Local Leaders Call on South Bend to Use $4.8 Million in City Reserves to Feed Residents During Federal Shutdown

SOUTH BEND,Ind. -- Community leaders in South Bend are calling on elected officials to take emergency action to help feed thousands of residents affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown.

Black Lives Matter South Bend, former Councilman Henry Davis Jr. ,and current At-Large Councilman Dr. Oliver Davis are urging the South Bend Common Council to hold an emergency hearing to consider allocating up to $4.8 million of public reserves to assist roughly 20,000 residents who rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Those benefits are expected to stop Saturday, Nov. 1, due to the shutdown.

The $4.8 million figure is based on a calculation of $60 spent per person for up to 20,000 SNAP recipients each week for 4 weeks.

We have to use our resources to help people. This crisis may go on for a day or two, it may go on for a week or two, or it may go on longer,” said South Bend Common Council Member At-Large Oliver Davis Jr. “If it goes on into Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s, we need to be prepared,” he added.

After decades in city government, Council Member Oliver Davis Jr. said local government has never been faced with a crisis like the one they are in right now.

He, Black Lives Matter South Bend, and other local Democrats are calling on the city to consider a number of options, including using up to $4.8 million of public reserves to fund local agencies like food banks to make sure residents are fed.

“Well, it’s very disheartening,” said Black Lives Matter South Bend Co-founder Katheryn Redding. “Honestly, when you think of the holiday season just around the corner and knowing that there’s many families that I know that receive those supplemental income from the government, and to know that the Republican-led leadership is not in favor of making sure that families are eating, it points to the time that we’re heading, and it’s very scary,” she added.

Davis said those at risk of losing SNAP benefits are not the only ones who need an extra hand right now. “Besides the SNAP people, we have people that are working in TSA and not getting paid. So we already have a lot of local federal people that are not getting paid, so it’s a lot of people,” Davis added.

Davis said “bellies are bipartisan” and is urging the South Bend Common Council to hold an emergency hearing this week. He is also calling on other leaders at the state, federal and local level to step up as well.

BLM says according to the City Controller’s 2024 Financial Report, South Bend holds roughly $92 million in reserves, with $80 million in the General Fund and $12 million in the Rainy Day Fund. Davis said those are typically used for roads and construction projects, but they can not continue business as usual in this situation.

Black Lives Matter South Bend Co-founder Jorden Giger said in a statement the city should use those funds to support residents during the crisis. “If the City of South Bend can offer millions in tax abatements and tax incremental financing (TIF)deals, and other incentives to luxury housing developers, then the city can also use its healthy reserves to ensure that no child, senior, or differently abled person goes hungry during the government shutdown,” Giger said.

Former Councilman Henry Davis Jr. echoed that sentiment. “You’re only giving the citizens of the city their own money back. It may keep our children fed and crime down,” he said.

In a statement Monday, Mayor James Mueller said the only sustainable solution is for Congress to reopen the federal government.

"The City is always open to fiscally-responsible partnerships that advance our shared goals like food security. While the City's growth initiatives have created a solid fiscal position in the face of significant revenue cuts from the state's SEA 1 policy, the City does not have the resources to fill the role of the federal government or backstop federal programs. The reckless partisan brinkmanship in Washington is the cause for this emerging crisis, and the only sustainable solution is for Congress to reopen the federal government and resume essential programs like SNAP. I hope Congress acts to meet the urgency of this moment and encourage our community to rally around our neighbors during these uncertain times,” said Mueller.