States scramble to prepare ahead of food stamps rule change (Source foxbusiness.com)

Having food stamps offers Richard Butler a stability he’s rarely known in his 25 years. He was in state custody at age 2, spent his teen years at a Chicago boys’ home and jail for burglary, and has since struggled to find a permanent home.

The $194 deposited monthly on his benefits card buys fresh produce and meat. “It means the world to me,” said Butler, who shares a one-bedroom apartment with two others. “We can go without a lot of things, like phones and music. We can’t go without eating.” But that stability is being threatened for people like Butler, who are able-bodied, without dependents and between the ages 18 and 49. New Trump administration rules taking effect April 1 put hundreds of thousands of people in his situation at risk of losing their benefits. They hit particularly hard in places like Illinois, which also has been dealing with a separate, similar change in the nation’s third-largest city. From Hawaii to Pennsylvania, states are scrambling to blunt the impact, with roughly 700,000 people at risk of losing benefits unless they meet certain work, training or school requirements. They’ve filed a multi-state lawsuit, expanded publicly funded job training, developed pilot programs and doubled down efforts to reach vulnerable communities, including the homeless, rural residents and people of color. Social service agencies say they won’t be able to fill the gap, making increased homelessness and more hospital visits among the biggest concerns. Experts say they’ve already seen troubling signs in some states. “This is a cascading effect,” said Robert Campbell, managing director at Feeding America, which runs hundreds of food banks nationwide. “It will increase demands on the emergency food system, food banks and pantries.”

Cash could be spreading the coronavirus, warns the World Health Organization (Source Business Insider)

Cash could be spreading the novel coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO told Business Insider that people should wash their hands after handling cash, especially before eating. People should use contactless payments instead, the WHO told The Telegraph.

In February, China said it would destroy cash from areas highly affected by the coronavirus in an effort to slow the spread. Cash could be contributing to the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO told The Telegraph that the coronavirus could remain on money for days after being exposed to it and that people should avoid touching their face after handling cash.

“We know that money changes hands frequently and can pick up all sorts of bacteria and viruses and things like that,” a WHO representative told The Telegraph. “We would advise people to wash their hands after handling banknotes and avoid touching their face.”