Alarmed Aid Recipients Turn to App After Shutdown Spurs Windfall
Propel’s Fresh EBT “hides” part of users’ balance so they don’t overspend benefits that may not come again until March or later.
The U.S. government shutdown is causing thousands of Americans to tighten their belts and keep a close eye on expenses. But for some of the roughly 38 million people who receive federal aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, an unexpected windfall of February’s allowance in the middle of January was cause for concern.
Many sought help from a popular app called Fresh EBT from Propel Inc., a startup that lets food aid recipients check their balances and manage benefits on their smartphones. They wanted a way to avoid the temptation to overspend this month and risk blowing what could be their last payment until March or later. And they wanted answers to the many questions they had about how they would continue to eat with part of the federal government closed.