Applying for Disaster SNAP after Harvey

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Nobody wants to be here -- nobody. Standing in the hot sun, waiting in line, just to get access to food stamps, but for Pamela Jones and her friend, there's not a lot of options.

"Not at all," says Jones. "Red Cross sucks. FEMA sucks. They want you to get money from someone else. But time is of the essence. That's the biggest thing."

Jones and thousands of other people with last names that begin with the letters between I and M were waiting for an hour, maybe two, to apply for what's called the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as D-SNAP.

"This is our line, if you think about the impact of Hurricane Harvey and the population of Harris County, this is not too surprising at all," said Gracie Perez with Texas Heath and Human Services.

Jones and others were at Greenspoint Mall, one of multiple locations in Harris County. Applicants have to bring identification, meet certain income requirements and have been affected by Harvey. Those last two may be difficult to prove or disprove, but the state agency is relying on the honor system.

The agency started on Sept. 22 and will be accessible until Monday, Oct. 2. Almost an hour after getting in line on Friday, Jones had finished the process. Was the wait worth it?

"This helps out because I spent a lot of money on other things, so this helps out," says Jones. "But I think this could be better."

The following locations to apply for D-SNAP will remain open until Oct. 5: