Payment delays force food store to refuse food vouchers

Wed, Aug 8th 2012, 09:12 AM

FREEPORT, Grand Bahama - A delay in payment from the Department of Social Services forced Sawyer's Fresh Mart to refuse food stamps for the last two weeks. Frustrated residents who depend on the coupons are up in arms.
Sawyer's is one of the three remaining food stores on the island that has an agreement with the government to accept food stamps.
However, as of July 25, the store stopped accepting the coupons.
Now residents who prefer to shop at the food mart say their selection, which was already limited, is quickly depleting.
A 30-year-old mother of one who is on the monthly program was dumbfounded on hearing the news when she went to collect her stamps. She said shopping at Sawyer's was a perfect fit for her.
"It is frustrating. Sawyer's is the only food supplier I shop at. I think Sawyer's is an excellent food store because the items are much cheaper and they have a better variety. While some of their items are generic, it is actually more reasonable," she told The Freeport News.
The young mother, who has been on the program for the last eight months, said her stamps go a much longer way in Sawyer's than anywhere else.
Another resident, a 28-year-old mother of two, shared her sentiments and said she had to go to one of the other stores twice in three days because the breadbasket items she needed were not in stock.
When The Freeport News contacted Sawyer's on Tuesday, we were told that the decision was as a result of "problems with government".
The move leaves only Solomon's, Queen's Highway, and Cost Rite in the pool.
According to Department of Social Services Assistant Director Lillian Quant Forbes, the matter is being addressed.
She also explained the process and any number of instances that may cause a delay.
"Once a food coupon has been redeemed, the supermarket sends that batch to social services. Once we get it we also have to process it by denomination, whatever the amount of the coupon," Quant-Forbes said. "We then attach that to a payment voucher and a spreadsheet and that would be sent on to the Treasury for processing."
Once it is verified that all of the attachments are in place, the numbers are correct and the accompanying documents have the necessary signatures and stamped by the vendors, the Treasury then prepares the check, Quant-Forbes explained.
The vendor either collects the check from the Treasury Department or the check is sent out via mail.
While Quant-Forbes could not give a timeframe for this process, she pointed out that, technically, this procedure should be carried out on a monthly basis.
Any food store has the right to decline participation in the government's food assistance program, Quant-Forbes noted.
"When we enter into an agreement with any of the vendors we would have written to them indicating that we wish to set up an account with them, whereby they would agree to accept our food coupons," she said.
"At any point and time a vendor can say 'you owe us an X amount of money, this is your ceiling and so we are not prepared to go beyond your ceiling, and until such time that we have received all of it or a substantial that is owing, we will cut off your credit.'"
In fact, any vendor can stop accepting food stamps at any time, as was the case with Sawyer's, the social services assistant director revealed.
"Once it is that we would have paid them, then our credit will be reinstated and they will so inform us. Once they tell us, then we inform our clients," she said.
Last year, during the period July 2011 to June 2012, the department issued $6.6 million in food coupons, the Minister of Social Services and Community Development Melanie Griffin revealed last week.
Government intends to borrow $7.5 million from the Inter-American Development Bank to implement its new social safety net program, designed to move residents off of welfare.
Just last month in Grand Bahama, the Department of Social Services catered to 3,000 people in food assistance, issuing over $300,000 to those on the monthly program, primarily senior citizens and disabled persons in Freeport and Eight Mile Rock.
Those receiving emergency food stamp assistance amounted to 883 applicants.
With those numbers still high, Quant-Forbes added that the department is working diligently to institute the social safety net program.
"We are hoping that it will help us to be able to reduce the amount of persons because of the proxy means test that will be put in place for them to transition off of the program," she said.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads