individuals who may be eligible for Disaster Food Stamps must file a claim at their nearest Illinois Department of Human Services office. For office locations, call IDHS at 800-843-6154. Illinois residents who lived or worked in a disaster area in one
of these counties at the time of the disaster may qualify for the Disaster Food Stamp.
Disaster Food Stamps will be provided to families based on cash resources available to a household during the disaster. Non-reimbursed disaster-related expenses are allowed as a deduction from cash resources. A 4-person family with a maximum allowable
income of $2,328 a month would receive $565 in food stamps. A qualifying 3-person family would receive $445 and 2 persons $311. Most benefits will be available within 3 days of the date of application.
Persons on the regular Food Stamp Program that were affected by the disaster are also encouraged to apply for this special program because they may qualify for additional food stamp benefits to bring their benefit level up to the maximum benefit
amount for the month of the disaster.
Food Stamps can be used to purchase food for human consumption, but cannot be used to buy alcoholic drinks, tobacco products or non-food products. Persons committing fraud with the Food Stamp Program may be disqualified from the program, may be fined
up to $250,000 and put in prison up to 20 years or both.
Offices accepting applications for Disaster Food Stamps
Persons may file an application for Disaster Food Stamps at their local IDHS office listed below:
Cook
- Calumet Park
831 W 119th St
Chicago, IL 60643-5274
Phone: (773) 660-4700 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 439-3713
Fax: (773) 660-2335
- Humboldt Park
2753 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60647-5246
Phone: (773) 292-7200 (Voice)
Nextalk:(866) 439-3721
Fax: (773) 292-7224
- Northern
8020 St. Louis St
Skokie, IL 60076-2923
Phone: (847) 745-3200 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 321-8261
Fax: (847) 745-3276
- South Suburban
3301 Wireton Road
Blue Island, IL 60406-2442
Phone: (708) 293-4700 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 439-3715
Fax: (708) 293-4741
- West Suburban
2701 W Lake
Melrose Park, IL 60160-3041
Phone: (708) 338-7600 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 439-3720
Fax: (708) 338-7638
- Wicker Park
1279 N Milwaukee, 3rd Fl
Chicago, IL 60622-2296
Phone: (773) 292-2900 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 439-3718
Fax: (773) 292-2920
Other Areas
- DeKalb
1629 Afton Rd
Sycamore, IL 60178-3253
Phone: (815) 895-8667 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 322-8423
Fax: (815) 895-8679
- DuPage
146 W Roosevelt Rd
Villa Oaks Office Concourse-Suite 2
Villa Park, IL 60181-3575
Phone: (630) 530-1120 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 322-3092
Fax: (630) 834-5947
- Grundy and LaSalle
700 Centennial Dr
Ottawa, IL 61350-1073
Phone: (815) 433-1572 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 451-5770
Fax: (815) 433-2392
- Kane-Elgin
600 S State St
Elgin, IL 60123-7610
Phone: (847) 931-2700 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 323-1092
- Will
45 E Webster St
Joliet, IL 60432-4067
Phone: (815) 740-5350 (Voice)
Nextalk: (866) 322-2586
Fax: (815) 740-5313
