Hi Bindi&Us,<br><br>If I could just add something from my own experience... I totally agree with everything A Leaf In The Wind said, but know that even though food stamps are technically federal benefits, there are some administrative <strong><a href="
http://frac.org/federal-foodnutrition-programs/snapfood-stamps/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">costs to the states</a></strong> (and very possibly counties, because where I live the benefits are run differently from one county to the next).<br><br>There are definitely county residency requirements. It may be different from one state to the next, but it states that are hard hit by the economy, if they suspect you're homeless (and traveling around could qualify you as homeless), they may look to make you "someone else's problem." It's odd that the people who need help the most are often hassled the most about receiving benefits.<br><br>This happened to me a couple years ago. I had to move out of my apartment (it was a health hazard, the landlord refused to fix it and the health department declared it uninhabitable) with nowhere to go. I stayed temporarily at relatives, and then got an RV. I had qualified for food stamps while I was living in the apartment, and the whole process was amazingly easy. Showed my income, showed my expenses and rental receipts...and everything was great. Then it all suddenly changed when I didn't have a "solid, permanent address within the county."<br><br>I have family in the next county (it's a bigger city and food is cheaper), and had always bought some food in that county every month when I'd go visit. No one ever said a word. But when I was living in the RV (and yet still in the same county, just at the campground), I got calls from my worker, asking if i was still living in "this" county, since I was buying quite a bit of food in "that" county (my little county didn't have a Walmart! lol!). I suddenly had to fill out a LOT more paperwork, to prove I was a resident of the county that I'd lived in for 12 years. It was frustrating to say the least.<br><br>I do understand their position. They want to make sure people just just "show up on the doorstep", claim residency and start collecting benefits. But really...I'd lived in the county (and been a homeowner, tax payer, property tax payer, and business owner) for 12 years.<br><br>I'm just sharing this with you so you have a heads up on the residency angle. If you still have a valid address you can use in the county you're collecting benefits from, awesome. You're all good. But if not, you might run into some trouble. What I ended up doing was parking in the driveway of a relative who lives in the same city I was in, but in a more country part. She has a very long dirt driveway with lots of trees around. We ran an extension cord out to my rig, and it worked out reasonably well. It was a help to her for me to be there, since she has quiet a few medical issues and really shouldn't be living alone. <br><br>Anyway, I told the county the truth, that I was living in the RV in her driveway, and gave them that address. Everything was fine after that. They have certain rules and requirements, and it's hard for them when you throw a "different" kind of lifestyle at them. All they wanted was a physical address to fill in the box on the form. Oh, and I also saved my propane receipts, turned them in for my utility costs. <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img"><br><br>Good luck to you!
