Nearly $4 million of food assistance government funds were distributed to Chautauqua County residents this past week.

During the Chautauqua County Legislature’s Human Services Committee meeting, Carmelo Hernandez, Commissioner of Mental Hygiene Services, gave an update on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The committee meeting took place on Wednesday, the day before the government shutdown had ended.

According to Hernandez, $1.2 million worth of SNAP benefits were distributed on Nov. 10 and another $2.7 million worth of SNAP benefits were distributed on Nov. 12 to county residents.

Hernandez did acknowledge that the Supreme Court had ordered states to not pay for SNAP benefits in lieu of the government shutdown, however the money had already been distributed before the order was issued.

With the federal government reopened, Hernandez felt that those who rely on SNAP should be OK.

The next question, he said, is what will happen with the Home Energy Assistance Program.

Hernandez said in the past, the federal government had paid for HEAP but there had been questions of whether this would continue or not.

The state had submitted its proposal for HEAP, but with the shutdown, those questions couldn’t be answered. “Hopefully when it (federal government) opens up, we’ll have at least a timeline when we will know,” he said.

Hernandez previously said that applications for HEAP have been delayed until Nov. 24.

According to Hernandez, in the 2024-2025 season, there were 14,304 HEAP benefits processed in Chautauqua County, which totaled $6,405,647. That includes both heating and cooling.