DCFS Announces DSNAP Locations for 23 Disaster Parishes

BATON ROUGE -- The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) today announced where residents of 23 parishes under a federal disaster declaration can finalize applications for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (DSNAP) benefits.

DSNAP, formerly called Disaster Food Stamps, provides food assistance to eligible households who do not receive regular SNAP benefits and who need help buying groceries due to lost income or damages following a disaster.

Each site will serve applicants next week on a staggered alphabetical schedule. To minimize wait times, applicants and anyone who pre-registered for benefits should go to a DSNAP location only on one of the days indicated by the first letter of their last name. Applicants who are unable to visit a site on their designated day should go on one of the final days specified.

The following locations will be open Monday, March 21, through Saturday, March 26, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.:

• Beauregard Parish - American Legion Post 27, 176 Hwy 112, DeRidder
• Bienville Parish - Bienville Court House, 100 Court House Drive, Arcadia
• Bossier Parish - Bossier Parish Community College, 6220 E. Texas St., Bossier City
• Caddo Parish - Louisiana Technical College, 2010 N. Marker St., Shreveport
• Caldwell Parish - Life Church of Columbia, 4960 Hwy 4 East, Columbia
• Claiborne Parish - La. Dept. of Children and Family Services, 622 E 2nd Street, Homer
• DeSoto Parish - Louisiana Technical College, 943 Oxford Rd., Mansfield
• Grant Parish (two sites) - Grant Parish Civic Center, 420 Richardson Dr., Colfax
  • Grant City Hall, 4418 Hwy 500, Georgetown
• LaSalle Parish - Woodmen of the World, 1720 East Oak Street, Jena
• Livingston Parish - Amvets Post 68, 26890 Hwy 42, Springfield
• Madison Parish - La. Dept. of Children and Family Services, 1707 Felicia Dr., Tallulah
• Morehouse Parish - Bastrop Municipal Center,1901 Moeller Dr., Bastrop
• Natchitoches Parish - Council on Aging, 1016 Keyser Ave., Natchitoches
• Ouachita Parish - Louisiana Delta Community College, 609 Vocational Parkway, West Monroe
• Richland Parish - First Baptist Church Family Life Center, 1306 Louisa Street, Rayville
• St. Tammany Parish - St Tammany Sheriff Training Facility, 39395 Pine St., Pearl River
• Tangipahoa Parish - Eagle Heights Community Church, 47318 Rufus Bankston Rd., Tickfaw
• Union Parish - Willie Davis Jr. Recreation Center, 116 Cox Ferry Rd., Farmerville
• Vernon Parish - First Baptist Church, 1400 Nolan Trace Dr., Leesville
• Washington Parish (two sites) - American Legion Post 24, 63613 Lakeview Rd., Bogalusa
  • Hillcrest Baptist Church, 2201 Washington St., Franklinton
• Webster Parish - Northwest Louisiana Technical College, 9500 Industrial Dr., Minden
• West Carroll Parish - La. Dept. of Children and Family Services, 702 E Jefferson Street, Oak Grove
• Winn Parish - Laurel Heights Baptist Church, 1001 San Pedro St., Winnfield, LA 71483

For the above locations, except LaSalle Parish, applicants should go on the following designated days, based on their last name. LaSalle Parish will follow the same schedule as the others on Monday through Thursday, but on Friday, the site will open to any applicant (A-Z). It will not have hours on Saturday.

• Monday, March 21: A-D
• Tuesday, March 22: E-K
• Wed., March 23: L-R
• Thursday, March 24: S-Z
• Friday, March 25: A-K applicants unable to make prior scheduled day
• Saturday, March 26: L-Z applicants unable to make prior scheduled day

DSNAP applicants MUST go to a specified DSNAP site to apply and receive benefits, if eligible.

Applicants may name an Authorized Representative to go to a DSNAP site on their behalf. Authorized representatives must bring with them to the DSNAP site a picture ID and the picture ID of the applicant/head of household along with a signed statement from the applicant/head of household or an adult household member authorizing them as a representative.

Accommodations will be made for the elderly and those with disabilities to reduce on-site wait times.

Regular SNAP households DO NOT need to apply for DSNAP. Impacted households that receive regular SNAP benefits in the DSNAP parishes will have additional SNAP benefits added to their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards if they are not already receiving the maximum allotment for their household size.

To help expedite the application process DCFS is encouraging residents in all affected areas to pre-register for DSNAP benefits. The best way to do this is online at www.dcfs.la.gov/dsnap. However, residents can also pre-register by phone at 1-888-LAHELP-U (1-888-524-3578) daily between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Callers will select the appropriate language and then select options 3 and 3. All pre-registrants will have to provide the following information:

• Name, Social Security Number and Date of Birth for each household member
• Current address and parish of household
• Monthly income for each household member
• All liquid assets for each household member (cash on hand, checking, savings)

The information will be kept securely on file and will be confidential.

The pre-registration process does not guarantee benefits, but is designed to save time, minimize long waits and prevent applicants from coming to the site, only to find out that they do not have the right information needed to apply.

As with all programs, DCFS works to ensure this program and others are available for eligible applicants by aggressively protecting against fraud in benefits programs year round. Strong safeguards are in place to ensure that only eligible citizens receive DSNAP benefits, to identify those who are dishonest about their eligibility and to pursue recoupment and/or prosecution.