Thousands of Georgians are no longer collecting food stamps due to new work requirements, according to state figures released Tuesday.
The new work mandate applies to food stamp recipients in 21 counties - several in metro Atlanta - who are considered able-bodied and without children.
In January, the state informed 11,779 of these recipients that they had three months to find a job or lose their benefits. Come April 1, only 4,528 people in that category were still receiving benefits, according to figures from the state Division of Family and Children Services.
It’s a jaw-dropping decrease of 62 percent, or 7,251 people. Many were simply dropped from the rolls, but others may have obtained jobs or been reclassified as having a handicap.
The implementation of a work mandate over food stamps is a politically divisive issue. Many conservatives say that able-bodied people with no kids should not just be receiving public assistance, that they need to work.
Some liberals say that many of these people are not truly able-bodied, that they have physical and emotional issues that prevent them from holding a job.
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