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Quote/Term of the Week
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program / noun
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federally funded program that helps low-income families buy groceries.
Ex: In Illinois, $350 million in SNAP benefits is administered each month to nearly 2 million recipients to address food needs.
In a SNAP
Around 360,000 Illinois residents are at risk of losing benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
New work requirements are going into effect this weekend, removing exemptions for various groups of vulnerable people.
Under the new requirements, SNAP recipients ages 18 to 64 must work, volunteer or participate in job training or education for a minimum of 80 hours per month. Recipients are allowed to do a combination of these things to meet the requirements.
The new rules stem from the Trump administration changing who is considered able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs).
The age range for the work requirements used to be people 18-54, with no kids under 18 and no disabilities. Anyone older than that was exempt. This year, that age limit was raised to 64, so people between 55 and 64 years old without disabilities now must fulfill work hours.
In addition to this, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, youth who aged out of foster care, and parents with children older than 14 will no longer be exempt from the work requirements. The deadline to meet the requirements or qualify for an exemption is Jan. 31.
Anyone falling into these categories should have received a formal notice from the Illinois Department of Human Services about the changes. You should also have received a form to say if you should be exempt.
You can check to see if you are meeting SNAP work requirements or are eligible for an exemption through the Illinois Department of Human Services web portal. You can also call the help line at 1-800-843-6154.
Benefits will not stop immediately if you don’t meet the requirements. Starting Feb. 1, anyone who doesn’t meet the requirements will be limited to three months of SNAP benefits over the next three years. It’s essentially a grace period. For example, if you’re able to meet the new rules by March 1, but you lose your job sometime else down the road, you’ll only have two months of SNAP benefits to use before you must meet the work requirements again.
In Illinois, more than $350 million in SNAP benefits is administered each month to nearly 2 million recipients to address food needs.
Advocates say that these added limitations in who can be exempt from work requirements will worsen the growing hunger crisis in Chicago.
One in five Chicago-area households experiences food insecurity, according to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. For every meal a food bank provides under the national nonprofit Feeding America, SNAP supports nine meals.
Content in this Newswire is from 'We're Not Out of the Woods Yet': 360K Illinoisans Risk Losing SNAP Benefits in 2026. Here’s What to Know. by City Bureau Engagement Reporter Jerrel Floyd. Stay tuned for more of his reporting on SNAP and food accessibility on the city’s West and South Sides at citybureau.org/news.
What you can do:
Share resources for people who need food or donate to local food pantries:
Access the Find Food IL interactive map to locate assistance near you.
You can also find support throughthe Chicago Area Mutual Aid Map and Directory.
A version of this story was first published in the January 28, 2026 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.
Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Civic Editor Dawn Rhodes at dawn@citybureau.org.