Hunger and homelessness in North Carolina are about to get much worse

NC Newsline

President Donald Trump may have only the faintest idea of what’s in the massive budget bill he signed into law last Friday, but sadly, the contents and the destructive impacts they’ll have are no mystery to the nation’s already beleaguered charities.

Last week, North Carolina food banks sent out an urgent alert explaining that the bill’s massive cuts to SNAP food assistance will have devastating effects.

While the state’s food banks provide over 250 million meals each year, they noted, SNAP provides nine times as many. And there’s simply no way for charities to fill the gap left by the impending federal cuts.

Meanwhile, at a gathering of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, advocates told NC Newsline’s Greg Childress that the bill will eliminate funding for more than 166,000 units of Permanent Supportive Housing at a time when homelessness is already spiking to new and alarming levels.

The bottom line: Hunger and homelessness in North Carolina are about to get much worse. And we can all thank Trump and his Republican allies in Congress for making it happen.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.