Wyoming Department of Family Services

Wyoming SNAP benefits could start hitting accounts as soon as Friday. Meanwhile, LIEAP has yet to be refunded by federal lawmakers.

The effort is a response to the ongoing back-and-forth about funding for federal SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps.

The money will go to organizations and churches running food banks and food pantries across the state.

Roughly 28,000 Wyomingites receive SNAP benefits each month, with an average payment of about $185 per person.

Next October, states will take on 75% of the price tag of processing benefits and figuring out eligibility. The federal government and states previously split those administrative costs 50-50.

Back in 2010, Wyoming had 855 licensed daycare centers. But in the last 14 years, 285 of those have shut down. Meanwhile, the need for childcare is on the uptick. Last March, the town of Dubois, population 931, lost its only daycare. Now, some local parents are racing to find a solution.

Wyoming's Emergency Rental Assistance Program has given a lot of money to a lot of families in the last two years. But now that program is ending, having spent all the money it could.

Older adults are more at risk from phone and email scams. They're also increasingly at risk of elder financial abuse.

SNAP recipients will only receive their regular issuances beginning in May after two years of expanded benefits due to the pandemic. The Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) is working with local communities to publicize their other assistance programs, which include rental, food, and childcare subsidies for those who qualify.

A new version of the program, with less restrictive qualifications, is helping DFS dole out the money faster. But it might not be fast enough to keep the federal government from taking back a significant portion and regifting it to other states.