CADILLAC — A Northern Michigan man with disabilities, who lives independently on a very limited income and relies on SNAP benefits, is speaking out about the uncertainty with SNAP right now and how all of this is impacting his daily life.
Logan Wood has several health issues including a mild case of cerebral palsy, Asperger Syndrome and brain trauma, but he’s been living on his own for the last five years.
“I did my best to stock up on everything that I needed before this whole thing started. But if I get short on something, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said Wood.
He said he works when he can, but it doesn’t generate a lot. His bills are paid with the help of social security income and SNAP benefits.
“Because of my low income, I can’t exactly afford to buy food, so I really heavily rely on my bridge card or snap benefits to help me with that,” said Wood.
Logan’s mom, Marla Courtney, takes care of his finances, acting as his beneficiary.
“A lot of times I have a little hard time keeping track of money. And I’m not very good at balancing. I don’t even know how to use a checkbook,” said Wood.
Courtney said Logan gets $983 a month from SSI and $600 hundred goes to rent, there’s not much wiggle room in his budget.
She said his SNAP benefits total under $300 and that barely covers food for the month.
“We usually end up with about $60. That’s left over. But it depends. I mean, if it’s in the summertime and he’s got a higher electricity bill that can eat it up, same thing in the winter,” said Courtney.
Logan said it’s hard to find steady employment with his challenges.
He has trouble with his fine motor skills, and he also suffers from anxiety.
He has applied to lots of places in Cadillac, including After 26, a place known for hiring people with disabilities.
“I have applied there multiple times. I did have a job interview with them once, but I never heard back. And that was almost two years ago,” said Logan.
Courtney said luckily, he has her to help but not everyone on disability is that fortunate.
“There’s a lot of people that are really, really going to be struggling, especially with the cost of everything going up,” said Courtney.
If you or anyone you know is struggling right now without SNAP benefits, here’s a list of resources that can help.
